One of the Greater Burlington YMCA’s personal trainers, Sarah Gremelsbacker, has a go-to plan for her clients to help them create and stick to their fitness routine. She describes a great beginner-friendly workout split is upper body, lower body, and core—done on three separate days.
For a complete core workout, it’s important to target all major muscle groups: abdominals, obliques, and lower back. A strong core supports spinal stabilization, posture, balance, and overall functional strength.
In this article, she’ll walk through a simple, effective core routine you can do at home with little or no equipment. You may choose to add weights for more challenge, or just use body weight. For each exercise, perform 8–12 reps for 3 sets, resting about a minute between sets.
1st Exercise: Leg Raises
Lie on your back with your hands under your glutes, palms down. Keep your legs straight and raise them to a 90-degree angle. Engage your core by pulling your belly button in toward your spine. Lower your legs slowly until they hover just above the ground, then lift again.
2nd Exercise: Russian Twists
Sit with knees slightly bent and ankles crossed. Lean back to create tension in your trunk. Slowly twist your torso from side to side. You don’t need to touch the ground—as long as you feel the movement in your core and obliques, you’re doing it right.
3rd Exercise: Bird Dogs
Start in a tabletop position. Extend your right arm and left leg fully, hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Switch sides with left arm and right leg. Focus on controlled movement and activating the lower back. Repeat for your desired number of reps.
4th Exercise: Dead Bugs
Lie on your back with arms extended above your shoulders and knees bent over your hips. This mirrors the bird dog but on your back. Extend your right arm and left leg until they hover above the ground, then return to center and switch sides. You’ll feel this in your front core.
5th Exercise: Plank (with Pelvic Tilt)
Before you start, try a pelvic tilt. Find your pelvic bones with your fingers and wrap your thumbs around your waist. Tilt your pelvis by flattening your back and pulling your belly button toward your spine. This helps protect and activate your core.
To plank, get into position on your hands or forearms—choose what feels best. Being on your forearms emphasizes the core more, while hands add more upper body work. Once in position, hold strong through your body and maintain the pelvic tilt. Hold as long as you can with good form.
About Sarah:
Sarah Gremelsbacker is a certified personal trainer here at the YMCA who loves working one-on-one with clients to help them feel more comfortable in the gym, build strength, and grow their confidence. Strength training is her passion, and she enjoys teaching both strength and hypertrophy techniques. If you see her around the Y, feel free to say hi or ask her any questions!