Abdominal workout routine for runners

If you think abs are just for showing off a “six-pack,” you’re missing the most important part: a strong core is key to running better and avoiding injuries. This “midsection” (deep muscles of the abdomen, back, glutes, and pelvic floor) acts as your center of gravity, stabilizing every stride and improving your running posture.

The ideal approach is a balanced workout combining anti-rotation exercises (like side planks), isometrics (front planks), and movements that activate the entire posterior chain (back, glutes). All while breathing right and protecting the pelvic floor!

Want to find out how to truly strengthen your core and why this can change the way you run?

1 Deadbug with elastic band

1. Lie on your back, arms extended holding the band.
2. Extend one leg and the opposite arm, keeping tension on the band.
3. Return to the starting position without lifting your lower back off the floor.

🏋️Muscles worked: rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis, hip flexors, and scapular and shoulder stabilizers.

🔁Sets x Reps: 3-4 × 8-12 per side.

2 Stir the pot

1. Place your forearms on a fitball in a plank position.
2. Keeping your core engaged, make circles with your elbows moving the ball.
3. Control the movement without sinking your lower back.

🏋️Muscles worked: rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis, obliques, and lumbar and scapular stabilizers.

🔁Sets x Reps: 3–4 x 30–60 seconds per direction (circles one way and then the other).

3 Lunge + halo with kettlebell

1. Get into a lunge position, back knee bent and torso upright.
2. Hold the kettlebell at chest height and start a circle around your head (halo).
3. Keep your hips stable and abs tight throughout the movement.

🏋️Muscles worked: legs and glutes, core and obliques, shoulders and deltoids.

🔁Sets x Reps: 3–4 sets x 6–10 halos per side.

4 Plank transfer with feet elevated

1. Get into a plank with feet on a bench or step, kettlebell on one side of your body.
2. With one hand stable, use the other to pass the kettlebell from one side to the other.
3. Avoid rocking your hips or losing body alignment.

🏋️Muscles worked: core, shoulders and chest, glutes, and spinal erectors.

🔁Sets x Reps: 3–4 sets x 8–12 transfers per side.

5 Plank walk-outs

1. Stand up, bend over and place your hands on the floor.
2. Walk your hands forward until you reach a plank position.
3. Hold for a few seconds and walk your hands back toward your feet without arching your back.

🏋️Muscles worked: core and lower back, shoulders and chest, hamstrings.

🔁Sets x Reps: 3–4 sets x 6–10 reps.

Recommendations

To do a good ab workout, as I mentioned, breathing pattern is key, so each phase of the exercise movement should be worked along with the breathing cycle phase.

• Maximum effort phase of the exercise: (concentric phase in a crunch, for example): EXHALE, pulling the belly in and activating the pelvic floor muscles at the same time.
• Eccentric phase: INHALE.

For pregnant women or people with diastasis recti issues, a prior assessment by a specialized physiotherapist is recommended, and other types of exercises that are not contraindicated or that worsen the abdominal rectus distension should be done in each case.

Benefits for runners

Beyond the aesthetic goal, focus on the functional one: a strong abdominal belt means your vital organs will be better protected.

It also acts as a stabilizer for the spine.

That’s why ab work shouldn’t be treated as something isolated; on the contrary, each exercise and the timing of doing them should be given a lot of attention.

Therefore, your running biomechanics will be better than with weak muscles, which cause inefficient gait, pelvic tilting, and discomfort in the lumbosacral area.

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