10 Best Ab Workout Exercises for Building Muscle
Chest | Back | Shoulders | Biceps | Triceps | Legs | Abs
Let’s get one thing straight: This is no late-night informercial, and we’re not going to try to sell you a single “best ab exercise ever.” Too many have tried to make that claim, and it’s just not the case. The truth is, carving the perfect six-pack requires a variety of exercises and months if not years of consistent work.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try! It just means you need to get moving. We’ve put together a full slate of top-level choices for building your abs, in no particular order, along with a brief explanation of what makes each one great and—when available—the research to back them up.
Here’s how we chose them:
- Ease of learning and performing
- Total muscle stimulation and intensity
- Popularity among diehard lifters and bodybuilders (This matters!)
- Availability of equipment in commercial gyms
But definitely don’t forget about the kitchen! As registered dietician and bodybuilder Paul Salter explains in, “How Six-Pack Nutrition is a Different Beast than Fitness Nutrition,” the more ambitious the goal you set, the less wiggle (i.e., cheat) room you have.
Now, let’s meet your new favorite ab moves.
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10 Best Ab Exercises
Pallof Press
Why it’s on the list: This increasingly popular movement trains your abs to do what they’re supposed to do: stabilize your skeleton. The Pallof press is an anti-rotation movement, meaning the body is actively fighting rotation throughout the motion. By utilizing exercises like this, you can increase core stability in various planes of movement and reduce the likelihood of injury.
If you’ve never done these before, expect to be challenged more than you might expect!
Pallof Press Variations for Building Strength:
- Pallof press (cable or band)
- Pallof press with rotation
In your workout: There’s no need to go heavy here; all it will do is compromise the quality of the move. Do these after your most difficult ab move of the day using a weight that allows you to manage 3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side.
Cable Crunch
Why it’s on the list: The strength of this exercise is its versatility. It works for any fitness level, on any cable machine, and you can add any amount of resistance you need to train at your target rep range. You can also use a resistance band if you don’t have a cable stack handy.
Despite these advantages, plenty of people still do them wrong! Here are the biggest points to remember, from the article, “4 Cable Crunch Blunders.”
- Squeeze your glutes and keep your hips forward. Sitting back targets more hip flexors.
- Round your back during each rep.
- Keep your hands next to your head to avoid making it a shoulder and upper-body move.
- Keep your neck neutral. Don’t tuck your chin.
Got it? Now put it into action.
Cable Crunch Variations for Ab Development:
- Kneeling cable crunch
- Kneeling cable oblique crunch
- Kneeling cable alternating crunch
- Standing cable crunch
In your workout: This is another good first or second exercise that can be done for a low-to-moderate number of reps. Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps. If you want to add a dropset, change the pin or use a lighter resistance band when you reach muscle failure and immediately perform another 8-10 reps.
Russian Twist
Why it’s on the list: To recruit the obliques, you need to do one of three motions:
- Bend to the side
- Rotate your trunk
- Suck in your belly
By adding a medicine ball to the twist, you’re hitting your obliques with a double whammy by requiring the upper abs to contract isometrically to stabilize against the weight as you move. Try to get a little crunch on either side after the rotation to up the ante.
Twist Variations for Ab Development:
- Russian twist
- Dumbbell Russian twist
- Medicine ball half moon
- Cable lying twist on ball
- Standing cable twist (high to low)
- Standing cable twist (low to high)
In your workout: Do this exercise toward the middle of your routine for 3 sets of around 15 reps per side. Increase the degree of difficulty by extending your arms out or using heavier weight.
Ab Roll-out
Why it’s on the list: This cheap piece of equipment has gained a cult following over the years, and for good reason. EMG data suggests that using an ab wheel is equally if not more effective than hanging leg raises, sit-ups, and reverse crunches at activating the abs.
Why is the ab wheel so effective? It capitalizes on the concept of eccentric strength-building perfectly. As you roll out, your trunk must actively fire while those abs stretch to maintain a neutral spine without collapsing under your body weight and gravity.
Ab Roll-Out Variations for Ab Development:
- Ab wheel roll-out
- Exercise ball roll-out
- Suspended ab fall-out
- Reverse ab roll-out
In your workout: Build up to 3 sets of 8-12 reps, rolling all the way out and back on your knees. If you can’t do all the reps prescribed or if your back is arching, reduce the distance and maintain a neutral spine, then slowly work to extend it over a few weeks.
