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Exercises

Core exercises for runners: hold your trunk still while your legs do the work

Published October 29, 2026

The best core exercises for runners train the trunk to stay still while the legs move: dead bugs and planks against arching, side planks, Copenhagen planks and suitcase carries against leaning sideways, and the Pallof press against twisting. Add back extensions and single-leg glute bridges for the back of the trunk and the hips. Do 10 to 20 sets a week, split over two or three short sessions after easy runs, and progress by adding seconds, reps or load once every set ends with 2 reps or 10 seconds still in the tank.

  1. Dead Bug Abs
  2. Plank Abs
  3. Side Plank Abs
  4. Pallof Press Abs
  5. Dumbbell Suitcase Carry Abs, Quads
  6. Copenhagen Plank Adductors, Abs
  7. Single-Leg Glute Bridge Glutes

Front of the trunk: stop the arch

Every foot strike tries to tip your pelvis forward and arch your lower back. These four train the front of the trunk to hold the ribs over the pelvis, from an easy floor drill to a hard rollout.

Abs, anti-extension

Dead Bug

Abs

It trains the exact problem runners have: limbs moving in opposite directions while the lower back stays flat. Slow reps teach you to breathe and brace at the same time, which is what you need at race pace.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up, arms pointing up and knees bent at right angles over your hips.
  2. Press your lower back into the floor.
  3. Reach one arm overhead and the opposite leg out long, both hovering above the floor.
  4. Bring them back and repeat with the other pair.

Cues

  • Back glued down
  • Breathe out as you reach
  • Opposite arm and leg

Common mistakes

  • Letting the back arch when the leg goes long: reach less far.
  • Going fast: each rep should take about three seconds.

Swap for: Plank, Alternating Leg Raise

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Abs, anti-extension hold

Plank

Abs

The plank is the simplest test of whether your trunk can hold a straight line. Keep holds under a minute and make them harder by squeezing tighter, not by holding longer.

How to do it

  1. Set your forearms under your shoulders and your feet behind you, body in a straight line.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down toward your hips.
  3. Hold, breathing normally, without letting your hips sag or rise.
  4. For the harder version, reach one arm forward and lift the opposite foot, hold, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Glutes tight
  • Straight line

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging toward the floor: that hangs on your lower back.
  • Holding for minutes at an easy level: make it harder instead.

Swap for: Long Lever Plank, Plank Shoulder Tap

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Abs, loaded anti-extension

Ab Wheel Rollout

Abs

For runners who already own a solid plank, the rollout loads the same job much harder in a few reps. Short sets of 6 to 10 build strength without adding fatigue your legs will feel on tomorrow's run.

How to do it

  1. Kneel with the wheel under your shoulders and your arms straight.
  2. Brace and roll forward, letting your hips follow, until just before your back starts to sag.
  3. Pull the wheel back to your knees using your abs, not your hips.

Cues

  • Tuck the pelvis
  • Roll only as far as you own
  • Arms straight

Common mistakes

  • Letting the lower back cave at the far end.
  • Sitting the hips back first on the return instead of pulling with the abs.

Swap for: Stability Ball Body Saw, Plank

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Abs and hip flexors

Hanging Knee Raise

Abs

Lifting the knees while hanging trains the hip flexors and lower abs together, the same pairing that drives your knee forward in each stride. Curl the pelvis up at the top so the abs, not just the hips, do the work.

How to do it

  1. Hang from the bar with straight arms and your legs together.
  2. Draw your knees up toward your chest and curl your pelvis up at the top.
  3. Lower your legs slowly until they hang straight and still.

Cues

  • Curl the pelvis
  • Stop the swing
  • Slow down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging into each rep: pause at the bottom until you are still.
  • Lifting the knees only to hip height, which works the hip flexors more than the abs.

Swap for: Captain's Chair Knee Raise, Reverse Crunch

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Side of the trunk: stay level on one leg

Running is a string of single-leg landings, and the side of your trunk keeps your hips and shoulders level on each one. The side plank and suitcase carry train the obliques; the Copenhagen plank adds the inner thigh that works with them.

Obliques, anti-lateral flexion

Side Plank

Abs

The side plank trains the muscles that stop your hip from dropping and your trunk from leaning when you land on one leg. Two short holds per side after an easy run are enough to make progress.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side with your elbow under your shoulder and your legs stacked.
  2. Lift your hips until your body is straight from head to feet.
  3. Hold, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Hips high
  • Stacked feet
  • Elbow under shoulder

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips drop toward the floor as the hold goes on.
  • Rolling the chest forward or back.

