This 31-day body-weight workout challenge will inspire you to move more, no matter your starting point. Get all the details here.
When you're getting ready for a strength-training session, think of yourself as a house. You need a solid foundation to build on. That's why it's important to build core strength: Your core stabilizes your whole body and initiates pretty much every movement.
Morit Summers, CPT, creator of Brooklyn-based training studio Form Fitness and host of our New Year, Do You Challenge, designed the following workout to activate and strengthen your body's powerhouse: your core (aka your abs, back and glutes). Strengthening these muscles ultimately helps you generate more power in your strength-training sessions.
If you're doing the challenge, follow the weekly rep scheme below. If you're doing this workout on your own, increase or decrease the reps and sets based on your fitness level. You should be able to do all the reps with good form, but the last two should feel challenging.
In between sets and exercises, rest for 20 to 40 seconds. You won't feel fully rested (like you were before your workout) but you should feel ready to tackle the next set.
Reps and Sets Per Exercise
Sets | Side Plank | Crunch | Bird Dog | Dolphin Plank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Week 1 | 2 | 20 sec./side | 15 | 5/side | 10 |
Week 2 | 3 | 20 sec./side | 15 | 5/side | 10 |
Week 3 | 3 | 30 sec./side | 20 | 6/side | 12 |
Week 4 | 4 | 30 sec./side | 20 | 5/side | 10 |
Week 5 | 4 | 30 sec./side | 20 | 6/side | 12 |
4 Body-Weight Moves to Strengthen Your Core
The New Year, Do You Challenge is accessible to all fitness levels. That's why we're providing a main move and at least one modification or variation.
In the videos below, you'll see Summers (left) demonstrating the more challenging version of the move and her fellow trainer Keri Harvey, CPT, (right) demonstrating a less challenging or modified version. Some exercises have even more options for upping the difficulty level. Choose the version of the exercise that works best for you.
1. Side Plank
- Lie on your side with your legs and feet stacked on top of each other, just like Summers (left).
- Prop yourself up on your forearm.
- Keeping your knees straight, engage your abs and lift your hips off the ground, balancing on your forearm and bottom foot. Place your other hand on your hip or extend it up toward the ceiling.
- Hold for the given amount of time, then slowly lower back down.
- Repeat on the other side.
Modifications and Variations
To make this move a little easier, drop to your knees while you hold a side plank (shown in the video on the right).
2. Crunch
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor (shown on the right).
- Bring your arms straight out in front of you, reaching for the ceiling.
- Exhale, contract your abs and lift your head and shoulder blades off the ground. Your neck can curl slightly, but it shouldn't strain toward your chest.
- Inhale as you lower back down so your head is hovering just off the ground and repeat.
Modifications and Variations
For more of a challenge, hold your knees at a 90-degree angle, then lower your feet to the floor (but not touching). Raise them back up so that your shins are parallel to the floor (shown in the video on the left).
3. Bird Dog
- As Summers demonstrates on the left, start on your hands and knees with your hands directly in line with your shoulders and your knees in line with your hips.
- On an exhale, reach your right arm straight out in front of you until your upper arm is in line with your ear.
- Simultaneously reach your left leg straight behind you, fully extending your knee.
- Pause here for a moment before reversing the motion, stopping just before your hand and knee rest on the ground. That's 1 rep.
- Finish all your reps on one side before switching.
Modifications and Variations
To modify, perform the move with only your legs (shown in the video on right), tapping your left foot out behind you, brining your knee back to the floor, then repeating with your right foot. Place a cushion under your knees if needed.
For an added challenge for the bird dog, lift your knees off the ground and hover there as you move one limb at a time, tapping either your hand or foot a few inches behind or in front of you.
4. Dolphin Plank
- Start in a forearm plank, balancing on your forearms and toes and maintaining a straight line from head to hips to heels (shown on left).
- Hinge at your hips as you raise them up toward the ceiling, drawing in your bellybutton to protect your lower back.
- With control, lower back down into a forearm plank and repeat.
Modifications and Variations
You can also perform the dolphin plank from a high plank, balancing on your hands instead of your forearms (shown in the video on the right).
Follow Along With the Challenge
Use the calendar below to help you stay on track with the New Year, Do You Challenge. Do the workout listed, then check off each day as you complete it. (Get a printer-friendly version here.)
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