15 Powerful Calisthenics Core Exercises (+ Effective Workout)

This post contains 15 calisthenics core exercises and two sample workouts to try during your next training session.

I’ll be honest… I was getting tired of my core workouts, and to be even more honest… I was skipping them 80% of the time (whoops!). 

However, as part of my 2025 New Year’s resolution to learn calisthenics from scratch, I have learned just how important it is to consistently perform calisthenics core workouts as part of my new fitness journey.

But what exactly is calisthenics, you may ask?

Calisthenics is a style of training that involves using body weight as resistance while performing various exercises with minimal or no equipment.

Bodyweight sounds easy right? Well, be prepared to be surprised- controlling your body weight is more difficult than you may think!

However, the vast range of benefits from performing calisthenics core workouts makes the challenge worthwhile. 

For example, after consistently performing calisthenics core exercises over time you’ll likely notice an improvement in your physical performance, whether that be during squats, deadlifts or even pull ups!

Equally, building a strong core encourages better posture and may even improve definition in your stomach area– as long as you have a low enough body fat percentage of course!

So if you’re looking for a new and exciting way to challenge your core muscles, check out these 15 exercises! 

What is the core?

The core is often confused with being synonymous with the abdominal muscles, however, this isn’t exactly the case!

The core actually consists of 35 muscle groups whose purpose is to stabilise the spine, pelvis and torso during functional movement. 

The muscles that make up the core include: 

• the abdominal muscles (such as the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis)
• obliques
• lower back
• paraspinal muscles in the back 
• pelvic floor
• glutes
• diaphragm 
• hip flexors 

Training the core is super important if we want to improve our mobility, balance, and functional fitness.

It also can lower the risk of lower body injury and may even improve your running performance!

15 Calisthenics Core Exercises You Need To Try

So now we know why we should train our core muscles, let’s now take a look at how we can do this for best results. 

This post includes 15 calisthenics core exercises you can add to your weekly workout routine. 

Try choosing 3-4 of these exercises and perform them 2-3 times a week consistently to reap the benefits of these workouts!

Learning how to hold a plank is an excellent way to build strong foundations in your fitness journey!

Start by holding the plank position for as long as you can, then the following week, try to add 5 seconds to this time. You’ll soon be able to hold a plank for a minute, or even more!

How to perform the plank:

1. Start in a forearm or straight-arm position, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Engage your core, squeeze your glutes, and avoid arching your lower back.
3. Hold for time, focusing on controlled breathing.

Don’t be fooled by how simple this exercise looks- it’s a killer for core workouts!

Try to keep balance and stay elevated by engaging your core and squeezing into your working obliques.

How to perform the side plank:

1. Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and legs stacked on top of each other.
2. Lift your hips off the floor, keeping your body in a straight line.
3. Hold, engaging your core and glutes.

3. Hollow Body Hold

If you are serious about pitting your core strength to the test then the hollow body hold is the one for you!

This exercise can be adjusted according to your strength- the lower you hold your legs, the harder your core must work.

Remember to keep your lower back touching the ground to avoid injury and get the most out of this exercise!

How to perform the hollow body hold:

1. Lie on your back, arms extended overhead, legs straight.
2. Lift your shoulders and legs slightly off the floor, keeping your lower back pressed down.
3. Hold the position, keeping your core tight and avoiding any arch in your back.

4. Leg Raises

This is a great calistehnics core exercise that will allow you to progress onto more advanced core work over time.

To make this exercise even more challenging, you can keep your hands behind your head (like you’re sunbathing) and really let your core do all the work!

If you can do 15 lying leg raises, you’re ready to try out hanging knee raises or hanging leg raises!

How to perform leg raises:

1. Lie flat on your back with legs straight and hands by your sides or under your lower back/ glutes for support.
2. Lift your legs up until they’re perpendicular to the floor, keeping them straight.
3. Lower them slowly without touching the ground and repeat.

5. Dead Bugs

I love dead bugs because they allow you to target one side of your core at a time, reducing the chances of creating an imbalanced core that may cause instability when performing other full-body exercises.

To make these more difficult, grab a light dumbbell in each hand. Trust me when I say you’ll be humbled!

How to perform dead bugs:

1. Lie on your back with arms extended toward the ceiling and knees bent at 90°.
2. Lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor while keeping your core engaged.
3. Return to the start and switch sides, maintaining control throughout.

6. Hanging Knee Raises

These are the next progression from lying leg raises.

Engage your core and scapula to avoid swinging- the key is smooth and controlled movement!

How to perform hanging knee raises:

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, arms straight.
2. Engage your core and lift your knees toward your chest in a controlled motion.
3. Lower them slowly back to the start and repeat.

7. Hanging Leg Raises

If you are comfortable performing hanging knee raises, then give these hanging leg raises a go!

To ensure that I am controlling the movement, I count to 2 when raising my legs, and then another 2 when lowering them again.

