Advanced Core Exercises at Home: 4 Moves, No Equipment
These four moves come from CaliStart 84, the advanced level. None of them needs equipment, and none of them is a party trick: they are ordinary core work made hard by longer levers and slower control.
Who these are for
People who can already do 10 clean Jackknife Sit-Ups and hold a plank for 60 seconds. If that is not you yet, start with the intermediate ab exercises.
1. Cocoon
Cocoon
- Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms stretched overhead.
- In one movement, pull your knees toward your chest and bring your arms around to hug your shins.
- Your shoulder blades and hips both leave the floor at the top.
- Open back out until arms and legs are just above the floor.
Form cue: Close and open slowly. Momentum does the work if you rush.
Easier: Let your heels and hands rest on the floor between reps.
2. Bottoms Up
Bottoms Up
- Lie on your back with your arms by your sides, palms down.
- Raise your legs until your feet point at the ceiling, knees slightly bent.
- Tighten your abs and lift your hips a few inches off the floor.
- Lower your hips with control, then lower your legs to just above the floor.
Form cue: Lift with your abs. Don’t swing your legs or push hard with your arms.
Easier: Keep your legs up and only do the small hip lift.
3. Side Jackknife
The only one of the four that trains your sides directly.
Side Jackknife
- Lie on your left side with your legs straight and stacked.
- Place your left hand on the floor in front of you and your right hand behind your head.
- Lift your top leg and your upper body toward each other.
- Lower with control. Finish the reps, then switch sides.
Form cue: Stay on your side. Don’t roll back onto your hips.
Easier: Lift only your top leg and keep your upper body down.
4. Body-Up
A plank that moves. It is listed as a triceps exercise, and your core does half the work keeping your hips from rocking.
Body-Up
- Start in a forearm plank with your elbows under your shoulders and palms flat.
- Press through your palms until both arms are straight.
- Lower both forearms back to the floor with control.
- Keep your body in one straight line for the whole rep.
Form cue: Both arms work together. Don’t rock from side to side.
Easier: Do it from your knees.
How to use them
| Exercise | Starting amount in CaliStart 84 |
|---|---|
| Cocoon | 8 reps |
| Bottoms Up | 10 reps |
| Side Jackknife | 8 each side |
| Body-Up | 6 reps |
Put one or two at the end of a session, after the push-ups and leg work, for three or four rounds.
What “advanced” does not mean
It does not mean fast. Every one of these gets easier when you swing, and harder, and more useful, when you slow down. If you cannot pause at the top of a rep, you are using momentum.
The CaliStart bundle is 84 days of sessions like this, from beginner to advanced, one page a day, with photos of every move. Seven PDFs, pay once.
General fitness information for healthy adults, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program, and stop if you feel pain, dizziness or chest discomfort. Results vary. The people in the photos are models.