5 Best No-Equipment Exercises for a Flat Belly and Strong Abs

You can do these every day — and they don’t include crunches.

Every person wants a fat tummy. But few realize the secret to cutting flab around your stomach is building core strength.

Focusing on your core strength enhances stamina and performance.

Core makes the central foundation of your body as it connects your upper and lower body. Strength training focused on core muscles improves posture, balance, stability, and agility to carry out daily physical activities.

People often confuse the core with just the abs, but it includes the diaphragm, abdominals, obliques, pelvis, lower back, glutes, and hips. Core exercises help women to strengthen their abdominal and back muscles. A recent study by Sandhiya et al., also concluded core exercises have relieving effects on dysmenorrhea in women.

A few other benefits of core strength exercises are:

• Maintains the strength of pelvic muscles,
• Relieves back pain,
• Reduces mental stress,
• Prevents chances of reduced bone density
• Improves balance and reduces the chances of injury.

A  2019 study concluded core exercises also help women cope after pregnancy. Regular strength training enhances metabolism, body composition, and sleep patterns. It also prevents chronic diseases.

If you’re still struggling to start core workouts because you don’t have time to join the gym, I’ve got you covered.

I hate some moves like planks, crunches, and roll-ups. I consulted my trainer for this, and he helped me design a super-effective workout session that doesn’t involve any of those moves.

You can do them every day along with upper & lower-body workouts.

Here’s a small disclaimer that will help you to take this workout in the right direction:

• I’m not a certified fitness trainer, and this article is based on my experience and research.
• Always consult your physician before starting any fitness regimen, especially if you’ve any medical condition.
• It’s no secret that every human body is unique, so don’t crush yourself if it takes longer to show visible results. Focus on your consistency and listen to your body.
• Don’t forget to warm up your body before strength training to avoid injury.

5 best daily core strength training workouts

Do 15–20 reps of each of the following exercises in the same order to enhance your core strength and burn belly fat. Rest as little as possible between sets and repeat each exercise for 3–4 sets.

1. Deadbug

This is a low-impact strength training exercise practiced lying on the back. It involves raising and lowering alternate arms and legs while keeping the core engaged. The pose resembles a dead bug lying on its back, hence the name.

It targets the core muscles- the abdominals and obliques, and the back muscles.

• Lie on your back with your arm extended straight towards the ceiling.
• Lift both your legs with knees bent at 90 degrees.
• Lower and extend your right leg forward and left arm overhead with control to stop your hand and heel right before touching the floor.
• Keep the core engaged and the lower back pressed against the floor throughout the process.
• Hold and then gradually raise your arm and leg to return to the initial position.
• Repeat the movement by switching the arm and leg to complete 1 rep.

Deadbug is a low-impact alternative to plank and crunches. It strengthens the spine and pelvic floor muscles. This exercise is also often prescribed by physiotherapists to recover from injury.

2. Inchworm

This exercise engages your entire body while working on your arms, upper back, core, and legs. Inchworm improves overall flexibility and strength. All the movements, right from the standing pose to reaching the plank, involve multiple joints and improve mobility and alignment of the body.

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, placing the arms at your sides.
• Hinge forward at your hips to reach the floor with your palms right in front of your feet.
• Keeping your legs straight and core tight, walk your hands ahead to attain the high plank.
• Hold for one breath, and then walk your hands back to your toes and stand to complete 1 rep.

Inchworm also acts as a low-impact cardio and warms up your body for other workouts.

3. Bird Dog

This full-body workout targets the core, hips, and back muscles. Bird dog promotes stability, improves posture, and relieves back pain issues.

• Begin in a tabletop position, aligning your knees under your hips and wrists under your shoulders.
• Extend your right leg backward and raise it to hip level.
• Gently lift and extend your left arm in front at shoulder level.
• Pull your right leg and left arm toward you until the elbow touches the knee. Gently curve your back and don’t use momentum to make the movement easy.
• Extend your leg and arm to the initial position and repeat.
• Return to the table-top pose and switch sides to repeat the drill.

4. Incline Mountain Climbers

This exercise engages your abs and obliques actively. It increases heart rate and helps in burning calories. The incline mountain climbers stretch your shoulders and glutes.

• Take a high plank pose, keeping your hands on an inclined surface like a chair or bench.
• Pull your right knee towards your chest while keeping the tailbone stable at the top.
• Slowly extend your knee to send the leg back to the floor.
• Repeat the move with the left leg, engaging your core throughout.

Incline mountain climbers stimulate the entire abdomen. It burns belly fat and strengthens the lower back muscles.

5. Squat To Oblique Twist

This is a combination exercise including multiple moves. Squat to oblique twist targets your core, glutes, and quads. It also stimulates your obliques and hip flexors and promotes overall core strength.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands at the back of your head.
• Lower your body into a squat position.
• Return to the standing pose.
• Lift your right knee while twisting the torso to the right.
• Tap your left elbow to your right knee.
• Return to the starting position, squat, and repeat the twist on the other side.

This exercise involves controlled motion and twists that improves balance and stability.

Conclusion

These five core exercises have improved my body awareness and stability. Not only did they help me achieve a flat belly, but they also helped me gain strength and agility over time. This core workout regime has improved my overall fitness and life condition.

You can also start working on yourself with this guide and turn your fitness goals into reality.

All you need to do is follow the right form and technique while being consistent and showing up even on days you don’t feel like it.

Start today and get ready to see yourself grow physically, mentally, and emotionally. You’ll start falling in love with yourself all over again just like I did.