Core Exercises for Trunk Strength and Control

Explore core exercises using bodyweight, cables, and weights, with practical technique tips and guidance for building trunk control safely.

Core exercises train the muscles around your trunk, including the abdominals, lower back, and hips. They appear in strength training, conditioning, and functional movement practice.

What are core exercises?

This category includes movements that stabilize, flex, rotate, or load the trunk under control. Examples include planks, dead bugs, sit-ups, carries, and drills using cables or a medicine ball. The demands vary: some exercises emphasize endurance, while others focus more on strength, coordination, or resistance to movement.

Practical training guidance

Keep your ribcage and pelvis controlled and avoid using momentum to complete a repetition. Select a variation you can perform with consistent technique, then increase resistance gradually when using weights, cables, or a medicine ball. Stop if you feel sharp pain and seek qualified coaching if you are unsure about your form.

Bulgarian Barbell Split Squat

The barbell single-leg split squat (also called the Bulgarian split squat) can be compared to lunges. The difference is that you do not step forward or back. You complete a full set with one leg forward first, then repeat it with the other leg. This can make proper execution easier. You only need to

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets the lower half of your body with a unique twist. By placing one leg on an elevated surface behind you, the focus shifts to the other leg, providing an intense workout for your muscles and balance. Execution Find a bench or stable elev

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets the lower half of your body, with a unique focus on stability and balance. This exercise is perfect for strengthening your legs and glutes while also engaging your core and stabilizing muscles. Execution Find an elevated surface, such

Bulgarian Split Squat

Introduction: The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful lower-body exercise that targets the legs and glutes. What makes this exercise unique is that it also improves your balance and coordination because you perform it with one leg. Execution: Here is how to perform a Bulgarian Split Squat correctly

Bulgarian Split Squat Bodyweight Left

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that focuses on strengthening your lower body, with an emphasis on one leg at a time. This variation, performed without additional weights, emphasizes your left leg and improves balance, coordination, and muscular endurance. Execution Find an elev

Bulgarian Split Squat Bodyweight Right

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets strengthening your lower body, with a focus on one leg at a time. This creates a unique challenge for your balance, coordination, and muscle strength. It is an excellent way to address asymmetries between your legs and strengthen your low

Bulgarian Split Squat Left Bodyweight Side View

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets the lower-body muscles, with a focus on one leg at a time. This provides a unique workout that not only improves your strength and balance but also helps correct muscle imbalances. Execution Find an elevation, such as a bench or a stu

Bulgarian Split Squat Machine

The Bulgarian Split Squat Machine offers a unique way to train your lower body, focusing on balance, strength, and stability. This exercise is a variation of the traditional squat, but places greater emphasis on one leg at a time, resulting in a more intense workout for the leg muscles and core. Ex

Bulgarian Split Squat Right Bodyweight Side View

The Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that focuses on strengthening your lower body, with an emphasis on the right side when performed from a side view. This exercise offers unique benefits, such as improved balance, coordination, and the isolation of muscle groups in each leg. Execution

Bulgarian Split Squat with Cable Resistance Band

The Bulgarian Split Squat with Cable Resistance Band is a dynamic exercise that combines strength, balance, and flexibility. Adding the resistance band provides an extra challenge, improving not only lower-body strength but also core stability. Execution Find a stable surface, such as a bench or

Bulgarian Split Squat with Dumbbells

The Bulgarian Split Squat with dumbbells is a powerful exercise that targets strengthening your lower body, with a particular focus on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. This variation adds extra resistance with dumbbells, making your muscles work harder and challenging your stability. Executi

Burn

Introduction: The 'Burn' exercise is an intensive workout focused on burning calories and strengthening your muscles. This exercise combines cardio with strength training, allowing you to see a lot of results in a short time. Execution: Start with a 5-minute warm-up to warm up your muscles. Then co

Burpee

The burpee is a variation of the squat that includes a push-up and a jump. When performing burpees, you train your legs, arms, chest, back, and abdominal muscles. It is almost a full-body workout, and the best part is that the only equipment you need to perform this exercise is something you always

Burpee

The burpee is a dynamic, full-body exercise that improves your strength, endurance, and explosiveness. It combines a squat, push-up, and jump in one fluid movement, making it an efficient workout for both fat burning and muscle building. Execution Begin in a standing position with your feet shou

Burpee

If you're looking for an all-in-one exercise that improves both your endurance and strength, the burpee is the perfect choice for you. This dynamic movement combines a squat, plank, push-up, and a jump in one fluid sequence, making it an efficient way to train your whole body. Execution Begin

Burpee Push-Ups

The Burpee Push-Up is a dynamic exercise that combines cardiovascular fitness with strength training. This exercise is unique because it helps you develop both endurance and muscular strength in a single movement. Execution Begin in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend

Burpee Squat

The Burpee Squat is a dynamic exercise that combines strength, endurance, and coordination. This exercise is unique because it contains both cardiovascular and muscle-strengthening elements, allowing you to get a full workout in a short time. Execution Begin in a standing position with your feet

Burpee With Dumbbells

The Dumbbell Burpee is a dynamic exercise that combines strength, endurance, and explosiveness. Adding weights increases the challenge and intensifies the impact on your muscles. Execution Start with a dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees

Burpees

Introduction: Burpees are an intense full-body exercise that helps you build strength and endurance. This exercise combines a squat, a plank, and a jump in one fluid movement, making it an excellent choice for a quick and effective workout. Execution: Follow these steps to perform a burpee correctl

Butt Kick Arm Raises

The Butt Kick Arm Raises exercise is a dynamic movement that challenges both your lower and upper body. This exercise combines the benefits of cardio with strength training, raising your heart rate while simultaneously working on muscle building and strengthening. Execution Begin in a standing p

Butterfly Machine

The Butterfly Machine is a popular exercise aimed at strengthening and defining the chest muscles. What makes this exercise unique is that it provides a controlled movement that helps isolate the chest muscles, giving you an effective workout without unnecessary strain on other muscle groups. Execu

Butterfly Stretch

The Butterfly Stretch is an effective exercise for improving the flexibility of your hips and thighs. This stretch helps loosen the inner thighs and is particularly useful for sports that require good hip mobility. Execution: Sit on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together. Hold you

Butterfly Yoga Flaps

The Butterfly Yoga Flaps exercise is a wonderful way to develop flexibility and strength in your shoulders, chest, and upper back. This exercise combines the calm of yoga with the dynamics of butterfly movements, making it a unique addition to your fitness routine. Execution Sit on the floor wit

Cable Abduction

Introduction: Cable Abduction is an effective exercise for strengthening and toning the hip abductors. This exercise helps improve your lateral stability and mobility, which are essential for everyday movements and sports performance. Execution: Begin by attaching an ankle strap to a low cable stat