8 Standing Core Exercises for Better Performance and Stability

On-the-floor ab moves—like planks, dead bugs, and bird dogs—are great for teaching you how to properly activate and strengthen your core. But standing ab exercises can take that strength to the next level, especially so that you can climb, hike, bike, and run with optimal form and without pain or injury.

In fact, “standing core exercises are essential” for outdoor athletes, Marc Hoffmeister, a Colorado-based certified strength and conditioning specialist and endurance coach, told Outside. They incorporate dynamic balance and stability work that closely mimics the biomechanical demands of many different outdoor sports. So doing them regularly can improve the safety and efficiency of your movements—whether your vibe is tackling 14ers, paddling intense rapids, or training for a gravel century ride.

We interviewed Hoffmeister to learn the best standing core moves for outdoor athletes. Read on for his top eight picks and how to incorporate them into your routine.

8 Standing Core Moves for Better Stability in Outdoor Sports

Before starting this routine, keep the following points in mind:

• Keep your core engaged: make sure you’re comfortable with on-the-floor core exercises and have a solid grasp of how to properly engage your core before trying these standing moves; otherwise, you increase your risk of injury and poor form. (Engaging your core doesn’t mean sucking in your stomach; it means tensing up the abdominal muscles as if you were bracing yourself before someone punches you in the abdominal area.)
• Use light weights to start: some of the moves below—like the Split Stance Cable Chop and the Split Stance Rotational Medicine Ball Throw—are pretty technical; if you haven’t done them before, start with really low weight (or just your bodyweight) and learn the correct movement pattern before going heavier.
• Make sure your shoulders can handle these moves: a few are very shoulder-intensive (such as the Pallof Press with Overhead Reach and Step-Up With Single-Arm Overhead Reach). If you have a history of shoulder injury or weakness, check with your doctor or physical therapist before doing any of these exercises.

Equipment Needed

• A cable machine or large resistance band affixed to a pole (or other sturdy object)
• A light dumbbell or kettlebell
• Medium medicine ball

How to Incorporate These Moves Into Your Routine

For an intense core workout that also includes some upper-body and lower-body strength work, do three sets of all eight moves, Hoffmeister said. “It’ll be exhausting because you’re going to double tap some of the same muscle groups.”

If you don’t want to do each move, feel free to choose your faves and add them to your usual strength training routine.

1. Pallof Press with Overhead Reach

The Pallof press is a classic standing core move that trains your core to resist rotation. As you hold the cable straight out in front of you, your torso naturally wants to rotate towards the anchor point, and you have to engage your core to prevent that from happening. Then, when you add an overhead reach, your lower back wants to arch, and you have to engage even more core muscles to keep your spine straight (which adds an anti-extension component). The overhead reach also places tension on your shoulders.

All of this carries over strongly to climbing, which requires maintaining core stability—including anti-rotation and anti-extension—so you don’t fall off the wall as you continually change your footing and shift your grip.

How to Do It:

• Set a cable machine to chest height, stand perpendicular to the anchor point with your feet about hip-distance apart, and keep a slight bend in your knees. (You can also loop one end of a long resistance band around a pole or other sturdy object.)
• Engage your core as you push the cable in front of your chest with arms straight. Your torso will naturally want to rotate toward the anchor; keep your core engaged to prevent that. This is the Pallof Press position.
• Hold for a few seconds, then without letting your shoulders or hips rotate toward the anchor, raise the cable straight overhead, keeping your arms straight. Continue engaging your core so your low back doesn’t arch. Hold for a few seconds, then lower the cable back down to the Pallof Press position before releasing the tension. This is one rep.
• Do six reps, then switch sides and repeat.
• Complete three sets.

2. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift with Alternate Reach

You may think of deadlifts as a lower-body exercise, but they involve a lot of core stability work, too. With the single-leg deadlift, specifically, your core and glutes have to engage to keep your hips from rotating as you lower down, and your abs also fire up to keep you balanced as you complete the movement on just one leg. This translates really well to road running—a highly repetitive single-leg activity where it’s important to keep your hips level to prevent your knees, hamstrings, or lower back from taking on too much stress, Hoffmeister said.

How to Do It:

• Stand tall with feet hip-distance apart and a soft bend in your knees. Engage your core. Lift one foot off the ground as you hinge your hips backward to lower your torso down towards the floor and raise your floating leg directly behind you in line with your upper torso. Don’t increase the bend in the knee of your grounded leg and keep your floating leg as straight as you can. The goal is to form one long, straight line from your upper body to your floating leg.
• As you lower, reach your hand on the floating-leg side toward your grounded foot without twisting your hips or letting your grounded knee cave inward. This twist in the bodyweight version increases stability and control of the lumbopelvic hip complex (which includes 16 muscles like the glutes, obliques, hip flexors, and quads) while rotating, as you would naturally during running.
• Pause at the bottom, then slowly reverse the motion to return to standing. This is one rep.
• Do six reps, then switch sides and repeat.
• Complete three sets.

To make it easier: If you cannot keep a straight line with your back or knee, hold onto a pole or other sturdy object with the hand on the side of your floating leg and focus on that alignment. If you cannot reach the floor, only go as low as you can without breaking form. Pay attention to the depth you achieve and focus on increasing depth with each rep.

To make it harder: Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in the hand on the side of your floating leg, and lower the weight straight down (don’t do the alternate reach).

3. Split Stance Cable Chop

This move trains your core to stabilize from an uneven base of support (the split stance); you’re also challenging it to keep your spine straight as you move a load asymmetrically (bringing the cable down and across your body). Both components translate well to trail running, which demands a strong, stable core to reduce your injury risk as you navigate uneven terrain and cut sideways and diagonally, Hoffmeister said.

