Abs Exercises: 18 of the Best To Add to Your Workout
If you're a guy who wants washboard abs for summer, you've come to the right place
Six-pack exercises don't start and end with sit-ups. As any proud owner of six-pack abs will attest, it takes more than just endless crunches, twists and sit-ups to achieve your goal of a cobblestone core. In fact, you may want to abandon crunches all together if you want to get smart on your six-pack.
A warning: when it comes to the abs exercises below, you'll want to get comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable. Despite nothing hurting as much as the day after you blitz your core in the gym, the results are always worth the aches and pains.
Abs, you see, are much more than a chiseled torso and an excuse to wear a tight t-shirt, they are also one of the most important muscles in your body and having a stronger core will help your strength in other lifts — helping your numbers on bench presses, overhead work, deadlifts and squats creep upwards and improve your recovery — while helping you maintain good posture and even eliminate back pain.
Therefore, safe to say that ab exercises deserve as much time and attention as any other muscle group in your body, so it's important to do the right exercises. Here's how.
The Benefits of Ab Exercises
Getting visible abs is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to training your core. There are almost countless benefits of having a fortified mid-section that are applicable to almost everyone — whether you swear by a weekend 5K, are a devout CrossFit zealot or just want to become faster, fitter and stronger. Here are just a few.
You'll beat back pain with ab exercises: In 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics, almost 31m work days were lost in the UK due to musculoskeletal problems including back pain, with treatment and attributable costs estimated at £12.3bn a year. The solution, thankfully, is significantly cheaper. A core-focused training regime — this 4-move back workout is particularly effective – can eliminate back pain, Canadian research suggests, with stationary exercises such as side planks being more beneficial than sit-ups or crunches.
You'll hit many personal bests: If your big lifts have stalled, it's probably your (lack of) accessory work and a weaker core holding you back. A strong midsection will become the sturdy foundation on which your compound moves will increase, helping you lift heavier weights for more reps, generating more force through your body and keeping your back safe.
Your posture will improve with ab exercises: Simply put, core training can help you stand up straight. A study in Isokinetics and Exercise Science found men who took three hour-long pilates sessions a week for two months saw significant improvements in postural stability tests and exercises.
You'll have better balance: "A strong core keeps your torso in a more stable position whenever you move, whether you're playing sports or just doing chores," sports medicine specialist J. Christopher Mendler, M.D said to Men's Health. This will translate into both your training and every day movements.
You can dominate at your sport: As a strong core will help you transfer more power to your limbs, you'll be able to punch harder, drive further and send a ball with more force, making you a better athlete at just about anything.
You'll become more agile with ab exercises: A study in the journal Kinesiology found that participants performing core and instability exercises — such as TRX exercises and single-leg moves — can help you become more flexible and more agile.
The Anatomy of Your Abs
If you want to get shredded, it helps to get molecular on your body. We're not talking about attaining a degree in sports science here, but more knowing which part of your abs you're working and where.
Upper Abs
To specifically target your upper abs, your objective is to focus on exercises that involve pulling your chest towards your pelvis. Sure, they'll hit your whole core, but they'll smoke your upper abs too. Here's one to try:
Try: V-Ups
How:
- Starting on your back, extend your legs and keep your arms by your side
- In one movement, lift your upper-body, arms and legs to balance on your tailbone, forming a "V" shape
- Lower your body down. That's one rep
Middle Abs
Part of the 'rectus abdominis' — your 'six-pack' muscles — the middle abs are crucial for lexing your spine and bring your pelvis and ribcage closer. Get your middle ab exercises right and you'll be building a stronger core from the get-go.
Try: Hollow Holds
How:
- Lie on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and your feet together. Extend your arms above your head
- Tilt your pelvis forward until your lower back is flush against the floor
- Maintaining this position in your lower back, raise your arms and legs a few inches off the floor to create a straight line from fingers to toes
Lower Abs
What: Your lower abs are vital for maintaining strength across your whole core. For people losing weight, their lower abs are often the last to emerge. If you're struggling too, here's a quick coaching tip:
Try: Heel Tap Crunches
How:
- Lie on your back with your heels near your glutes.
- Brace your core, lift your shoulders off the floor and reach down to touch your right heel with your right hand, then your left heel with your other hand. That's one rep.
Why: This exercise predominantly targets the lower abs, obliques and hip flexors. By adjusting the distance between your heels and glutes, you can make it harder or easier. Control the movement by making slow extensions to maintain tension.
Your Ab Exercises and Six-pack Cheat Sheet
Of course, there's more to life — and to your training – than the ab exercises that we've prescribed in this article. The links, below, offer alternatives to your current training, alongside diet advice, physique know-how and workouts that will hit your abs and other areas of your body, such as your shoulders and your arms.
- The Shoulder Workout That Also Gives You Great Abs
- This Brutal Ab Circuit Will Rock You to an 8-Pack
- Want a Six-pack Before Summer? You'll Need This 15 Minute Workout
- How Much Fat Is Covering Your Abs?
