Of course, they aren’t wasted, as you get all the strength and functionality benefits, but training your abs does not make them visible or burn fat around your waistline. The ball slam exercise is a dynamic and powerful movement that is more than just another ab exercise. You can easily make your crunches more challenging by holding a weight plate, a book, or something similar in front of your chest for added resistance. Not everyone can do full leg raises with straight legs, at least from the get-go, and that’s okay. Hanging knee raises are a significantly less difficult move and your go-to alternative. When it contracts, its main action is to tense the linea alba, the thin band of connective tissue that runs down the front of your abdomen.
Hanging Knee Raise Crunch
Olivia previously wrote for New York Magazine’s The Cut, PS (formerly POPSUGAR), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests. Even 5–10 minutes a day can make a big difference over time. You don’t need a gym or a trainer yelling in your face to get serious core results. Just pick a few of these 15 moves, stay consistent, and focus on form. Tara Laferrara is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine in the Mile High City.
How to Perform Lying Leg Raises
Without further dilly-dallying, let’s jump straight into the ten best ab exercises list. You’ll move from one exercise to the next with just 15 seconds of rest between each to catch your breath. After you run through it once, you’ll rest for 2 minutes, and then repeat it a total of 3 times. You should feel your abs working hard to stabilize your body.
) BUTTERFLY SIT UP (10 REPS)
These are a staple of ours — they belong in your toolbox as well. In my opinion, this is the best at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hULiletgos home ab workout because you’re able to hit failure on every single exercise movement which really sparks the growth your ab muscles need to start to pop. Here is a list of 11 ab exercises to add to your best ab workouts. This excellent core workout hits a range of muscles in your core, including the obliques, helping to burn fat around the belly and build overall core strength. The medicine ball slam is one of the easiest ab workouts to perform and can be mastered in a short space of time. Slowly lift your feet until your shins are parallel to the floor—this is the starting position.
Heavy Dumbbell Seated Crunch
Repeat for about 15 repetitions, and make sure not to speed up as you go. This makes ab exercises an important part of any fitness routine. While crunches are a common ab exercise that are often the go-to, they can be tricky to do correctly. Common form mistakes, like pulling on the neck or using momentum, can cause pain and injury. Luckily, if they cause you trouble, there’s no shortage of exercises that accomplish the same goal. First, lay flat on your mat with your legs straight and your arms extended above your head.
Cable Crunch
Similar to leg raises, ensure that your lower back doesn’t come up off the ground while performing flutter kicks. A great exercise for your obliques, the side plank can be easily modified by performing off of your knee instead of your foot. To progress this move /is-madmuscles-legit-real-user-reviews-and-expert-insight/ over time, you can raise your feet off the ground slightly. Doing these will force your obliques to work harder to stabilize your body.
Reverse Crunch
Around 1–3 focused sessions per week works for most people. Lock your hips in place and pull your rib cage toward your pelvis, pausing at the top. Only 150 calories, 4g net carbs, hormone & antibiotic-free. Supports lean muscle, weight loss & promotes healthy aging.
- This is one of the biggest mistakes beginners make in ab training — the burn is just a buildup of fatigue and lactic acid in the muscle.
- Our goal at Life As Mama is to support you in forming these healthy habits while balancing the demands of family life.
- Bring right elbow to left knee as you extend right leg straight.
- It’s low-impact, so suitable for all levels of fitness, and works on improving your strength, posture, and structural alignment.
- Daisy Keech ab workout gets an average of 90,000 searches per month and Keech’s workouts have a serious following.
- Note that they are for the rectus abdominis, your six-pack muscle, first and foremost.
Best Bodyweight Abs Exercises

Planks, mountain climbers, roll-ups, Cycling is among the most effective ab workouts. Strategically combine ab exercises that target different movement patterns. This helps train your core more completely while minimizing overuse of supporting muscles like the hip flexors. I like to put my legs up when doing crunches to help reduce hip flexor involvement. It also helps flatten my lower back against the floor into a posterior pelvic tilt.
Different Ab Exercises to Do at Home
Developing a robust, well-balanced core will positively contribute to body composition and image and promote enhanced physical function. Individuals strive for abs for the aesthetic, while others may appreciate their role in physical performance. That said, achieving well-developed abs and an impressive looking midsection goes beyond this.
Will training the upper abs make your waist bigger?
Mountain climbers are an intense exercise – unlikely to be anyone’s favourite exercise to do at home. But they are very effective, provided you start slowly and focus on your form. The move works the abs, lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Strength training, Pilates, yoga and cardio workouts are all doable from home. Provided you have a pair of the best dumbells or a good resistance band, you can replicate any gym workout in your living room or garden.
As you get stronger, you can increase the number of circuits in your ab routine. is madmuscles reliable Standing crunches work your abs, obliques, and lower back, helping to build a strong core. For beginners, you can modify this exercise by bending your knees at a 90-degree angle and lifting your hips from this position. As you get stronger, you can move to the full version of the exercise. The side plank is a great addition to your ab routine, and with consistent reps, it can help build a strong core and sculpted abs. To perform a plank, start by getting into a forearm position.
