18 of the Best Ab Exercises and Ab Workouts To Get a Six-pack

There’s a reason we think it’s a good idea to practise ab exercises and ab workouts. Because while a set of six-pack abs are often coveted by Men’s Health readers, the benefits of a cobblestone core stretch far beyond aesthetics.

Your abs are also one of the most important muscles in your body and having a stronger core will help your strength your lifts — helping your numbers on bench press, overhead work and deadlifts and squats. An effective abs programme will also improve your proficiency in any sport, help you to maintain good posture and even eliminate back pain.

It’s safe to say then that ab exercises deserve as much time and attention as any muscle group in your body. That said, it’s important that you’re not just putting in work, but that you’re also working intelligently, which is why we’ve collated the best ab exercises and ab workouts to get your mid-section firing.

A warning: when it comes to the abs exercises below, you’ll want to get comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable.

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Ab Exercises Benefits

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

Low back pain affects around one-third of the UK adult population each year. It makes sense then to get ahead of the problem with ab workouts. A study by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that runners suffering from lower back pain were able to alleviate their symptoms by strengthening their deep core muscles. “When your deep core is weak, your body is able to compensate in a way that allows you to essentially run the same way,” said study lead Ajit Chaudhari. “But that increases the load on your spine in a way that may lead to low back pain.”

You’ll Hit Personal Bests:

Hit a training plateau? Squats stalled? Deadlifts doing nothing? It could be your (lack of) accessory work and a weak core that’s holding you back. A strong midsection will become the sturdy foundation on which your compound moves should be built. Engage in ab workouts – such as this explosive power building core crusher – and it should help you lift heavier weights for more reps, generate more force through your body and keep your back safe.

Your Posture Will Improve with Ab Exercises:

Simply put, core training can help you stand up a little straighter. A study in the Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies found that a programme of core training positively affected the posture of male volleyball players.

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 Dr J. Christopher Mendler 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, so you’ll be able to punch harder, drive further and, if you happen to be an Olympic swimmer, power through the water. Give Adam Peaty’s intense core workout a go if you want to achieve that last point. “Core training makes you a better athlete in just about any strength or speed sport,” says Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo.

You’ll Become More Agile with Ab Exercises

A study in the Universal Journal of Educational Research revealed that athletes who performed thirteen core movements three times a week for eight weeks benefited from a significant boost in explosive force and agility.

To make the most of abs exercises, you’ll need to know which part of your abs (rectus abdominis) you’re hitting

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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:

1. Starting on your back, extend your legs and keep your arms by your side
2. In one movement, lift your upper-body, arms and legs to balance on your tailbone, forming a “V” shape
3. 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:

1. Lie on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and your feet together. Extend your arms above your head
2. Tilt your pelvis forward until your lower back is flush against the floor
3. 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:

1. Lie on your back with your heels near your glutes.
2. 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.

18 of the Best Ab Exercises

1. Barbell Floor Wiper

1. Lie with your back flat on the floor and your arms extended holding the barbell above your chest.
2. Keeping your arms fixed straight raise your legs up to the L-shaped position.
3. Lower your leg down to each side then back up without touching the floor.

2. Medicine Ball Slam

1. Standing up with your knees slightly bent lift the medicine ball directly over your head with your arms extended.
2. 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.
3. Catch the ball and repeat. The motion will not only train your abs but will also give you powerful shoulders.

3. Side Jackknife

1. 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.
2. Make sure your right leg is on top of your left.
3. 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

1. Lie back on the bench with your hands holding the bench behind your head.
2. Bring your knees up to your chest and kick out to the ceiling, raising your body with just your shoulders on the bench.
3. 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

1. Set the cable machine to the highest position with and stand side on to the weights with your back to the machine.
2. Grabbing the handle with both hands take a step away from the tower and put your feet shoulder width apart.
3. Extend your arms fully and pull the handle down and across your body whilst rotating your torso.
4. Bend your knees and pivot your back foot and slowly return to the start position, swapping sides after each set.

6. Cocoon

1. Lay flat on your back with your arms extended behind your head and your feet slightly off the ground.
2. 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

1. Lie with your back on the ground and you knees bent upwards.
2. 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.
3. Carefully lower down and repeat.

8. Hanging Leg Raise

1. Grab a pull-up bar making a V shape with your arms and lower yourself into a dead hang.
2. Put your feet together and raise your legs until they are perpendicular to your torso whilst keeping them straight.
3. Slowly lower back to the starting position.

9. Superman With A Twist

1. Lie on your stomach and place your hands on your head.
2. Raise your torso and twist your chest from one side to the other.
3. This move will not only target your abs but can also help combat that dreaded back pain.

10. Hollow Rocks

1. Sit up with your legs straight and extend your hands up above your head
2. Raise your legs to make your body form a dish shape.
3. Keep your body rigid as you rock back and forth to strengthen your core.

11. Barbell Roll Outs

1. Load a barbell with 10kg plates and grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
2. Position your shoulders directly over the barbell and slowly roll the bar forwards.
3. Pause, then reverse the move.
4. Roll out to a distance that’s challenging, but doesn’t force your hips to sag.

12. Russian Twists

1. Sit holding the weight plate, dumbbell or kettlebell with your arms extended and feet off the floor.
2. Under control, quickly twist at the torso, turning from side to side.

13. Hollow Holds

1. Start lying on back with with your arms extended overhead on floor and legs straight resting on mat.
2. At the same time, and with control, lift arms, head, shoulder blades, and legs off the floor.

14. Dumbbell Deadbugs

1. With a dumbbell in each hand, lift your arms towards the ceiling.
2. Raise your legs, your knees bent at 90º (A).
3. Slowly extend your left arm and right leg simultaneously, keeping your back straight (B). Return, then repeat on the other side.

15. Bear Crawls

1. Assume a press-up position with your knees bent at 90-degree angles and directly underneath your hips. Your knees should be elevated.
2. 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.
3. Walk” your right hand and left foot forward a few inches. Pause, and then return to the starting position.
4. Next, “walk” your left hand and right foot forward. Return to the starting position.

16. Butterfly Sit-Ups

1. Lie on the ground with your arms extended past your head.
2. Bend your knees and have the soles of your feet facing one another so they’re in a diamond shape.
3. Crunch your abs to a sitting position as you reach forward with both hands to your feet.

17. Cable Crunch

1. Attach a rope to a high pulley and kneel in front of it, with the handles held either side of your neck.
2. Without moving your hips, contract your abs to bring your elbows to your thighs.
3. Pause for a moment then slowly return to the starting position.

18. Overhead Crunch

1. Lie on your back with your arms extended straight over your head so your body forms a straight line.
2. 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.

Ab Workouts

Home Ab Workout: 10 Minute Burner Workout

15-minute Workouts: Cored To Death

Battle Ropes Abs Workout

Ab Exercises With a Kettlebell: Eric Leija KB Flow