- 5 Six-pack Myths You Should Ignore
- What Body Fat Percentage Should I Be to See Abs?
- This 557-rep Workout Gives You Harder Abs and Bigger Arms
- Build a Six-pack at Home in Three Weeks with Dumbbells
- 8 Reasons to Do An Abs Workout Today
18 of the Best Ab Exercises
1. Barbell Floor Wiper
- Lie with your back flat on the floor and your arms extended holding the barbell above your chest.
- Keeping your arms fixed straight raise your legs up to the L-shaped position.
- Lower your leg down to each side then back up without touching the floor.
2. Medicine Ball Slam
- Standing up with your knees slightly bent lift the medicine ball directly over your head with your arms extended.
- Rise up on the balls of your feet and use your core muscles to throw the ball to the ground as you bend forwards at the waist.
- Catch the ball and repeat. The motion will not only train your abs but will also give you powerful shoulders.
3. Side Jackknife
- Lay on your side with your left arm extended out on the floor and you right arm bent to your head with your elbow bent out.
- Make sure your right leg is on top of your left.
- Bring your right elbow to your left leg as you raise your body up, contracting your obliques and slowly lower down before swapping sides after reps
4. Dragon Flag
- Lie back on the bench with your hands holding the bench behind your head.
- Bring your knees up to your chest and kick out to the ceiling, raising your body with just your shoulders on the bench.
- Keep your body straight and as you slowly move down. You'll not only feel the burn in your abs but in your lower back too.
5. Cable Woodchopper
- Set the cable machine to the highest position with and stand side on to the weights with your back to the machine.
- Grabbing the handle with both hands take a step away from the tower and put your feet shoulder width apart.
- Extend your arms fully and pull the handle down and across your body whilst rotating your torso.
- Bend your knees and pivot your back foot and slowly return to the start position, swapping sides after each set.
6. Cocoon
- Lay flat on your back with your arms extended behind your head and your feet slightly off the ground.
- Pull your knees towards your chest, lift your backside off the floor and lift your arms over your head as you perform a crunch and repeat.
7. Sandbag Sit-Up
- Lie with your back on the ground and you knees bent upwards.
- Hold a sandbag up above you with both extended arms and crunch forwards as you tense your core so your body performs a V shape with your thighs.
- Carefully lower down and repeat.
8. Hanging Leg Raise
- Grab a pull-up bar making a V shape with your arms and lower yourself into a dead hang.
- Put your feet together and raise your legs until they are perpendicular to your torso whilst keeping them straight.
- Slowly lower back to the starting position.
9. Superman With A Twist
- Lie on your stomach and place your hands on your head.
- Raise your torso and twist your chest from one side to the other.
- This move will not only target your abs but can also help combat that dreaded back pain.
10. Dish Rocks
- Sit up with your legs straight and extend your hands up above your head
- Raise your legs to make your body form a dish shape.
- Keep your body rigid as you rock back and forth to strengthen your core.
11. Barbell Roll Outs
- Load a barbell with 5kg plates and grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Position your shoulders directly over the barbell and slowly roll the bar forwards.
- Pause, then reverse the move.
- Roll out to a distance that's challenging, but doesn't force your hips to sag.
12. Russian Twists
- Sit holding the weight plate, dumbbell or kettlebell with your arms extended and feet off the floor.
-Under control, quickly twist at the torso, turning from side to side.
13. Hollow Holds
- Start lying on back with with your arms extended overhead on floor and legs straight resting on mat.
- At the same time, and with control, lift arms, head, shoulder blades, and legs off the floor.
14. Dumbbell Deadbugs
- With a dumbbell in each hand, lift your arms towards the ceiling.
- Raise your legs, your knees bent at 90º (A).
- Slowly extend your left arm and right leg simultaneously, keeping your back straight (B). Return, then repeat on the other side.
15. Bear Crawls
- Assume a press-up position with your knees bent at 90-degree angles and directly underneath your hips. Your knees should be elevated.
- Without allowing your lower back to rise or round, brace your abs as if you were about to punched in the gut. Hold this contraction the entire time. This is your starting position.
- Walk” your right hand and left foot forward a few inches. Pause, and then return to the starting position.
- Next, “walk” your left hand and right foot forward. Return to the starting position.
16. Butterfly Sit-Ups
- Lie on the ground with your arms extended past your head.
- Bend your knees and have the soles of your feet facing one another so they're in a diamond shape.
- Crunch your abs to a sitting position as you reach forward with both hands to your feet.
17. Cable Crunch
- Attach a rope to a high pulley and kneel in front of it, with the handles held either side of your neck.
- Without moving your hips, contract your abs to bring your elbows to your thighs.
- Pause for a moment then slowly return to the starting position.
18. Overhead Crunch
- Lie on your back with your arms extended straight over your head so your body forms a straight line.
- Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor then – keeping your arms locked – contract your abs to crunch your shoulders off the floor.
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