The Best Core Workout Equipment At Home For Cheap

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Strengthen and sculpt your abs with this budget friendly core workout equipment at home for serious results.

You can get a killer physique at home even without a bunch of fancy-shmancy equipment that drains your wallet and takes up more space than you’d like.

In fact, I stand by that statement because at my house, all of our workout equipment can be stored in a coat closet. No mess, no danger, and easy access for frequent use.

And my goal as an online trainer, is to help you achieve your fitness goals without unnecessarily spending all kinds of money.

Opting for versatile and inexpensive equipment can absolutely get you serious results in your workouts and in the mirror.

What is the best exercise equipment for your core?

The stability ball is best for core exercise because it helps to improve stability, coordination, balance, and strength at any fitness level. 

Its large surface area allows you to work through a large range of motion, a necessity for building strength in any muscle. This characteristic also allows you to work in all planes of movement like forward, backwards, laterally, and rotationally.

Its unstable nature helps improve deep core engagement and can help improve posture and athletic performance over time.

The stability ball is extremely versatile and can be used to strengthen muscles that support the core such as the glutes, shoulders, hip flexors, and chest.

And anybody at any level can incorporate the stability ball to provide the same benefits while still getting a challenge. For example, it can allow someone that is unable to get on the ground to gradually improve their strength and mobility under control. 

What I love most is that it’s the best core workout equipment at home. It can be stored easily and is generally inexpensive (you can find one for under 30 dollars, easily). As opposed to most home gym equipment that takes up space and is usually costly as it is intended for limited purposes.

Plus, if you don’t just workout at home, most gyms have one available. If your gym doesn’t, deflate and pack your own in your gym bag!

What is the best exercise to tighten your core?

Incorporate stability ball oblique crunches into your exercise routine 2-3 times per week to strengthen all of your core muscles and improve abdominal tension, creating a “tighter” belly.

Simply perform these by laying with your back on the ball and feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your head to keep your chest open and twist as your crunch, bringing one elbow to the opposite knee. Complete 10-20 reps each side for 2-3 sets total.

Most exercises utilize the core to some degree, unless it is an isolated, non-abdominal exercise (such as the bicep curl). Even then it is hard (almost impossible) to truly isolate any single muscle at a time.

But if you don’t intentionally exercise for core strength, it is easy to create poor habits and movement patterns. Which is how we eventually create muscular imbalances that misalign our posture.

Improving core strength and stability is crucial for minimizing risk in your workouts and everyday life. I talk in depth more about that in my post, Deep Core Activation Exercises For A Strong, Skinny Mom.

What is the most effective core workout?

The most effective core workout should include 3-6 core exercises that work the abdominal and back muscles in all 3 planes of motion.

This stability ball core workout can be done at home, targets your entire core, and uses circuit training to maximize efficiency.

The Workout: Complete 5 rounds of this 5-exercise circuit as you work for 50 seconds and rest for 10 seconds, totaling a 25-minute workout. 

The Exercises:

• A) Stability Ball Overhead squat: Hold the ball directly overhead with extended arms. Lower your hips toward the floor, allowing your knees and hips to bend as you keep your chest upright. Return to start.
• B) Stability Ball Back Extension: Lay belly-down on the ball with your feet (or knees) touching the floor. Place your hands behind your head and extend through the spine, lifting your chest away from the ball as you maintain contact with your belly. Return to start.
• C) Stability Ball Reverse Lunge & Twist: Hold the ball between your hands at belly height. Step one foot backward and lower your back knee toward the ground, keeping your shoulders above the hips as you twist your chest towards the non-stepping leg. Once your knees reach 90 degrees, push off of your back foot to step your feet together and face forward.
• D) Stability Ball Pike: Place your hands on the ground beneath the shoulders and place both shins on top of the ball just below the knees as you keep your core engaged and hips level with your shoulders. Lift your hips towards the ceiling as you push through your hands and allow the ball to roll towards your ankles. Stop when your hips are lifted as high as you can control and slowly return to the plank position.
• E) Stability Ball Glute Raise: Lay with your back flat on the ground and place your feet flat on top of the stability ball with your knees bent. Push your feet downwards, keeping the ball in place as you lift your glutes off the ground until you fully extend the hips. Return to start.

Follow my Stability Ball Core Strengthening Workout at home! Just click the video below and get started as I take you through a warm-up to start and workout right there with you with clear instruction, demonstration, and motivation along the way!

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