3 Core Moves to Build Real Strength Without Crunches
Strengthen your core in a way that supports your spine, improves posture, and builds full-body stability using three simple movements you can do at home in just a few minutes a day.
Why Crunches Are Not the Best Core Exercise
Many people believe a stronger core means doing more crunches and sit-ups. The problem is that those exercises focus heavily on repeated bending and extending of the spine. For some bodies, especially if you already deal with stiffness or back discomfort, that pattern can feel irritating over time.
A better approach is to train the core the way it’s designed to work in daily life: resisting unwanted movement, staying stable while your arms and legs move, and supporting posture from every angle. That’s exactly what the three moves below help you do.
What These 3 Core Moves Train
Your core is not just the front “six-pack” muscles. It also includes deep stabilizers around your trunk, your side body, and key muscles on your back and hips that support your spine.
These moves focus on:
Anti-rotation stability to help your torso stay strong and steady
Side-body strength and length to support posture and spinal control
Posterior chain support to build glutes, upper back, and core together
Move 1: High Chair Shoulder Tap
This is a core stability drill that teaches your body to resist twisting while your arms move. It’s especially useful if your core feels weak or you want a safer alternative to flexion-based ab workouts.
How to set it up
Place your hands on the back of a sturdy chair (or a stable countertop).
Step your feet back into a plank.
Keep your body in one solid line from head to heels.
Key form cues
Do not stick your butt up and arch your lower back.
Do not let your hips sag toward the floor.
Squeeze your glutes and tuck your pelvis slightly, as if pointing your tailbone down.
Pull your hands backward lightly against the chair to engage the muscles under your armpits and increase stability.
How to do it
Slowly shift your weight to one hand.
Tap the opposite shoulder.
Return your hand to the chair.
Repeat on the other side.
Move slowly and keep your hips and shoulders from rocking side to side.
How long
Do it for 60 seconds once per day.
Easier and harder options
Easier: Use a higher surface (wall or higher countertop).
Harder: Use a lower surface (seat of a chair, ottoman), or progress toward the floor.
Move 2: Simple Side Bend
This move strengthens and lengthens the side body while improving control through your trunk. It’s a powerful way to train lateral core strength and support the spine.
Setup
Stand with feet under hips, toes pointing straight forward.
Place one hand on your hip.
Reach the other arm overhead with your thumb pointing backward.
How to do it
Lean to the side while letting the hip gently shift outward.
Feel the stretch and engagement through the side of your torso.
Return to center without using your hand on your hip to push yourself upright.
Repeat smoothly, side to side.
How long
Do it for 60 seconds once per day.
Easier and harder options
Easier: Do the side bends seated in a chair.
Harder: Interlace your fingers overhead and continue the side bends with arms extended.
Move 3: Tabletop
This move strengthens your core, improves posture, and activates your glutes at the same time. It trains your body to extend through the hips while stabilizing through the shoulders and trunk.
Standard chair variation
Sit near the front edge of a sturdy chair.
Place your hands on the chair beside your hips.
Walk your feet forward so knees are bent and feet are planted.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips upward.
Lower with control and repeat.
Breathing and posture cues
Keep shoulders away from your ears.
Focus on opening through the chest while keeping the core engaged.
Lift by driving through hips and glutes, not by shrugging your shoulders.
Easier progression
If full tabletop feels too hard:
Start with small “baby reps” by shifting hips forward and back while pressing hands into the chair.
Then progress to half-range lifts.
Gradually work up to full-range tabletop holds or reps.
Harder progression
Perform tabletop on the floor with fingertips pointing backward.
Start with half-range reps, then progress to full range as shoulders and core get stronger.
How long
Aim for 60 seconds total (reps or holds).
Simple Daily Plan
You can do this as a short daily routine:
High Chair Shoulder Tap: 60 seconds
Simple Side Bend: 60 seconds
Tabletop: 60 seconds
That’s three minutes of focused work that builds core strength with less strain and more real-world carryover.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Moving too fast
Speed often creates twisting and compensation. Slow reps build better control.
Letting the lower back arch
In planks and tabletops, keep glutes engaged and ribs stacked so your spine stays supported.
Collapsing instead of reaching in side bends
Think “reach up and over” rather than “crunch down.”
Conclusion
A stronger core does not come from doing more reps of the same old exercises. It comes from teaching your body to stabilize, resist unwanted motion, and stay aligned while you move. If you practice these three moves daily, you will build core strength that supports posture, improves control, and helps you feel steadier in everyday movement.