Swap for: Dumbbell Side Plank, Copenhagen Plank

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Adductors and obliques

Copenhagen Plank

Adductors, Abs

Holding your body up from the inner thigh trains the adductors and obliques as one chain. Runners rarely train the adductors at all, and they control the knee and hip on every landing.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side next to a flat bench or sturdy chair, propped on your bottom forearm with the elbow under your shoulder.
  2. Lay your straight top leg on the seat so the inside of your foot and ankle rest on it; tuck the bottom leg under it or let it rest on the floor.
  3. Press the top foot down into the seat and raise your hips until your body runs in one line from head to feet.
  4. Hold for the set's time or lower and raise your hips for reps, then turn over and do the other side.

Cues

  • Push the seat away with your top foot
  • Hips stacked, not rolled back
  • Breathe while you hold

Common mistakes

  • Starting with the foot on the seat before you can hold a side plank: rest your knee there instead until 30-second holds feel solid.
  • Hips drifting backward so the plank turns into a pike: keep your hips in line with your shoulders.

Swap for: Band Hip Adduction, Cossack Squat, Balance Board Lateral Squat

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Obliques and grip, loaded

Dumbbell Suitcase Carry

Abs, Quads

Walking with a weight in one hand is the most running-like core drill on this page: you move, one side is loaded, and you have to stay upright. It is also easy to add weight to week after week.

How to do it

  1. Pick up one heavy dumbbell and stand tall with it at your side.
  2. Walk with short, steady steps without leaning toward or away from it.
  3. Set it down, switch hands and walk back.

Cues

  • Shoulders level
  • Tall walk
  • Grip hard

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the weight to balance it.
  • Picking a dumbbell so light that nothing has to work.

Swap for: Farmer's Walk, Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

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Rotation control

Your arms swing and your pelvis turns with every stride. The core's job is to keep that rotation small and even, so these drills hold the trunk square while a load or your own weight tries to turn it.

Obliques, anti-rotation

Pallof Press

Abs

Pressing a cable handle out while it pulls you sideways trains the trunk to resist rotation, which keeps your arm swing from turning into a torso twist. Pause each rep with arms straight to make the hold count.

How to do it

  1. Set a cable at chest height, stand side-on to it and grip the handle two-handed at your chest.
  2. Step away until the cable pulls, feet hip-width.
  3. Press the handle straight out, hold for two seconds without turning, then bring it back.

Cues

  • Hands on the midline
  • Don't turn
  • Hold it out

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close, so the cable barely pulls.
  • Letting the arms drift toward the stack.

Swap for: Cable Woodchop, Landmine Twist

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Abs, anti-rotation from a plank

Plank Shoulder Tap

Abs

Lifting one hand from a plank shifts your weight to three points and tries to turn your hips. It is the no-equipment way to train rotation control at home.

How to do it

  1. Hold a straight-arm plank with feet a little wider than hips.
  2. Lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder.
  3. Replace it and tap with the other hand, keeping your hips from rocking.

Cues

  • Hips stay still
  • Feet wide for balance
  • Slow taps

Common mistakes

  • Rocking side to side: widen the feet and slow down.

Swap for: Plank, Push-Up Plus, Bear Crawl

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Back of the trunk and hips

A core program that only trains the front leaves the spinal erectors and glutes behind. These two keep the back of the trunk strong enough to hold your posture late in a long run.

Lower back, spinal erectors

Back Extension

Lower Back

The back extension trains the erectors that keep you tall when fatigue pulls you into a slouch in the last miles. Lift your chest just clear of the floor, not into a big arch.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your hands behind your head and elbows out.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your chest off the floor while your legs stay down.
  3. Lower slowly back to the floor.

Cues

  • Lift the chest, not the chin
  • Legs stay heavy

Common mistakes

  • Jerking up fast: lift and lower at the same steady speed.

Swap for: Superman, 45-Degree Back Extension, Band Good Morning

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Glutes, single-leg hip extension

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Glutes

This bridge loads one glute and hamstring while the trunk resists twisting toward the free leg, so it trains the hips and core in one move. Keep both hip bones level at the top.

How to do it

  1. On your back, plant one foot flat and the other leg lifted; rest a light kettlebell on the working hip if you have one.
  2. Press the planted heel down and raise your hips until your body is straight from knee to shoulder.
  3. Lower slowly and finish the set before switching.

Cues

  • Push through the heel
  • Hips level
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting one hip drop: lower the height until both stay level.

