I haven’t always loved abs exercises. My old routine of post-run crunches and planks was not it. Lately, I’ve found more motivating moves (hi, practicing pilates everyday and a kettlebell abs workout) that make me look forward to my abs routine. A core-strengthening routine that you actually look forward to doing does exist—and it’s all about zeroing in on the best abs exercises for you.
What I’ve learned along the way, and trainers will agree: a strong core pays off in dividends compared to the effort it takes to do abs exercises regularly. Your abdominal muscles play a major role in your ability to hit your goals and are so much more than a “six-pack.” Strong abs help you squat heavy weights, improve your balance, hike up the stairs (or a mountain) with ease, run fast or long distances, and more. Plus, most of the best abs exercises can be done anywhere, requiring little-to-no equipment to crush the basics. But some abs moves are far superior, so keep reading for our faves. (BTW here’s how to get visible abs if that’s a goal for ya.)
Meet the expert: Tatiana Firpo, CPT, is a personal trainer and self defense coach and training manager for Fit Hit.
What are the abs muscles?
Before you can work your muscles with the best abs exercises of all time, you need to know a bit more about your core. An efficient ab workout incorporates movements that use *all* of these major muscles—preferably at the same time, says Tatiana Firpo, CPT, a personal trainer and self defense coach.
- Rectus abdominis: a.k.a., your six-pack muscles, which run down the front of your stomach
- Transverse abdominis: deep abs muscles that wrap around your stomach
- Obliques: otherwise known as your side abs, which help you rotate
How To Do Abs Exercises The Right Way
As you approach this workout, focus on pulling your navel in toward your spine to keep your abs muscles engaged, notes Firpo. If you’re doing a movement that requires laying on your back, make sure to press your lower back into the floor so your abs do the work—not your spine. (If someone tried sliding their flat hand between your lower back and the floor, it shouldn’t fit!)
20 Best Abs Exercises
The moves below are some of the best abs exercises you can do anytime, anywhere—no equipment needed (although you can add it in for an extra challenge). No matter how you mix and match them, you’ll get an abs workout that’ll strengthen your core in no time.
Time: 10 to 20 minutes | Equipment: Resistance band, yoga block (both optional) | Good for: Abs, core
Instructions: Choose 3 to 4 exercises from the list below. Perform each for 30 to 60 seconds, then immediately continue to your next move. Once you’ve completed all three, rest for 15 to 30 seconds, then repeat for 3 to 5 total rounds.
1. Glute Bridge March
How to:
- Lie on your back with your legs bent, heels under knees, feet flat on the floor.
- Extend arms over your chest, palms facing together.
- Raise hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Engage abs and lift your right knee over your hip, maintaining 90-degree angle of that leg.
- Hold for a moment, then lower your right foot.
- Repeat with the left. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating.
Good for: rectus abdominis, transverse abs
Why it rocks: Not only does this exercise fire up two sections of your abs, but it works your glutes, too, which will help with your overall stability.
2. Mountain Climbers
How to:
- Start in a plank position.
- Drive right knee toward chest.
- Return to a plank.
- Quickly repeat with the left knee. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating, focusing on speed to boost the heartrate.
Good for: rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: Yup, this workout makes your core seriously burn and gets your heart pumping, a combo that’s sure to help you up your fitness game.
3. Plank With Knee Tap
How to:
- Start in a plank position, with hands stacked directly under shoulders.
- Slowly and with control, lower both knees until they gently tap the ground.
- Return to a plank position. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: This slow movement helps you engage your core while also easing strain on your neck by allowing your knees to periodically touch the ground.
4. Shoulder Tap And Jack
How to:
- Start in a plank position, with hands stacked directly under shoulders.
- Engaging the core, tap right shoulder with left hand as you jump feet outward. Return to start.
- Repeat on the opposite side. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: obliques, transverse abs, rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: Not only does this work all aspects of your core, but the move also allows you to get your heart rate up for a boost of cardio.
