I have a confession: As much as I love to exercise, it takes a lot for me to gather self-discipline for a dedicated ab workout. When I’m supine on my mat, it’s usually only a matter of minutes before my neck and hips start to ache. (To those with lower back pain, I see you, too.) If these roadblocks sound familiar but you still want to fire up your midsection, I’d like to introduce you to a highly accessible and challenging variation: standing core exercises.

Not only are standing core exercises a great alternative to mat work, but in many ways, they’re superior. “Standing core is the most functional way to train your core,” says Peloton instructor Rebecca Kennedy. 

Down to give them a try? In this guide to standing core exercises, Rebecca outlines their key benefits and the best moves to target your abs—and sometimes even your full body.

What Are Standing Core Exercises?

Standing core exercises are exactly what they sound like: moves that target the core muscles and are performed while standing.  

In many cases, these exercises are variations of popular ab work performed on the mat, Rebecca says. For example, a classic crunch simply becomes a standing crunch, and cat cow becomes a standing cat cow. However, because you’re doing the exercise standing up instead of lying down, you’re not only engaging your core but many other muscles in the body too.

“The cool thing about all of this is that they’re mostly familiar exercises found in core and full body classes, so the learning curve is low,” Rebecca says. “The challenges and work feel subtle and not overwhelmingly difficult, but often have a much higher efficacy to mat work. Standing core exercises also move slowly and build over the class, making it a great option for all ages and levels.” 

How Standing Exercises Engage Your Core

Now, for the million-dollar question: How can standing core exercises be easier yet more effective than ab workouts performed on the mat? To start, when you’re working the core from a standing position, you have to move against gravity and keep your balance. This requires greater muscle activation to remain stable. 

“Any time you transition movements to different planes of motion, you recruit more muscle groups and open up to new variables like stability, balance, posture, and weight transfer,” Rebecca explains. “Let’s also not forget that when we bring core bracing, breathwork, and pelvic floor engagement from a supine position to standing, it magnifies its potency.”

Need some context? Rebecca offers the example of a basic supine crunch, which she says will focus primarily on the rectus abdominis, the abdominal muscles that run along the front of your stomach and work to bend your torso forward. A standing crunch, on the other hand, will also include:

“For many core exercises, the closer to the ground [you are], the less difficult and lower muscle recruitment per variation it is,” Rebecca notes. Another example illustrating this is the woodchop exercise. She says it involves the least muscle recruitment while seated (since you’re only activating muscles above the hips), more while you’re kneeling, and the most while doing alternating standing reps (which requires full-body effort). “More muscles used equals more dynamic movements and higher metabolic output,” she adds.

The Benefits of Standing Core Exercises

There’s almost no reason not to do this type of exercise; the benefits of standing core workouts are multifold and major. After reading the specifics below, you’ll get on board, too.

They’re Highly Accessible

So long as you can support your weight and stay balanced on your feet, standing core exercises can benefit all types of people—independent of your age, fitness level, or goal. They also tend to be low and slow, making them a good choice for people with diverse needs and backgrounds. (This includes those of us who deal with neck, back, or hip pain, which may heighten with some types of supine ab work.)

According to Rebecca, standing core exercises can amplify your workout routine “whether you’re training for a marathon, postpartum, coming back from an injury, in a strength training program, or getting started in your fitness journey.” Better yet, you don’t need to rely on a mat or fancy equipment to get a session in. In most cases, it’s an “anywhere, anytime” type of workout, so the convenience factor is also a wonderful perk.

Standing core strength classes on the Peloton App, for example, are short but sweet, clocking in at five to 20 minutes long. Some require bodyweight only, while others include light or medium dumbbells or a hand towel. While these props are optional, they “play significant roles in the efficacy of each exercise and promote posture, strength, and resistance when needed,” Rebecca explains.

They Enhance Functional Movement

Countless movements in daily life—including but not limited to getting out of bed, climbing stairs, and turning around—involve the core. Many of these are performed in an upright position, so training your core while standing can train your body to safely execute those motions. “Once on our feet, we feel what it would truly be like to maintain that same level of engagement when we are at work, holding our kids, or putting on a pair of heels,” Rebecca says.

Raymond Agostino, a doctor of physical therapy and owner of Agostino Athletics, also prizes their full-body integration. “Unlike traditional mat core exercises, standing movements recruit the entire kinetic chain, improving stability, endurance, and power for both daily life and athletic performance,” he shares.

