No, not crunches: These 4 standing ab exercises from Jennifer Aniston’s PT build real core strength and stability

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If you’re bored with crunches, you’ve come to the right place. The good news is, they aren’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to working your abdominal muscles. In fact, there are plenty of other exercises that work more of the deep stabilizer muscles that make up your core.

Dani Coleman, Jennifer Aniston’s Pvolve trainer, shared four functional exercises that work more of the 35 muscles in your core. Far from just being the outer six-pack muscles, your core muscles work to stabilize your torso, protect your spine, and enable you to twist from side to side. All you’ll need for the workout is one of the best adjustable dumbbells and an exercise mat, as you’ll do one of the exercises on the floor.

As always, if you’re a complete beginner, you’re pregnant or postpartum, or you’re recovering from an injury, it’s always a good idea to check in with a qualified professional before taking on a new routine. You can read what happened when I worked out with Jennifer Aniston’s favorite Pvolve app here.

What is the workout?

The workout consists of four different exercises. Coleman doesn’t go into detail in regards to the number of reps, but we’d recommend trying to do each exercise for 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second rest, and repeating the circuit a few times for a longer workout.

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Here are the exercises:

1. Pallof Press

Hold a dumbbell with both hands in front of your torso.
Engage your core and stand tall with your shoulders relaxed away from your ears. Softly bend your knees
Without twisting toward your anchor point, press the dumbbell away and extend both arms. Keep your hips square
Pause and hold for five seconds while focusing on your breath
Re-bend your elbows and control the weight back into your chest.

2. Golf Swing

For this exercise, start with your feet in a wide stance and your core engaged. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, and hinge at your hips, keeping your back straight.
From here, swing the dumbbell up to one side, following the dumbbell with your torso and pausing at the top of the movement.
Slowly, and with control, bring the dumbbell back down.
Complete all of your reps on one side before switching direction.

3. Step back and hinge

For this exercise, start by stepping one leg back, with your core engaged and your hands by your temples, with your elbows bent.
Keeping your legs still, hinge at your hips and lower your torso forward.
Keep your core engaged and your back straight.
Complete all your reps, then step the opposite leg back.

4. Deadbugs

Start on your back, keeping your lower back pressed into the mat — think about sucking your belly button into your spine
Raise your arms straight above you, and your knees into tabletop position
Slowly lower your right arm to a couple of inches off the floor behind your head, as you do so, stretch your left leg away from your body and lower that to just above the floor
Pause, then return to your starting position and repeat on the opposite side. Keep alternating sides.

What are the benefits?

a photo of Jennifer Aniston with the pvolve ball — (Image credit: Pvolve)

The exercises above work all of the muscles in your midsection to build the functional strength you need to complete everyday activities, like carrying a heavy bag of groceries or lifting a toddler out of the car seat. Exercises like the Pallof press are anti-rotation exercises — these challenge your entire core to resist movement and maintain stability under load.

All of the exercises will challenge the muscles in your deep core, which are responsible for stabilizing your torso and protecting your spine. The key is to move slowly and with control, and to really focus on keeping your abdominal muscles engaged as you do so.

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Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.

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