Exercise Ball Pike
Why it’s on the list: It turns out the exercise ball is good for more than just sitting and waiting for your partner to finish their set! A research team demonstrated that the pike movement is one of the most effective total-ab activators out there. It topped the EMG list for upper abs, lower abs, and obliques. The version in the study was performed on a ball, but pikes can also be done on a suspension strap system.
Exercise Ball Pike Variations for Ab Development:
- Exercise ball pike
- Medicine ball pike
- Glider pike
- Suspended crunch
- Hanging toes-to-bar
In your workout: Since it targets a large degree of the muscle mass of the abdomen, the pike can either be used to get your routine started or as a really brutal way to finish it out. Shoot for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. If you can’t complete reps with good form, start with exercise ball knee roll-ins.
Plank
Why it’s on the list: Muscle activation studies consider the plank a mid-level exercise. But in this case, that doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s first and foremost a great transverse abdominis move, but that muscle is deep, so can’t be measured by EMG.
Planks primarily made the list because of how easily you can use different variations to change the level of difficulty. If an elbow plank is too difficult, perform it with the arms straight or simply drop to your knees. Too easy? Lift an arm or a leg—or an arm and a leg. Put your feet into suspension straps or on a stability ball. Each one of these progressions leads to a greater training stimulus to the abs.
Plank Variations for Strength and Growth:
- Elbow plank
- Side plank
- Plank leg raise
- Feet-elevated plank on ball
- Elbows-elevated plank on ball
- Side plank hip dip
In your workout: You can do these last on ab day, but you can also do them at home just about any time you want. Since it’s an isometric move, shoot for time rather than reps. Doing 3-5 sets of 30-90 seconds in whatever variation is toughest for you should get you shaking!
Best Ab Workouts
Hard and Heavy Ab Workout
If you’re ready to build your ab muscles so they’re visible even at a slightly higher body fat level, this is the workout. With hanging leg raises and a weighted superset, you’ll be feeling your core right out of the gate. Finishing with a round of kneeling cable crunches, you’ll leave the gym afraid to cough or laugh.
Hard and Heavy Ab Workout
1
Hanging leg raise
3 sets, 15 reps (rest 90 sec. )
2
SUPERSET
Perform the exercises in order, resting as little as possible between exercises and 1 min. between sets.
Lying Windshield Wipers
4 sets, 10 reps (no rest)
Decline Weighted Sit-Up
4 sets, 12 reps (rest 1 min. )
3
Kneeling cable crunch
3 sets, 15 reps (rest 90 sec. )
All-in-One Six-Pack Workout
Chasing a six-pack? This ab workout is a perfect way to start your day or the perfect end to any workout. With bodyweight exercises and circuit-style intervals, you’ll hit every angle of your abs and work up a sweat in less than 20 minutes!
All-in-One Six-Pack Workout
1
Ab Rollout
Perform on your knees and limit your range of motion to what you can do without letting your lower back droop. If you reach failure, hold a static position with your arms below your shoulders for the remainder of the 30 sec.
3 sets, 30 sec (rest 1 min. )
2
Lying Leg Raise
3 sets, 30 sec (rest 1 min. )
3
SIDE PLANK
Perform for time on one side before switching to the other side. Rest as little as possible between sides and 1 min. between sets.
Side Plank
3 sets, 30 sec (right side, no rest)
Side Plank
3 sets, 30 sec (left side, rest 1 min. )
Machine Ab Workout
This three-move cable ab workout is simple, but brutal. Each of the exercises are performed for 3 sets of 10-12 reps. So, what’s the catch? You’ll perform a dropset at the end of each movement. Take each set to failure and expect to have nothing left in the tank!
Machine Ab Workout
1
Kneeling cable crunch
After the final set, perform a single dropset.
3 sets, 10-12 reps
2
STANDING CABLE HIGH-TO-LOW TWIST
Perform for all reps on one side before switching to the other side. Rest as little as possible between sides.
Cable Cross-Body Pull
After the final set, perform a single dropset.
3 sets, 10-12 reps (left side, no rest)
Cable Cross-Body Pull
After the final set, perform a single dropset.
3 sets, 10-12 reps (right side, rest 1 min. )
3
Cable reverse crunch
After the final set, perform a single dropset.
3 sets, 10-12 reps (rest 1 min. )
