If you want strong abs, work on every muscle in your core with these easy effective exercises. We've put together the best ab workouts you can do at home, from beginner to intermediate to advanced. Do them 2-3 times a week. Start with beginner moves and then challenge yourself with harder ones.
For best results, switch between different exercises and try them all for 30 days.
Equipment: Exercise mat, kettlebell (optional)
Time: 5-15 minutes
Reps and sets: Aim for 10-15 slow and controlled reps per set and 2-3 sets per exercise. For static hold, stay in position anywhere from 20 seconds to one minute.
First exercise: (Reverse Plank)
Level: Beginner
- Sit down with your legs straight out right in front of you.
- Put your arms behind you with your hands on the ground, fingers pointing forward towards your feet.
- Press down with your heels while lifting your hips toward the sky.
- Keep your elbows straight. Keep your neck facing straight ahead and hold for a bit.
Second exercise: (Crunch Kicks)
Level: Beginner
- Lie on your back with your arms at your sides to support them, bring your legs together.
- Lift your hips toward your stomach after bending them, pull your knees to your chest while pulling your belly toward the floor and keep your lower back pressed to the floor.
- Try to stay steady as long as you can then push your closed legs forward away from your belly again.
- Push them in the opposite direction.
Third exercise: (Sit Ups with a Twist)
Level: Intermediate
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Lie on your back and bend your knees, keep your feet on the ground.
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Start climbing with your hands behind your head, take a breath in as you get ready to touch your knee.
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Touch your right knee with your left elbow, exhale as you go back down to the ground. Lower yourself to the ground.
Exercise 4: (Climber Taps)
Level: Intermediate
- Place your hands flat on the ground right under your shoulders.
- Keep your back flat, from the bottom of your raised body touch your left foot with your right hand.
- Bring your right hand back and move your left hand to touch your right foot, repeat the exercise several times.
Fifth exercise: (Plank Hops)
Level: Medium
- Lift your body and support it on your arms with your palms on the ground. Put your raised foot on your toes and keep your legs together.
- Jump with your legs together to the left. Then jump back to the starting position. After that, jump to the right.
- Repeat this exercise with three jumps: right, center, left,
- When you jump in any direction, right, left, or center, you’ll land on your toes, with your knees squeezed and bent down.
Exercise six: (Star Crunches)
Level: Medium
- Relax and keep your arms spread and stretched above your head, with your feet straight and apart.
- Start moving your arms and legs together, lift your chest and arms, bend your knees, and pull everything in.
- Make the meeting point the center of your body as you sit, pulling your knees to your chest. Wrap your arms around them.
- Take all that off and start again in the original resting position on the floor.
Exercise seven: (Modified Boat Pose)
Level: medium
- Bring your legs together and bend them in front of you.
- Arms at your sides, each next to the opposite leg, lift your bent and joined legs slightly off the ground. Your arms are stretched below your feet but don’t touch the floor.
- Your feet form a 90-degree angle when bent. Staying still and focused is the most important part of the exercise.
Exercise eight: (Hollow Body Descents)
Level: Advanced
- This exercise uses simple and few movements. Just with your shoulders, you will stretch your back on the exercise mat.
- Your feet are kept together and raised a few inches, your arms are raised above your head at an angle.
- The exercise is a movement of the shoulders and chest upwards while keeping the arms raised but straight.
- As much as you can, raise your shoulder, chest, and belly area up for a few seconds while keeping your feet raised, then go back down, and repeat the exercise.
Exercise nine: (Star Plank)
Level: Advanced
- The load in this exercise will be on one side of the body. Start from the right side. You'll lift your right arm with your palm on the ground pointing straight toward the head, not in front of the face.
- The load is also on the right foot side. Your left foot is tucked over the right one, and your left arm is bent toward the middle of your body.
- You'll lift your left foot and left arm up and hold for a few seconds, then bring your foot and arm back and repeat the exercise.
- Flip your body so the left side is fixed for the load, and move the right side up.
Exercise ten: (Turkish Get Up)
Level: Advanced
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Lie down, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand, keep your left leg straight and the right leg bent with your foot on the ground, raise your right arm with the weight up.
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Lift your left shoulder and chest while putting pressure on your left elbow and keep raising your right arm with the weight.
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Rise up until you stand fully straight with your body tight, and keep lifting your right arm with the weight.
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Return to the starting position using your bent knee and load on your left arm and elbow.
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Start shifting the weight from your right arm to left and repeat the same movements as before.
