Raise your hand if you ever feel low back pain after running. How about nausea? Side stitches? Even hip flexor tightness? 

While there are certainly reasons you could be feeling these things post-run, a weak core might be a major contributor to each. That’s because your core is key to keeping you upright, supporting your breathing, maintaining your arm swing and, overall, ensuring that you’re able to move smoothly and efficiently through your stride for the entire distance of a run or race. 

If you’re chasing a PR, a strong core will probably make you a faster runner, too. This study from 2009 showed that after just six weeks of core strengthening, runners who performed regular core work recorded faster 5K times than those who maintained their regularly scheduled training with no additional core work. 

And, while this is certainly my personal hypothesis, experience gives me reason to believe that a strong core might also decrease recovery time since it means your middle shares some of the load your body experiences with each step. And a shared load means your body’s collaborating like a high-functioning team to make each step happen which, in theory, leads me to believe that you might experience less soreness (and faster recovery) overall when your core shows up on time to the party. 

This study from 2019 discovered that a functional strength routine, including core work, increased running economy, improved runners ability to move symmetrically and increased their speed at the 5K distance. 

Have I convinced you yet that you need to be doing core strength work? If so, read on to learn my favorite six core strength exercises you need to do twice per week to be an all around stronger, more resilient, balanced, and faster runner. 

Plank on an Unstable Surface 

While plain ol’ planks (pictured here) are certainly a valuable exercise, adding in the variable of instability by placing your feet on something like the flat side of a BOSU ball or wobble board makes this tried-and-true exercise my number one favorite core strength exercise for runners.

Why? Well, a few reasons: 

First, placing your feet on an unstable surface means you need to activate your deep core that helps support your spine and pelvis. Second, the balancing improves your proprioception so you’re better connected with your body, which helps you to better connect with your body when you’re running in order to react quickly to any missteps or obstacles and maintain solid, coordinated form. 

And, finally, similar to running, your core has to stabilize as a reaction to the microshifts you’re experiencing from your legs—similar to the micromovements that happen in your body when you run over varying surfaces (which can happen in both road and trail running). 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Place your BOSU or wobble board on the floor near where your feet will be in your plank.
2. Get into a high plank position (beside your unstable surface) with your palms open and pushing into the floor, your feet about hip distance apart.
3. Step over to your BOSU or wobble board (while maintaining your plank position), and ensure that your body is straight from your shoulders to your heels (no sagging hips, please). 
4. From here, you can either maintain the high plank position or come down to your elbows (play around with what feels best to you.
5. Hold the plank for 25 to 60 seconds (if you’re new to planks, start on the shorter side). 
6. Repeat four to six times with 30 to 60 seconds of rest between each. 

Dead Bug 

It’s another deep-core stabilizer, but also important for running coordination because it requires opposite arm and leg extensions that mimic how you move your body when running. The dead bug exercise teaches you how to maintain a neutral spine and engaged core while you move your arms and legs so that we develop better posture for running. 

Here’s how you do it:

1. Lie on your back with your hips, low back and shoulders all flat against the floor with your legs and arms straight up in the air (like … a dead bug).
2. From the starting position, lower your opposite arm and opposite leg away from each other. Your arm should go over your head and your leg should go out and down toward the ground. Note: only go as low as you can go while your low back maintains contact with the floor. Alternate sides.
3. Return your arm and leg to the starting position, take a breath and move on to the other side.
4. Perform two to three sets with 10 to 15 reps per side. Rest for 60 seconds between sets. 

Want to see what it looks like? This video from “Personal Peak Endurance” provides an excellent demonstration and explanation of the dead bug exercise. 

Bird Dog

Bird dog is one of my favorite core strength exercises because it feels like a fun game (my toddler loves attempting this one) and it doesn’t seem all that challenging on the surface—but I see postural improvements right away when I perform this exercise regularly. And that’s because you’re pushing into the ground on all fours and working on maintaining a neutral spine (which helps to prevent trunk rotation when running). 

And if you’re over there thinking that you’re just doing another version of the same thing if you’ve just completed your reps of dead bug, incorporating bird dog into your weekly core routine is actually making your workout even better! Here’s why.

