Best Core Workouts With Barbells

The Stiff-Legged Barbell Good Morning exercise targets the hamstrings and lower back. It uses a barbell for added resistance and helps maintain a straight back while hinging at the hips.

How to do it

1. Set the barbell at shoulder height and grip it with hands outside shoulder-width.
2. Squeeze your shoulder blades and engage your core.
3. Stand under the bar, placing it on the back of your neck, then step back with feet shoulder-width apart.
4. Keep your heels down and hinge your hips backward, allowing just a slight bend in your knees.
5. Maintain a straight spine, bend forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle, then return to standing.

The Barbell Ab Rollout is an advanced exercise that helps strengthen your core muscles. You start on your knees, roll the barbell forward while keeping your back straight, and then pull it back to your starting position. This exercise effectively works your abs, shoulders, and back, so it's important to maintain good form.

How to do it

1. Kneel in front of a barbell on the ground.
2. Grab the barbell with both hands, keeping them shoulder-width apart.
3. Brace your core and push the barbell forward until your arms and hips are fully extended.
4. Maintain tension in your abdomen to keep your lower back straight.
5. Pull the barbell back to the starting position while exhaling.

The Landmine Core Rotation is an exercise that strengthens your entire core, especially the obliques. It involves rotating a barbell from side to side, which helps improve your stability and movement control.

How to do it

1. Secure one end of a barbell in a landmine attachment or a corner.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grab the barbell with both hands at chest height.
3. Rotate your torso, swinging the bar to your left side while keeping your arms straight.
4. Swing the bar back to your right side, alternating sides with each movement.
5. Repeat until you've completed your desired number of repetitions.

Rack Pulls are a simpler version of the Deadlift, where you lift a barbell from a higher position on a rack. This exercise is ideal for beginners or those with mobility issues, as it helps focus on the upper part of the lift.

How to do it

1. Set the barbell on a low safety bar in a power rack.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Bend your hips and knees slightly, then grip the barbell with hands shoulder-width apart or wider.
4. Brace your core, keep your back straight, and engage your back muscles.
5. Lift the bar by straightening your hips and knees until you stand up straight.

The Standing Oblique Crunch is an exercise that targets the side abdominal muscles, known as the obliques, while standing. It emphasizes balance and stability as you bend to bring your elbow towards your knee, effectively engaging your core.

How to do it

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart.
2. Hold a weight plate in your left hand, palm facing in, with your right hand resting on your right hip.
3. Bend sideways to the left, lowering the weight plate towards the floor while keeping your arm extended.
4. Return to standing and then bend to the right before returning to the starting position.