Muscle groups / Core
Core: exercises and weekly sets
Core landmark: 10 working sets a week on the Zyra Workouts dashboard — 7 exercises train it as the primary muscle and 9 credit it at half weight. The full lists, the counting rule and the related groups are below.
Also searched as: abs, abdominals, obliques.
Landmark and half-weight rule: Zyra Workouts dashboard defaults. Typical rest = the most common default rest among the primary exercises above (the catalog's per-exercise value; the app lets you override it).
Exercises that train core
Primary exercises credit core with a full set each; secondary exercises credit it with half a set. Open any exercise for its rep targets, progression step and alternatives.
Primary (7)
- PlankBodyweight · ×1
- Hanging Leg RaiseBodyweight · ×1
- Cable CrunchCable · ×1
- Ab Wheel RolloutBodyweight · ×1
- Russian TwistBodyweight · ×1
- Pallof PressCable · ×1
- Hollow Body HoldBodyweight · ×1
Secondary (9)
- Pull-UpBodyweight · ×0.5
- Chin-UpBodyweight · ×0.5
- Overhead Press (Barbell)Barbell · ×0.5
- Overhead Press (Dumbbell)Dumbbell · ×0.5
- Arnold PressDumbbell · ×0.5
- Farmers CarryDumbbell · ×0.5
- Back SquatBarbell · ×0.5
- Front SquatBarbell · ×0.5
- Push-UpBodyweight · ×0.5
How secondary work is counted
The app credits every working set to the exercise's primary muscle in full and to each secondary muscle at 0.5. So a week's core total is primary sets × 1 + secondary sets × 0.5, and its coverage bar is min(total ÷ 10, 1). Warm-up sets are excluded before anything is counted. In the 4-day upper/lower template that comes to 6 + 6 = 12 for core, at or above the landmark.
In plain terms: a set of a big compound movement that merely involves core is worth half a set of an exercise built around it. This is the app's bookkeeping rule, not a measurement of anything — a way to make one number comparable across muscles. Check a planned week with the weekly sets calculator.
Frequently asked
How many sets a week for core?
The Zyra Workouts dashboard uses 10 working sets a week as the core landmark — the target its coverage bar for core fills toward (coverage = sets ÷ 10, capped at 100%). It is the app's default for reading a week, not a prescription; a coach or your own log can set a different target.
Which exercises train core?
7 exercises in the catalog train core as the primary muscle — Plank, Hanging Leg Raise, Cable Crunch, Ab Wheel Rollout, Russian Twist, Pallof Press, Hollow Body Hold. 9 more list it as a secondary muscle (Pull-Up, Chin-Up, Overhead Press (Barbell), Overhead Press (Dumbbell), Arnold Press, Farmers Carry, Back Squat, Front Squat, Push-Up); each of their sets counts half toward the core total.
Do secondary exercises count toward core sets?
Yes, at half weight: every working set of an exercise that lists core as a secondary muscle adds 0.5 to the weekly core count, against 1 for a primary exercise. Reaching the 10-set landmark from secondary work alone would take 20 such sets. Warm-up sets never count.
Compare all 11 muscle groups →
Guides for core
Track core sets automatically
Zyra Workouts counts every logged working set toward its primary muscle and half toward each secondary one, and shows this week's core coverage against the 10-set landmark on its dashboard. It is in development and not yet on the App Store.
Zyra is a training and nutrition tracking tool. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or an individual prescription. The numbers are estimates from published formulas and the apps' own rules — consult a qualified professional for decisions about your health, and a coach for your training.