Swap for: Donkey Kick, Dumbbell Glute Bridge, Clamshell

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Ten minutes after easy runs, no equipment

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You run three to five days a week, have no gym, and want a short core routine you will actually keep doing.

Three short sessions of 10 sets each add up to 30 easy sets a week. That is more than a strength block would use, but these are bodyweight holds at 2 to 3 reps or seconds short of failure, so they recover by the next day.

Core after easy runs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dead BugPer side. Exhale as the limbs reach. 2 × 8–12 2 45 s
PlankSeconds per hold. 2 × 30–45 2 45 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 2 × 20–40 2 45 s
Plank Shoulder TapTaps total. Hips stay still. 2 × 10–16 2 45 s
Single-Leg Glute BridgePer leg. 2 × 10–12 2 45 s
How to run it
Do it straight after two or three easy runs, while you are still warm. Skip it after intervals and long runs so those days stay about running.
How to progress
Add 5 seconds to each hold or 2 reps to each set when every set finishes with about 2 reps or 10 seconds in reserve. Once holds pass 45 seconds, make them harder instead: feet closer together in the plank, top leg raised in the side plank.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Two gym sessions with heavier core work

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentAb Wheel, Adjustable Cable, Hyperextension, Pull-Up Bar +1

You already lift twice a week for running and want the core part of those sessions to build strength, not just endurance.

Each day adds 9 hard sets on top of your leg work, 18 a week. Loaded drills in lower rep ranges build more strength per set than long holds, so fewer sets do the job.

Day A: Front and rotation
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Ab Wheel Rollout 3 × 6–10 2 90 s
Pallof PressPer side. Pause 2 s at full reach. 3 × 8–12 1 1 min
Back Extension 3 × 10–15 2 1 min

Open Day A: Front and rotation in the session builder

Day B: Sides and carries
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hanging Knee Raise 3 × 8–12 1 75 s
Copenhagen PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 15–30 2 1 min
Dumbbell Suitcase CarrySeconds per side. 3 × 20–40 2 75 s

Open Day B: Sides and carries in the session builder

How to run it
Add Day A to the end of your first strength session and Day B to the second, with at least two days between them. Keep both away from the 24 hours before a workout or long run.
How to progress
Use double progression: when every set of rollouts, knee raises or Pallof presses reaches the top of the rep range at 1 to 2 reps in reserve, add range, load or a slower lowering. Add weight to the carry when 40 seconds feels like it still has 10 to spare.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

High-mileage block: one short session

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets11 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Hyperextension

You are deep in a marathon or ultra build, legs tired most days, and want to keep core strength without adding more fatigue.

One session of 11 sets is enough to hold on to core strength while running volume is at its peak. Every drill stays at 2 to 3 reps or seconds in reserve so nothing leaves you sore for the next run.

Core maintenance
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dead BugPer side. 2 × 8–10 3 45 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 20–30 2 45 s
Copenhagen PlankSeconds per side. 2 × 15–25 3 1 min
Dumbbell Suitcase CarrySeconds per side. 2 × 20–30 2 1 min
Back Extension 2 × 10–12 3 1 min
How to run it
Do it once a week after your easiest run, never the day before the long run. In race week, drop to one set of each.
How to progress
Hold the loads and times steady through the build. If a session feels easy across the board, add one set to the carry or the side plank rather than going heavier.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

Are core workouts good for running?

Yes, as long as they train the trunk to hold its position while the legs move. Planks, side planks, dead bugs, carries and Pallof presses do that. Endless crunches build the front of the abs but do little for the side bend and rotation control a stride needs.

What are the big 3 core stability exercises?

The big three usually refers to the curl-up, side plank and bird dog. For runners, the side plank is worth keeping as is, and the dead bug trains the same opposite arm and leg pattern as the bird dog with your back supported on the floor.

What are the 5 best core exercises for runners?

Dead bug, side plank, Pallof press, suitcase carry and single-leg glute bridge. Together they cover arching, side bend, rotation, walking under load and single-leg hip control, which is the whole job of a runner's core.

How often should runners do core exercises?

Two or three times a week, 10 to 20 hard sets in total for loaded work or up to about 30 short sets for bodyweight holds. Short sessions after easy runs are easier to keep up than one long core day.

Should I do core before or after running?

After. A tired core before a run makes the run worse, while a few minutes of core after an easy run costs you nothing. The exception is a set of dead bugs as a warm-up drill, done well short of fatigue.