5. Leg Lower
How to:
- Lie on back with arms on mat and hands under butt, palms down, legs raised at a 90-degree angle from the floor, feet flexed.
- Slowly lower one leg as far down as possible without back lifting off the ground.
- Return to start.
- Repeat with the other leg. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: transverse abs, rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: You’re able to fully engage your abs by moving slowly downward without the injury-risk associated with faster movements.
6. Deadbug
How to:
- Lie on back with arms extended toward ceiling in-line with shoulders and legs bent to 90 degrees (knees above hips).
- Pressing the lower back into the floor and engaging the abs, slowly extend and lower right leg and left arm (overhead) until they nearly touch floor.
- Pause, then return to start and repeat on the opposite side. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating.
Good for: rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abs
Why it rocks: This slow-and-controlled move strengthens and stabilizes (good for posture and easing low-back pain) without the threat of neck strain.
7. V-Up
How to:
- Lie on back with legs extended and arms by sides, both on mat.
- In one swift movement, lift upper body, arms, and legs, coming to balance on tailbone, forming a “V” shape with the body.
- Slowly and with control, lower back down to starting position. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: Because it involves lifting your arms and legs, this difficult move gets your heart rate up while pushing your core strength to its limit.
8. Side Plank
How to:
- Lie on your side with right forearm flat on the floor, elbow under shoulder, and both legs extended. Body should form a straight line from head to feet, which are either stacked or staggered.
- Engage core and lift hips up.
- Hold for 30 seconds before repeating on the other side. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: obliques, transverse abs, rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: By working your core, hips, and shoulders one side at a time, side planks help you avoid strength imbalances.
9. Reverse Crunch
How to:
- Lie on your back with legs lifted to the ceiling so thighs are perpendicular to ground. (Option to bend knees as a modification.)
- Pressing lower back into mat, curl knees into chest to lift hips off the ground.
- Return to start with control. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: The reverse crunch fires up your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques without straining your neck and back.
10. Hollow Body Hold
How to:
- Sit on a mat with legs bent. (For an extra challenge, place a yoga block between knees.)
- Squeeze legs together and engage abs to lift bent legs so calves are parallel to the floor.
- Lift head, neck, and shoulders the floor.
- Pause and hold for 30 seconds or as long as possible with good form. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: rectus abdominis, transverse abs, obliques
Why it rocks: This advanced move is a true test of core strength. You can up the challenge even more by adding ankle weights.
11. Lateral Bear Walk
How to:
- Start in a bear plank position (plank with knees bent 90-degrees and hovering 1 to 2 inches above the ground), with shoulders stacked directly over hands.
- Keeping hips stable, head in-line with tailbone, and knees lifted off of the floor, move hands and feet left for three steps. (Don’t let feet or hands cross.)
- Then, move hands and feet right for three steps. That’s 1 rep.
- Repeat on the other side and continue alternating.
Good for: obliques, rectus abdominis, transverse abs
Why it rocks: In addition to hitting your entire core, this more unusual movement pattern is great for coordination.
12. Bear Crawl
How to:
- Start in a bear plank position (plank with knees bent 90-degrees and hovering 1 to 2 inches above the ground), with shoulders stacked directly over hands.Keeping hips stable, head in-line with tailbone, and knees lifted off of the floor, slowly step opposite hand and foot forward, repeating with other hand and foot for four steps total.
- Then, reverse the movement to step backward and return to start. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: rectus abdominis, transverse abs
Why it rocks: The bear crawl fires up all of your major muscle groups to improve your muscular endurance. Speed it up and you’ll get some cardio perks, too.
13. Heel Taps
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet on floor, hands by hips.
- Lift chest toward the ceiling, keeping neck relaxed and bringing shoulder blades off the ground.
- Tap right hand to outside of right ankle, flexing right obliques in the process.
