Exercises
Ab exercises
The abdominal muscles curl, brace and turn the trunk. Planks, curl-ups, leg raises and rollouts train them, from floor basics to hanging work.
Beginner ab exercises 42
3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBird dog, one limb at a timeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCross-body crunchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCrunchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCrunch with the legs on a ballBeginner · Exercise ball
3D demoDead bugBeginner · No equipment
3D demoDead bug heel tapsBeginner · No equipment
3D demoElbow-to-knee crunchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoExercise ball crunchBeginner · Exercise ball
3D demoFarmer's carryBeginner · A dumbbell + A kettlebell
3D demoHalf-kneeling Pallof pressBeginner · A band + An anchor point- Knee plank · Beginner
- Knee side plank · Beginner
- Long-arm crunch · Beginner
- Lying leg raise on a bench · Beginner
- McGill curl-up · Beginner
- Standing cable crunch · Beginner
- Vertical leg crunch · Beginner
- Alternate Heel Touchers · Beginner
- Barbell Side Bend · Beginner
- Bent-Knee Hip Raise · Beginner
- Bottoms Up · Beginner
- Butt-Ups · Beginner
- Cocoons · Beginner
- Flat Bench Leg Pull-In · Beginner
- Landmine 180's · Beginner
- Oblique Crunches · Beginner
- Oblique Crunches - On The Floor · Beginner
- One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends · Beginner
- Rope Crunch · Beginner
- Seated Barbell Twist · Beginner
- Seated Flat Bench Leg Pull-In · Beginner
- Seated Leg Tucks · Beginner
- Spell Caster · Beginner
- Spider Crawl · Beginner
- Wind Sprints · Beginner
- Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends · Beginner
- Cable Judo Flip · Beginner
- Cable Russian Twists · Beginner
- Sledgehammer Swings · Beginner
- Smith Machine Hip Raise · Beginner
Intermediate ab exercises 46
3D demoBicycle crunchIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoBodyweight get-upIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoCable press and rotationIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoCable reverse crunchIntermediate · A cable machine
3D demoCaptain's chair knee raiseIntermediate · Other / check instructions
3D demoDecline crunchIntermediate · A bench or box
3D demoDecline oblique crunchIntermediate · A bench or box
3D demoDecline reverse crunchIntermediate · A bench or box
3D demoDumbbell side bendIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoForearm plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoHanging knee raiseIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoHollow body holdIntermediate · No equipment- Inchworm walkout · Intermediate
- Janda sit-up · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Windmill · Intermediate
- Kneeling cable crunch · Intermediate
- Kneeling cable crunch with a twist · Intermediate
- Leg pull-in · Intermediate
- Lying two-hand overhead throw · Intermediate
- Medicine-ball slam · Intermediate
- Mountain climbers · Intermediate
- One-arm medicine-ball slam · Intermediate
- Overhead carry (waiter's walk) · Intermediate
- Pallof press · Intermediate
- Reverse crunch · Intermediate
- Russian twist with a weight · Intermediate
- Seated cable crunch · Intermediate
- Side plank · Intermediate
- Sit-up (3/4 sit-up) · Intermediate
- Suitcase carry · Intermediate
- Suspension trainer fallout · Intermediate
- Tuck L-sit · Intermediate
- Two-hand overhead throw · Intermediate
- Weighted crunch · Intermediate
- Advanced Kettlebell Windmill · Intermediate
- Barbell Ab Rollout · Intermediate
- Double Kettlebell Windmill · Intermediate
- Frog Sit-Ups · Intermediate
- Gorilla Chin/Crunch · Intermediate
- Suspended Fallout · Intermediate
- Ab Crunch Machine · Intermediate
- Barbell Rollout from Bench · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Figure 8 · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Pass Between The Legs · Intermediate
- Weighted Ball Side Bend · Intermediate
- Weighted Sit-Ups - With Bands · Intermediate
Advanced ab exercises 22
3D demoAb wheel rollout from the kneesAdvanced · An ab wheel
3D demoBarbell rollout from the kneesAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoCable wood chopAdvanced · A cable machine
3D demoHanging pikeAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoHanging straight-leg raiseAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoJackknife sit-up (V-up)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoL-sitAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoOtis-upAdvanced · Medicine ball
3D demoPlank walk-upAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoRenegade rowAdvanced · A kettlebell
3D demoStability ball knee tuckAdvanced · Exercise ball
3D demoStanding cable liftAdvanced · A cable machine- Suspended knee tuck · Advanced
- Tuck front lever · Advanced
- Turkish get-up · Advanced
- Yoke walk · Advanced
- Press Sit-Up · Advanced
- Bent Press · Advanced
- Dragon flag · Expert
- Front lever · Expert
- Standing ab wheel rollout · Expert
- V-sit · Expert
Workouts that use them
Also works the abs
These train it as a secondary muscle.
