Try the CORE Workout Challenge: A Better Way to Work Your Core

It’s not just about the abs. A strong core—which includes your obliques, pelvic floor, lower back muscles, and abs—is your power. From a more supported posture and better balance to improved mobility and reduced injury risk, keeping it strong with a solid core workout is key to feeling your best.

Not a fan of crunches and planks on repeat? You’ll love the new CORE Workout Challenge: A better way to strengthen your entire core in just 14 days—dropping Monday, September 26. Perfect for beginners and pros alike, this challenge introduces you to 4 super effective (and fun!) ways to work your muscles with a different 10-15 minute Express class each day.

Whether you want to take the challenge solo or stack it onto your current routine, it’s an amazing way to build up your confidence, level up your fitness, and fire up your core. For extra credit, finish all 14 classes by October 10 to get one free month of personalized vitamins (up to $50!) from Care/of.*

To get you set up for success, here’s a breakdown of every class type you’ll find in the CORE Challenge.

Pilates Core

In Pilates, your “powerhouse” (aka all the muscles at the center of the body) is the foundation of any movement you do. When your powerhouse is activated, you feel more balanced, energized, and in control—even when trying something new.

That’s why Pilates Core is such an effective class type for strengthening and conditioning your muscles. No matter what exercise you’re tackling, your core is always at the center, stabilizing every other muscle group. You won’t just work up a sweat; you’ll also improve your mobility, flexibility, and stability, all while elongating the spine.

It’s a high-intensity, low-impact option that gets deep—and is especially effective for injury recovery and prevention.

• Three moves to expect: The Pilates 100, the Swan, and those fiery side-lying exercises.
• What to remember in class: Pull your core up, in, or back toward the spine.

Sculpt Core

You already know this one’s going to burn. Focused on lengthening and toning, Sculpt Core classes blend exercises from Pilates, Barre, and Yoga through compound movements that fire up your mind-body connection while elevating your heart rate.

Like Pilates, Sculpt is a high-intensity, low-impact option that builds lean muscle mass—but the sequences will include a much higher rep count that’s driven by the beat.

The best part? From creative plank variations to special oblique-focused sequences, no two Sculpt classes in this challenge will ever feel the same. (Day 13 will leave your core shaking, without a single crunch in the lineup.)

• Three moves to expect: Bicycle variations, lying heel taps, and bridges.
• What to remember in class: Pulse it out.

Strength Core

By using resistance—whether that’s just bodyweight or something like a towel—strength-based core exercises engage the abdominals and deeper stabilizing trunk muscles to develop functional strength.

In other words: The moves you’ll tackle in our Strength Core classes will prepare you to pick up, put down, and carry all kinds of heavy things (think: groceries, boxes, or kids) without feeling winded. Some of the other perks: You’ll build endurance, develop muscular definition, move with more ease (in fitness and in life!), plus avoid injuries.

And PSA, you don’t always have to be lying on the floor to work your core! Squats, kneeling chops, deadlifts, and any form of strength training will help you build up solid form.

• Three moves to expect: Sit-up variations, isometric holds, and leg raises.
• What to remember in class: Just go slow and steady.

Stretch Core

Fun fact: Your core is one of the hardest working muscle groups in your body. If you want it to be strong, you have to stretch it. Just as recovery days are a must for any full-body workout routine, recovery is crucial for supporting all your developing core muscles.

That’s because a “tight” muscle is often a weak muscle. And in general, tight muscles can stem from a weak core. Taking time to stretch and lengthen your trunk will give it a chance to reset, restore, and grow even stronger. This will also support your posture, ease lower back pain, alleviate soreness, and prevent future injuries while giving you all the benefits of a moving meditation.

• Three moves to expect: Cobra pose, cat-cow stretch, lying rotation stretch.
• What to remember in class: Don’t forget to breathe.

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