How to Do It:

• Set a cable machine to slightly above head height and stand perpendicular to the anchor point. (You can also loop one end of a long resistance band around a pole or other sturdy object.)
• Get into a split stance with your feet about hip-width apart, one foot forward and the other back, and both knees bent to about 90 degrees. The back foot is the one closest to the anchor point. Grab the cable with both hands. This is the starting position.
• Pull the cable down and diagonally across your body to the outside of your front hip. Your hips and low back will naturally want to twist; use your core to prevent that.
• Pause, then reverse the motion to return the cable to the starting position.
• This is one rep. Do six reps, then switch sides and repeat.
• Complete three sets.

4. Step-Up with Single-Arm Overhead Reach

This combo exercise challenges your core to stay stable as you step up high and hold a weight steady overhead. This has a lot of crossover to hiking or backpacking, where your core has to work to keep your hips from swaying side to side and your spine from arching too much.

How to Do It:

• Stand tall with feet hip-distance apart, facing a bench, box, or step that’s between knee and hip height. Hold a light dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand and press it straight overhead so that your wrist is directly above your shoulder.
• Step one foot onto the bench and then, once that foot is firmly planted, press through that heel and drive your other knee up to bring your other foot onto the bench. As you step up, drive your weighted arm up towards the ceiling. Pause for a moment once you’re fully on top of the step, feet hip-distance apart, then reverse the motion by stepping down one foot at a time in a controlled manner.
• Keep the weight pressed above your head the whole time and don’t let your lower back arch or your shoulder roll back (keep your shoulder stacked under your wrist). Make sure you choose a weight you can maintain with good form without compromising your shoulder. This is one rep.
• Do six reps with the same leg leading, then another six with the other leg leading. Now hold the weight in your other hand and do another six reps per side. This is one set.
• Complete three sets.

5. Standing Cable Rotation

This exercise trains your core to produce force through rotation, which translates really well to paddling, Hoffmeister said. When you’re paddling, he explained, the goal is to transfer force from your hips to your rotating trunk to the paddle blade.

How to Do It:

• Set a cable machine to chest height, stand perpendicular to the anchor point with your feet about hip-distance apart, and keep a slight bend in your knees. (You can also loop one end of a long resistance band around a pole or other sturdy object.)
• Grab the cable with both hands, keeping your arms straight. Rotate your torso toward the anchor point, keeping your arms straight and the cable across your body. This is the starting position.
• Pull the cable across your chest as you drive through the back hip and your torso rotates away from the anchor point.
• Pause, then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
• This is one rep. Do six reps, then switch sides and repeat.
• Complete three sets.

6. Half-Kneeling Anti-Rotation Hold

Here you’re training your core to stabilize your spine and resist rotation for an extended period. That helps prepare you for the demands of road cycling, which involves holding your trunk in an isometric position (which means that the trunk doesn’t move but stays tight in this case) for a long time with little variation, Hoffmeister said.

How to Do It:

• Set a cable machine to about chest height when you’re kneeling.
• Stand perpendicular to the anchor point and get into a half-kneeling position so that your grounded knee is the one that’s closest to the anchor point. (You can also loop one end of a long resistance band around a pole or other sturdy object.)
• Hold the cable with both hands and engage your core as you push it in front of your chest with your arms straight. Your torso will naturally want to rotate toward the anchor; keep your core engaged to prevent that.
• Hold 20–30 seconds, rest, repeat for three to four rounds per side.
• Switch sides and repeat.
• Complete three sets.

7. Single-Arm Overhead Carry

This exercise, also known as a waiter’s carry, looks simple, but it’s pretty challenging. Holding a weight overhead in one hand creates an uneven load, and your core needs to fire up to keep you from tipping or rotating toward the weighted side. Hoffmeister loves this exercise for gravel cyclists, who need both core stability and upper-body muscular endurance to manage long, bumpy rides.

How to Do It:

• Stand tall and hold a light-to-moderate kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand. Press the weight straight up so that your arm is straight but not hyperextended and your shoulder is directly under your wrist. Engage your core to maintain good posture. (Don’t let your torso rotate or lean sideways toward the weight.)
• Keeping your core tight, walk about 100 feet in one direction.
• Set the weight down, rest for a few moments, then pick it up with the other hand and walk another 100 feet. This is one set.
• Complete three sets.

To make it harder: Walk backward, or along an imaginary tightrope, go up and down stairs, or do a high march by lifting your knee up so that your thigh is parallel to the ground.

8. Split Stance Rotational Medicine Ball Throw

This explosive exercise helps train your core for better rotational power and finesse, which translates well to mountain biking, where your core and arms constantly absorb forces from an asymmetric position, Hoffmeister said.

How to Do It:

• Holding a medium-weight medicine ball with both hands at chest level, stand far enough from a wall so that you can catch the rebound of the ball, parallel to the wall. Get into a split stance with feet about hip-width apart, the forward foot furthest from the wall, the back foot closest to the wall, and a moderate, athletic bend in both knees so your hips can turn freely for an explosive rotational throw.
• Pivot your feet and rotate your torso 90 degrees to face the wall as you explosively throw the ball towards the wall.
• Let the ball bounce off the wall, and catch it on the rebound. Once you catch it, rotate your torso and pivot your feet so that you’re parallel to the wall again. This is one rep.
• Do six reps, then switch sides and repeat.
• Complete three sets.

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