Struggle with the plank? This wrist-friendly core workout will leave your midsection feeling solid

A high plank may be one of the best exercises to annihilate your core, but it can also put a lot of strain on your wrists too. This is pretty common, as your forearms and hands are helping to support your entire body weight. Dropping down from your hands to your forearms is one option, or you could try this wrist-friendly workout instead.

These five exercises from Fitness Coach, Elise Young, won’t just target your ‘six-pack’ muscles (the rectus abdominis and external obliques) but also the muscles deep in your abdomen, lower back, hips, and pelvis— those all-important core muscles that aid stability and protect the spine.

A word of warning, just because this workout doesn’t include a high plank, don’t mistake it for being ‘easy’, it’ll still leave your midsection burning afterwards! You’ll need to grab a dumbbell (it doesn’t need to be too heavy) or if you’re at home, just fill up a water bottle.

Aim to complete three to four rounds of the exercises below, taking a 15-20 second rest in between each one and a 40-60 second rest between rounds. If you’re not sure how to do any of the exercises, watch the short video above, especially for the partial sit-up. Also, make sure you have something soft beneath you to support your back. This is the workout:

• 10 partial single-arm sit-ups
• 15 leg lifts
• Side plank (on forearm) with dumbbell reach
• 15 reverse crunches
• 30-second forearm plank with dumbbell pull-through

If these exercises feel a little too advanced, these four moves are a great alternative for beginners (no planks are involved, either). Otherwise, check out these three core exercises that, according to a fitness coach, we should all be doing.