How to perform hanging leg raises:

1. Start hanging from a bar with a tight grip and shoulders engaged.
2. Keeping your legs straight, lift them up until they’re parallel to the floor (or higher).
3. Lower them slowly without swinging and repeat.

8. Superman Hold

This is a great exercise for strengthening the lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and core.

It also builds posterior chain endurance, helping to balance out core strength.

How to perform the superman hold:

1. Lie face down with arms extended forward and legs straight.
2. Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, squeezing your glutes and lower back.
3. Hold the position, keeping your core engaged, then lower back down.

9. Russian Twists

A very popular core exercise in the fitness world, Russian Twists are awesome for targeting the obliques and improving core endurance.

How to perform Russian twists:

1. Sit with your knees bent, heels lightly touching the floor, and lean back slightly.
2. Twist your torso to one side, bringing your hands (or a weight) toward the floor.
3. Rotate to the other side and keep alternating while keeping your core engaged.

This movement is preparing you for the advanced core exercise: the l-sit! But before we get to this point, its crucial that we master this exercise first.

The tuck hold also helps improve your hip flexor and shoulder strength since you are required to hold your entire body above the ground for as long as you can!

How to perform the tuck hold:

1. Sit on parallettes, dip bars, or the floor with your hands planted beside your hips.
2. Press into your hands, lift your hips, and tuck your knees toward your chest.
3. Hold this position, keeping your core tight and shoulders down.

11. Hanging Windshield Wipers

If you can comfortably perform hanging windshield wipers then you are demonstrating some serious core strength!

If you’re not at the point where you can complete these hanging windshield wipers, try giving lying windshield wipers a go. You’ll still feel your obliques burning by the end!

How to perform hanging windshield wipers:

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with a firm grip and engage your core.
2. Lift your legs to a 90° angle, then rotate them side to side like a windshield wiper.
3. Control the movement and keep your core tight throughout.

12. Toes-to-Bar

This is a great progression from the hanging leg raise. This time, instead of bringing your legs parallel to the ground, you want to bring your toes all the way to the bar.

If you can complete 12-15 hanging leg raises, this is a fun new exercise for keeping your core workouts challenging!

How to perform the toes-to-bar exercise:

1. Hang from a bar with arms straight and engage your core.
2. Lift your legs up, bringing your toes to touch the bar while keeping them straight.
3. Lower back down slowly without swinging and repeat.

13. Dragon Flags

The Dragon Flag is a tough core exercise that builds strength in the abs, lower back, and hip flexors while improving body control.

If performing a full dragon flag is too difficult, try tucking or slightly bending your legs at first and gradually work on extending them fully!

How to perform dragon flags:

1. Lie on a bench or the floor, gripping behind your head for support.
2. Lift your legs and hips off the ground in one straight line, keeping your core tight.
3. Lower down slowly without letting your back arch or collapse.

14. Planche Lean

The planche lean is a fundamental exercise for planche training, helping to build shoulder, core, and wrist strength.

How to perform planche leans:

1. Start in a push-up position with hands slightly forward of your shoulders.
2. Lean your body forward as much as possible while keeping your arms straight and shoulders protracted (pushed away from the ears).
3. Hold the position, engaging your core and keeping your shoulders protracted.

The l-sit hold is a key calisthenics skill which is extremely impressive to master.

Be patient with this calisthenics core exercise since it requires a lot of core, hip flexor and shoulder stability work. But once you’ve got it, you’ll be showcasing incredible core control!

How to perform the l-sit hold:

1. Sit on parallel bars or the floor with legs extended.
2. Press into your hands, lift your body, and hold your legs straight in front of you.
3. Keep your core tight and shoulders down, holding as long as possible.

Here are a couple of sample calisthenics core workouts for you to try during your next training session!

• Perform slow and controlled movements: Aim for quality not quantity when completing each set. The number of reps you will be able to complete will naturally increase as you get stronger over time. It’s best to consolidate good habits with technique from the very beginning!
• Avoid arching your lower back: This is particularly important during exercises where you are lying on the floor such as dead bugs, leg lifts, and the hollow body hold. During these movements, your lower back should remain touching the mat. This is crucial for avoiding any lower back strain and also ensures that your core is engaged properly throughout!
• Stretch and strengthen your hamstrings and hip flexors: The majority of these calisthenics core exercises require good hamstring and hip flexor mobility to be performed with good technique. Improving your mobility in these areas also reduces unnecessary strain, particularly in the lower back.
• Stay consistent: As with anything, patience and consistency is key to success. If you truly want to master these calisthenics core exercises, you need to be performing them weekly!

Despite knowing all the incredible benefits of performing calisthenics core workouts, these exercises can look a little daunting.

I advise starting with the beginner movements and slowly challenging yourself to attempt the intermediate-advanced exercises as you grow stronger over time.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these exercises, and if you have, which are your favourite!