Best Exercises for Abs and Ab Workouts at Home

The 8 best exercises for abs with video demos, plus our guides to ab workouts, lower abs, obliques and planks you can do at home.

The best exercises for abs train your whole core: crunches for the upper abs, leg lifts for the lower abs, bicycles and side planks for the obliques, and planks for the deep core. Do 4–5 of these moves 2–3 times a week. They make your abs stronger, but whether you can see them depends on your overall body fat.

All eight are bodyweight moves you can do at home on a mat, listed roughly from easiest to hardest. The “upper” and “lower” abs are two ends of one muscle, the rectus abdominis, so no exercise works only one of them.

The 8 best ab exercises (with videos)

1. Crunch: upper abs

Lie on your back with your knees bent and curl your shoulders off the floor toward your knees, then lower slowly. It’s a simple way to learn to tighten your abs; don’t pull on your neck. See form tips and muscles worked.

2. High Plank: deep core

Hold a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Your abs work to stop your hips sagging; if it’s too hard, start with a knee plank. See form tips and muscles worked.

3. Bicycles: abs and obliques

With your shoulders lifted and hands behind your head, bring one knee in as you turn the opposite elbow toward it, then switch sides. The twist brings in your obliques; turn from your torso, not just your elbows. See form tips and muscles worked.

4. Side Plank Lifts: obliques and side core

From a side plank on your forearm, lower your hips toward the floor without touching it, then lift them back up, on both sides. It works your obliques; bend your bottom knee to make it easier. See form tips and muscles worked.

5. Leg Lifts: lower abs

Lie on your back with your hands flat on the mat beside or under your hips, raise your straight legs to vertical, then lower them slowly without touching the floor. Keep your lower back on the mat; if it arches, bend your knees or stop higher. See form tips and muscles worked.

6. Mountain Climbers: core and cardio

From a high plank, drive one knee toward your chest, then switch legs in a running rhythm. Your abs hold the plank steady while your legs move, and a faster pace also raises your heart rate. See form tips and muscles worked.

7. Hollow Body Alternating Knee Raise: core control

Lift your shoulders and legs off the floor with your arms reaching toward your feet, then pull one knee in at a time. Holding this hollow shape with your lower back pressed down works the whole front of your core. See form tips and muscles worked.

8. V Ups: whole abs, advanced

Lie flat with your arms overhead, then lift your legs and upper body together and reach for your feet. It’s the hardest move here, so add it once the others feel easy. See form tips and muscles worked.

A simple routine: pick 4–5 of these moves and do each for 20–40 seconds with a short rest, for 2–3 rounds, 2–3 times a week. As it gets easier, make the sets longer or add the harder moves.

Will ab exercises burn belly fat?

Not on their own, because you can’t spot-reduce fat. In a six-week study, people who did ab exercises five days a week improved their ab endurance but didn’t reduce their belly fat (Vispute 2011). Visible abs depend on your overall body fat, so pair these moves with regular full-body exercise and an eating plan you can keep.