They Boost Your Performance for Other Workouts

In addition to preparing you for functional movements that show up in everyday life, standing core exercises also often mimic strength training exercises (think: squats and deadlifts, among others). According to Rebecca, they’re especially beneficial for preparing you to lift weights. Take deadlifts, for example. “When we deadlift, we’re hinging at our hips with a neutral spine, while holding onto heavy weights,” she says. “In standing core, we practice good mornings and standing bird dogs; both mimic the deadlift without the weights. This creates greater muscle memory and acts as movement prep for direct crossover into our strength training.”

That’s not all. “The coolest results are when members notice real improvements in [things like] their running pace, how they feel during their strength training—whether it’s form or ability to increase weights—better balance in single-leg work, core power and endurance during Power Zone rides, etc.,” she says. 

They Improve Posture and Balance

“Unlike mat core work, standing core uses all planes of motion: front to back, side to side, and around [or rotational],” Rebecca explains. “It also incorporates different levels, like arms above your head, moving your torso from high to low, maintaining balance on your toes, or getting into a low squat.” 

As such, these moves require everything from finding and maintaining your posture to balancing (and rotating) on one leg, which can translate directly to the multiplanar movements you do in sports and life. (Think: Jumping and twisting to hit a tennis ball, or turning and reaching overhead to close the trunk.) Incorporating dynamic movements to the mix, you’re not only scoring a solid core workout but also improving how you’ll hold and move your body even after your sweat sesh is done.

They Enhance Breath Awareness

“I’d argue one of the top benefits is that [standing core] teaches us how to use our breath to align with and supplement our movements,” Rebecca shares. “Learning how to taper your breath, create compression, use it to recover, or perform a difficult movement are a few examples of what makes it so beneficial.” Once you get your breathwork down—namely by inhaling when the core is relaxed and exhaling when it contracts—you’ll not only perform the moves more effectively, but also find that they’re easier to perform for longer periods of time.

15 Standing Core Exercises to Try

Here, Rebecca and Agostino share some of their favorite standing core exercises—both with and without equipment—plus cues on how to perform them safely and effectively.

1. Standing Cat Cow 

2. Pelvic Tilts

3. Single Leg Isometric Press 

4. Offset Overhead March 

5. Standing Triple Crunch

6. Sumo Side Bend 

7. Standing Woodchop 

8. Standing Bicycle 

9. Dumbbell Halo 

10. Standing Dumbbell Bird Dog 

11. Standing Dead Bug 

12. Dumbbell Good Morning 

13. Standing Dumbbell Russian Twist 

14. Lateral Crunch 

15. Standing Side Bend 

Are Standing Core Exercises Safe to Do During Pregnancy?

In general, standing core work can be safely included in your prenatal workout routine, especially if you were already doing it pre-pregnancy. “Standing core can be a great option for women who are pregnant, as the movements can accommodate most trimesters,” Rebecca says. Of course, you’ll need to get the all-clear from your doctor first, and don’t hesitate to modify as needed.

In general, it’s a smart idea to include core work in your prenatal routine. A 2023 study published in the Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics investigated the effects of 10 weeks of core stability exercises (focusing on the pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles) in pregnant women with lumbar and pelvic girdle pain. Women who practiced these exercises experienced less pain and reported a higher quality of life than the control group who didn’t perform the core work.

If you’re looking for core workouts that are specifically designed for pregnancy, check out the Prenatal Core Strength classes on the Peloton App.

What Muscles Do Standing Core Exercises Work?

Every exercise is going to engage slightly different muscles. But, in general, standing core exercises will work your core. That’s not just your abs, but all the muscles in your trunk that work to move, support, and stabilize your spine, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). According to Agostino, these types of moves primarily work the following core muscles:

All the while, he says that standing core exercises also activate the following secondary muscle groups:

How to Add Standing Core Exercises to Your Fitness Routine

To maximize the benefits of standing core exercises, heed Agostino’s following tips and tricks:

The Takeaway

Mat core work is great, but standing core exercises might be the secret sauce to bring your muscle activation to the next level. Variety is key, and you’ll want to keep your muscles guessing, so it’s worth incorporating a mix of different moves—standing, supine, and otherwise—into your greater fitness routine.

On a parting note, Rebecca offers a gentle reminder to think beyond six-packs and aesthetic value. “When thinking of your core, go beyond the reflection in the mirror,” she advises. “Our core is our powerhouse, housing our lungs and our biggest source of stability.” That said, boosting core strength can empower and equip us to move (and breathe) with more grace, ease, and confidence day in and day out.