I tried a 7-day standing core routine. Here are the differences I noticed in my strength and posture

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Most of my core training happens on the floor. Planks, dead bugs, crunches, you know the drill. So when I kept seeing trainers online recommending standing core workouts for posture, balance, and “functional strength,” I initially dismissed them as watered-down ab exercises for people who didn’t want to get on a mat.Boy, was I wrong.After spending the better part of the last two decades lifting weights, running marathons, and sitting at a desk for far too many hours each day, I’ve noticed my core strength doesn’t always translate into good posture. I can do plenty of sit-ups and hold a solid plank, but after a long writing session, I still catch myself slouching forward like a shrimp over my keyboard. That disconnect made me curious about standing core training, which focuses less on six-pack aesthetics and more on stability and posture.So I decided to try a simple standing core routine every day for a week to see whether it would make any noticeable difference in my posture, balance, and core strength. “Standing core exercises are beneficial because they train the body in positions we naturally use throughout the day,” says Abbie Watkins, CPT, certified personal trainer with OriGym. “When you perform standing exercises, your core has to stabilise your spine while you balance or shift weight, which mirrors real-life movement patterns.”For this experiment, I performed the same five standing core exercises every day for seven days. The routine took around 10 to 15 minutes total, and I focused on proper form with control rather than rushing through reps. Here’s the routine I followed and what happened after a week.1. Standing knee drivesStanding knee drives force your core to stabilize while balancing on one leg, and I noticed my hip flexors and lower abs working far more than expected. By day three, I also realized how much concentration it took to stay upright without leaning backward or collapsing through my torso. “Standing knee drives are excellent for improving lower abdominal control and balance,” explains Watkins.