- Air bike intervals · Advanced
- Alternating bent-over kettlebell row · Intermediate
- Alternating cable shoulder press · Intermediate
- Alternating Floor Press · Beginner
- Alternating kettlebell press · Intermediate
- Archer push-up · Advanced
- Atlas Stones · Advanced
- Band Assisted Pull-Up · Beginner
- Barbell back squat · Advanced
- Barbell front squat · Advanced
- Barbell good morning · Intermediate
- Barbell hip thrust · Intermediate
- Bent-over barbell row · Advanced
- Body-Up · Intermediate
- Bodyweight Flyes · Intermediate
- Bodyweight squat · Beginner
- Box jump · Intermediate
- Burpee · Advanced
- Cable fly · Intermediate
- Carioca Quick Step · Beginner
- Chest Push from 3 point stance · Beginner
- Chest Push with Run Release · Beginner
- Chin-up · Advanced
- Clap push-up · Advanced
- Clean and Press · Intermediate
- Close-grip incline push-up · Beginner
- Close-grip push-up (close triceps position) · Intermediate
- Close-Grip Push-Up off of a Dumbbell · Intermediate
- Conan's Wheel · Intermediate
- Copenhagen plank · Advanced
- Diamond push-up · Intermediate
- Double kettlebell clean · Advanced
- Double kettlebell front squat · Intermediate
- Double kettlebell jerk · Advanced
- Double kettlebell military press · Intermediate
- Downward Facing Balance · Intermediate
- Dumbbell goblet squat · Intermediate
- Feet-elevated push-up · Advanced
- Frankenstein Squat · Intermediate
- Freestanding handstand · Expert
- Front Squat (Clean Grip) · Intermediate
- Front squat to a bench · Intermediate
- Full Nordic curl · Expert
- Glute bridge · Beginner
- Good Morning off Pins · Intermediate
- Hanging Bar Good Morning · Intermediate
- Heavy Bag Thrust · Beginner
- Hip-hinge practice · Beginner
- Incline push-up · Beginner
- Incline Push-Up Medium · Beginner
- Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip · Beginner
- Isometric Wipers · Beginner
- Jerk Dip Squat · Intermediate
- Jump squat · Intermediate
- Keg Load · Intermediate
- Kettlebell clean · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Halo · Beginner
- Kettlebell Halo with Overhead Extension · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension · Beginner
- Kettlebell Pirate Ships · Beginner
- Kettlebell seesaw press · Intermediate
- Kettlebell snatch · Advanced
- Kettlebell swing · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up (Lunge style) · Intermediate
- Kettlebell Turkish Get-Up (Squat style) · Intermediate
- Kipping Muscle Up · Intermediate
- Knee push-up · Beginner
- Kneeling Arm Drill · Beginner
- Kneeling Squat · Intermediate
- Landmine Linear Jammer · Intermediate
- Log Lift · Intermediate
- Lying adductor ball squeeze · Beginner
- Lying one-arm overhead throw · Intermediate
- Medicine Ball Scoop Throw · Beginner
- Medicine-ball chest push · Beginner
- Muscle-up · Expert
- One-arm dead hang · Expert
- One-arm dumbbell bench press · Intermediate
- One-arm dumbbell fly · Intermediate
- One-arm dumbbell shoulder press · Intermediate
- One-arm kettlebell jerk · Advanced
- One-arm kettlebell push press · Intermediate
- One-arm push-up · Expert
- One-Arm Side Deadlift · Advanced
- Overhead squat · Advanced
- Pike push-up · Intermediate
- Plyometric push-up · Advanced
- Power jerk (push jerk) · Advanced
- Pull-up · Advanced
- Push press · Intermediate
- Push Up to Side Plank · Beginner
- Push-up · Intermediate
- Push-up with the feet on an exercise ball · Advanced
- Reverse Nordic · Advanced
- Rickshaw Carry · Intermediate
- Ring dip · Advanced
- Ring push-up · Intermediate
- Ring support hold · Intermediate
- Rope straight-arm pulldown · Beginner
- Rucking (loaded walking) · Intermediate
- Sandbag Load · Beginner
- Scapular push-up (push-up plus) · Beginner
- Seated kettlebell press · Intermediate
- See-Saw Press (Alternating Side Press) · Intermediate
- Side plank with leg lift · Advanced
- Single-leg glute bridge · Intermediate
- Single-leg kettlebell deadlift · Intermediate
- Single-leg push-up · Advanced
- Single-leg Romanian deadlift · Advanced
- Slider hamstring curl · Intermediate
- Split jerk · Advanced
- Squat jerk · Advanced
- Standing alternating dumbbell press · Intermediate
- Standing band hip adduction · Beginner
- Standing band hip flexion · Beginner
- Standing cable chest press · Intermediate
- Standing cable shoulder press · Intermediate
- Standing march · Beginner
- Standing one-arm cable row (shotgun row) · Intermediate
- Standing one-arm palm-in press · Intermediate
- Standing overhead press · Intermediate
- Standing palms-in dumbbell press · Intermediate
- Straight-arm pulldown · Beginner
- Straight-leg raise · Beginner
- Tuck jump · Intermediate
- Tuck planche · Expert
- Wall handstand push-up · Expert
- Wall push-up · Beginner
- Wall walk · Advanced
- Wide incline push-up · Beginner
- Wide push-up · Intermediate
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More exercises
Questions people ask
What are good ab exercises for beginners?
Start with moves graded easy, such as Bird dog, Bird dog, one limb at a time, Cat-cow. There are 42 of them on this page. Each guide links to a harder option for when it starts to feel easy.
Can I do ab exercises at home without equipment?
Yes. 38 of the 110 moves here need nothing but your body, a floor, a wall or a step, for example Bird dog, Bird dog, one limb at a time, Cat-cow.
What are the hardest ab exercises?
Moves graded advanced or expert include Dragon flag, Front lever, Standing ab wheel rollout. Most have stepping stones; open a guide to see its easier options.
How do I choose the right level?
Pick a move you can do for the planned reps or time with control and a couple of reps in reserve. If it is easy, step up; if your form slips, step down. Every guide shows an easier and a harder option when one exists.
Movement education, not medical advice. Difficulty grades for imported entries are source-assigned and await editorial review. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Health disclaimer.