Dead bug is all about maintaining a stable core while your arms and legs move mid-stride and bird dog is all about core stability when you land and take off since you’re working against gravity (on all fours). 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Get into all fours with your palms and knees pressing into the floor, your spine neutral. 
2. Extend an opposite arm and leg out (horizontal to the ground) while keeping your spine neutral and your shoulders and hips square to the floor. 
3. Hold the extended position for three to 6 seconds.
4. Return to your neutral all-fours position, take a breath and move on to the other side.
5. Perform two to three sets with 10 to 15 reps per side. Rest for 60 seconds between set

Want to see what it looks like? This video from the National Training Center provides an excellent demonstration and explanation. 

Glute Bridge with March 

Doing a running-focused core strength routine without glute bridges would be incomplete. Your lower abs, glutes and hamstrings shine with this exercise, and your hip mobility and pelvis stability increases. It’s a win-win for improving your running form, your power and reducing injury.

The added element of the march ensures that the strength and stability gained in the exercise translate to running. 

Here’s how you do it: 

1. Lie on your back with your hands at your sides, knees bent and your feet resting on the floor, hip distance apart.
2. Slowly and with control, lift your hips while engaging your core and pressing into your heels (imagine drawing your heels back and toward your shoulders).
3. Continue to lift your hips till your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees (a mirror can be a helpful tool here).
4. While maintaining this stable, straight line (don’t drop your hips), lift one knee toward your chest, then lower it back down. 
5. Repeat on the other side without coming down from the bridge position. 
6. If you can, maintain the bridge and alternate marches; alternatively, come down from the bridge between each rep, reset and start again. 
7. Be sure to rest for at least a minute between sets. 
8. Perform two to three sets with 10 to 15 marches per leg. Rest for up to 90 seconds between sets. 

Side Planks 

Side planks target your lower back, obliques and lateral chain—including the glute medius (basically the top of your hip)—and help to build balanced strength that will improve your running posture and protect you against injury. 

What’s more, side planks are a fun exercise you can easily scale/modify (from your knees, lifting a leg, etc. Here’s a great video demonstrating several different ways to increase and decrease the difficulty of the side plank). 

Here’s how to do them: 

1. Lie on your side and place your forearm on the ground.
2. Engage your core and stack your feet vertically on top of each other.
3. Lift your body, ensuring you maintain a straight line from your shoulders down to your feet (no sagging in the hips).
4. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds and then slowly lower down. 
5. Repeat three to six times per side with 60 seconds of rest after completing one round (a round consists of a left and right side plank). 
6. Added challenges: Hold your weight in your hand vs. your elbow, raise your leg, perform upper body twists 

Deep Belly Breathing 

Yes, your diaphragm can be considered part of your core—a very important part at that! A strong diaphragm helps to prevent the dreaded side-stiches new runners often feel, helps you to breath more efficiently and supports overall core engagement and posture. 

Plus, after all the hard work you just did by completing the last five exercises, it’s nice to just lie down on the floor and focus on your breath. So, use deep belly breathing as your opportunity to slow down, rest and tune into your body while knowing you’re doing important work to improve your breathing while running. 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Lie down on the ground with one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest. 
2. Close your eyes, relax and draw in a deep breath through your nose, focusing on expanding your belly as you do. Be mindful that your chest doesn’t move—it’s called belly breathing for a reason!
3. Exhale through your mouth slowly. Relieve extra tension by letting out a noticeable sigh.
4. Repeat.
5. Set your timer for three to five minutes (we think six is the ideal number) and don’t focus on the number of breaths, just relax and deep belly breathe until your timing chimes. 

OK, now that you know how to do each of these six exercises, my challenge to you is this: start this simple routine in the six minutes you have following reading this article. Repeat it twice per week for the next month. And pay attention to how your body feels. 

Are you feeling stronger? More stable? Running better? Faster? If so, share it with your running friends. Because let’s face it, when our core shows up to help us run stronger, it’s only right to help our friends’ cores show up too. 

Contributing writer Ashley Arnold is the director of brand at Fleet Feet and an ultrarunner who lives in Missoula, Montana, with her husband and two young children. She tells stories through video, words and photos, and is most at home running trails, adventuring in wild places with her family and sipping coffee while eating cake.

RELATED: 16 Tips to Beat the Heat at Summer Races

RELATED: How to Find Your Optimal Running Form

RELATED: How to Find Your Next Pair of Shoes for $125 or Less

RELATED: 5 New Sports Bras Put to the Test