Busy Mom’s Guide to a Stronger core: Why Ab Workouts Matters (Plus 10 to Get You Started)

Exercise is more than just a way to transform your physique; it’s a critical part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle routine — especially for women and moms. Regular exercise boosts energy, strengthens your body, and releases feel-good endorphins that help you show up for both your family and yourself. 

While it is important to strengthen all parts of the body, one area deserves special attention: the core.

Why Core Strength Matters for Women

While your abs make up the majority of it, the core also includes the lower back, obliques, and pelvic floor. According to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, core stabilization training, especially when paired with regular aerobic activity and strength-building exercises such as Pilates, significantly improves postural alignment and balance in women. This enhanced stability helps reduce back pain and supports your spine.

10 Best Ab Workouts for Women

With hundreds of abdominal exercises out there, some more effective than others and some targeting specific abdominal muscles more precisely, finding the right starting point can be challenging. Below, we have compiled a list of the top 10 effective core workouts for women. These each target various parts of the core, and most require minimal to no equipment, making them convenient and easy to complete.

1. Plank

What It Targets: A plank is a widespread core exercise that engages muscles within your core and even muscles throughout the rest of your body, including your back, arms, shoulders, and more.

How To Do It: To do a plank, start on your hands and knees, then push up into a straight‑arm push-up (plank) position and hold. You will want to hold this position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your strength and comfort level. You can repeat this exercise 2-3 times for optimal results.

2. Bicycle Crunches

What It Targets: You may have heard of bicycle crunches before. These effective core exercises target your obliques and upper abs.

How To Do It: To achieve them, begin by lying on your back, alternating and touching your elbows to the opposite knees. Complete about 15-20 reps and 2-3 sets to get the best results.

3. Mountain Climbers

What It Targets: Mountain climbers are ideal ab exercises for those looking to strengthen their lower abs. And because of the rapid motion, they add a bit of endurance training to your routine.

How To Do It: To attempt mountain climbers, set up in a high plank position. Then, engage your core and alternate pulling each knee quickly towards your chest. Try to complete about 15-20 reps and 2-3 sets.

4. Leg Raises

What It Targets: Leg raises are a brilliant way to isolate and strengthen your lower abs, building both strength and control as you lift and lower slowly. They also challenge your hip flexors and help improve pelvic stability.

How To Do It: To perform leg raises, lie flat on your back with legs fully extended and hands under your hips for support. Keeping your lower back pressed into the floor, lift both legs together until they form a 90° angle with your torso, then slowly lower them back down without letting your heels touch. Aim for 12–15 reps for 3 sets.

5. Reverse Crunches

What It Targets: Primarily the lower abdominal muscles, with secondary engagement of the hip flexors and deeper core stabilizers.

How To Do It: Lie flat on your back with knees bent at 90° and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands lightly by your sides or under your glutes for support and use your lower abs to curl your hips and knees up toward your chest, lifting your tailbone off the floor. Pause briefly at the top, feeling the contraction in your lower abs. Slowly lower your hips back down until your feet lightly touch the floor.

6. Russian Twists

What It Targets:  Russian twists target your obliques and entire core by forcing your midsection to resist rotational forces, while also improving hip mobility.

How To Do It: To do Russian twists, sit on the floor with knees bent and feet either on the ground or lifted slightly for more difficulty. Lean back to a 45° angle, brace your core, and hold a weight at chest level. Rotate your torso to one side, tapping the weight beside your hip, then twist to the opposite side. Shoot for 20 twists (10 per side) for 2–3 sets.

7. Scissor Kicks

What It Targets: Scissor kicks get your lower abs and hip flexors fired up. This exercise to great at improving muscular endurance as it involves continuous, controlled motion.

How To Do It: To perform scissor kicks, lie flat on your back with legs extended and hands under your glutes. Lift both legs a few inches off the floor, then alternate crossing one leg over the other in a quick, scissoring motion. Keep your lower back pressed down throughout the entire motion. Try for 30–40 kicks (counting each leg swap) for 3 sets.

8. Dead Bug

What It Targets: Dead bugs are perfect for ab exercises strengthening deep core stabilizer muscles without putting stress on your spine. They are also effective at training your brain to keep the torso steady as your limbs move AND reinforce coordination between your arms and legs.

How To Do It: To do the dead bug, lie on your back with arms extended toward the ceiling and knees bent at 90°. Engage your core to press your lower back into the floor, then slowly extend your right leg out and lower your left arm overhead. Complete 10–12 reps per side for 3 sets.

9. Side Plank

What It Targets: Side planks are similar to normal planks, but instead of targeting the whole core, they mostly focus on obliques. These muscles help stabilize your hips and shoulders, enhance lateral strength, and improve balance.

How To Do It: To attempt a side plank, lie on one side, propped up on your forearm directly beneath your shoulder. Stack your feet or place one in front of the other, then lift your hips so your body forms a straight line. Hold for 30–45 seconds on each side for 2–3 sets.

10. Toe Taps

What It Targets: Last on our list, we have toe taps, which activate the lower abs and pelvic floor by raising and lowering one leg at a time in a controlled fashion. Toe taps not only strengthen the abdominal muscles, but they also target other areas of the core, like the pelvic floor.

How To Do It: To perform toe taps, lie on your back with legs in a tabletop position with your knees over hips, shins parallel to the floor, and hands at your sides. Press your lower back into the ground, then slowly lower your right toe to tap the floor before raising it back up. Alternate sides for 15–20 taps per leg for 2–3 sets.

These 10 ab exercises are great at strengthening and toning the core. Just remember that whatever you choose to incorporate into your routine, consistency is the only truthful way to see results. So, create a routine that fits your needs and stick to it!

Real Talk: Mom Questions About Abs

1. What Is the Most Effective Ab Workout for Women?

There’s no single “best” ab workout—the most effective one is the one you can consistently stick with. However, exercises like planks and bicycle crunches often rank highly due to their ability to engage multiple parts of the core simultaneously.

2. What Exercise Flattens Your Stomach the Most?

This is a common misconception. You can’t “spot reduce” fat from the stomach with just core workouts. Instead, flattening your stomach is a combination of strengthening training, cardio, and a balanced diet.

3. Do 10-Minute Ab Workouts Actually Work?

Absolutely.10-minute workouts can be effective, provided you perform them correctly and stick with them. You won’t see overnight transformations, but with consistency, you’ll begin to notice real improvements over time — especially for busy moms.

As a mom, you’re constantly giving — your time, your energy, your care. Building core strength is one way to give back to yourself. When your core is strong, everything else— from everyday work to chasing toddlers —feels more manageable. Even just 10-20 minutes a day can do wonders and transform your body and confidence.

✔️ Final Tips for Moms Getting Back into Movement:

• Start small and stay consistent. You don’t need an hour-long workout — even 10–15 minutes of focused movement can help rebuild strength and confidence over time.

• Focus on form and breath over intensity. Core workouts are most effective when done mindfully. Move slowly and with intention, especially if you're easing back in postpartum.

• Paid core workouts with gentle movement like yoga. Yoga is a great low-impact way to improve flexibility, rebuild core strength, and manage stress. If you’re not sure where to begin, our blog Yoga for Beginners: A Busy Parent’s Guide to Stress Relief & Family Bonding offers simple guidance to help you get started.

• Wear something that makes you feel good. Sometimes, putting on comfortable, flattering yoga outfits is all the motivation you need to roll out the mat. 

Remember: building strength is a journey, and every rep, breath, and stretch brings you one step closer to feeling strong, energized, and grounded in your own body again. You’re doing amazing — keep going!