- Come back to center, keeping shoulders off ground.
- Tap left hand to outside of left ankle. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: obliques
Why it rocks: Easy-to-understand heel taps target your obliques in a big way. You’ll feel the burn instantly.
14. Bear Plank With Leg Extension
How to:
- Start in a bear plank position (plank with knees bent 90-degrees and hovering 1 to 2 inches above the ground), with shoulders stacked directly over hands.
- Keeping hips stable, head in-line with tailbone, and knees lifted off of the floor, squeeze core to remain still.
- For an extra challenge, lift one foot up off the floor for a few seconds, extending leg back straight behind you.
- Replace the foot on the floor, then repeat with the other leg. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating.
Good for: rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abs
Why it rocks: This deceivingly difficult move gives you the perfect opportunity to really squeeze and engage those abs muscles.
15. Seated Rotation
How to:
- Sit on the floor and lean upper body back until abs are engaged.
- Legs should be bent at 90 degrees with heels on mat, and arms should be bent, hands clasped, with elbows wide. This is your starting position. (Option to hover feet off the mat for extra challenge.)
- Rotate torso to right side so that right elbow is hovering just off mat.
- Keep lower body still while rotating upper body to left side until left elbow is just off mat.
- Return to start. Gaze follows hands as you move. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: obliques
Why it rocks: This classic obliques move is easy to modify. Make it easier by keeping feet planted, or up the intensity by hovering feet or holding a weight with hands.
16. Banded Bird Dog
How to:
- Start on all fours, with hands stacked directly under shoulders, knees below hips, and a resistance band wrapped around feet.
- Keeping torso still and core engaged, simultaneously extend right arm straight out in front of body and left leg straight back behind body.
- Bring right elbow and left knee in beneath torso to touch.
- Repeat on the opposite side. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: rectus abdominis, transverse abs
Why it rocks: This banded move comes with the added bonus of working your core and glutes.
17. Cross-Body Iso Deadbug
How to:
- Lie on back with hands at sides and legs straight, feet flexed.
- Bring left knee and right hand together at hip level and actively push them into each other until abs are fully engaged.
- Hold for 10 seconds, then switch sides. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: obliques, rectus abdominis
Why it rocks: This move is beginner-friendly, easy on your head and neck, and quick to make your six-pack muscles shake.
18. High Plank Rock
How to:
- Start in a high plank position with wrists under shoulders and body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Engage abs and shift forward, rocking on toes, while maintaining body alignment.
- Shift back to start. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: obliques, rectus abdominis, transverse abs
Why it rocks: The instability of the ball in this advanced move makes for a unique (and intense!) challenge for your core muscles.
19. Scissor Kicks
How to:
- Lie on back with arms down by sides, palms down and pressed into mat.
- Engage core by pressing lower back into mat and tucking pelvis as you lift both legs about six inches off the ground (roughly a 45-degree angle) with feet flexed or pointed.
- Raise right leg to 60 degrees, while holding left leg in space.
- Then, lower right leg to 45-degrees as you raise left. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue alternating legs, up and down, keeping knees as straight as possible.
Good for: transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, obliques, and hip flexors
Why it rocks: This advanced move is one of the most effective core burners you can do because it engages all the abs muscles simultaneously, You can do it all without neck strain, too.
20. Plank
How to:
- Start sitting on heels.
- Walk hands out until wrists are under shoulders when legs are extended fully and body forms a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Balance on balls of feet, keep abs engaged, and gaze slightly forward. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds. That’s 1 rep.
Good for: transverse abs
Why it rocks: Probably the most important abs exercise in the game, the plank targets more muscles than most moves. Adding it to your routine is non-negotiable.
Jennifer Nied is the fitness editor at Women’s Health and has more than 10 years of experience in health and wellness journalism. She’s always out exploring—sweat-testing workouts and gear, hiking, snowboarding, running, and more—with her husband, daughter, and dog.
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