Best Ab Exercises

Here are the best ab exercises, everything from your basic crunches and wood chops to the plank exercise and exercise ball crunches.

The best ab workouts will focus on your upper abdominals, lower abdominals, and your obliques. Try to work exercises that focus on all three of those areas into each of your core workouts.

Best Ab Exercises - Ab Crunches

Ab Crunch with Legs Up: Lie on your back and raise your legs into the air until they are perpendicular to your body. Place your hands beside your ears. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Slowly raise your upper body as high as you can while pressing your lower back into the floor. Lower to start position.

Reverse Ab Crunch: Lie on your back and raise your legs into the air with your knees slightly bent and your ankles crossed. Place your arms next to you on the floor. Contract your abs and slowly raise your lower body off the floor. Hold for a count of two. Lower to start position.

Frog Ab Crunch: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Let your knees fall out to the sides as you press the soles of your feet together. Place your hands beside your ears. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Slowly raise your upper body as high as you can while pressing your lower back into the floor. Lower to start position.

Bicycle Ab Crunch: Lie on your back with your legs raised. Place your hands beside your ears. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Bring your right knee in toward your chest as you bring your left elbow to meet the right knee. Reverse the motion and bring your left knee in toward your chest as you bring your right elbow to meet the left knee. Continue in this "bicycle" motion for the desired number of reps.

Best Ab Exercises - Exercise Ball Crunches

Oblique Ab Crunch on a Ball: Sit on an exercise ball with your feet and knees hip-width apart. Place your hands beside your ears. Contract your abs and slowly lower your upper body until it's at a forty-five degree angle (start position). Raise your upper body and twist it to the right. Return to start position. Raise your upper body and twist it to the left. Repeat this pattern for the desired number of reps.

Full Extension Ab Crunch on a Ball: Sit on an exercise ball with your feet and knees hip-width apart. Place your hands beside your ears. Contract your abs and slowly lower your upper body until it's at a forty-five degree angle. Return to start position.

Ab Crunch with Legs on Bench or Ball: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on top of an exercise bench or exercise ball. Your legs should be bent at right angles. Place your hands beside your ears. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Slowly raise your upper body as high as you can while pressing your lower back into the floor. Lower to start position.

Best Ab Exercises - Ab Crunches with Exercise Band

Kneeling Ab Crunch with Band: Secure an exercise band around a sturdy, immobile object, about a foot above your head when you are kneeling. Stand facing away from the object, then lower yourself to a kneeling position. With both hands, grab the ends of the band just above your head. Keeping your arms bent, contract your abs and and bring your upper body downward toward the floor. Return to start position.

Twisting Kneeling Ab Crunch with Band: Secure an exercise band around a sturdy, immobile object, about a foot above your head when you are kneeling. Stand facing away from the object, then lower yourself to a kneeling position. With both hands, grab the ends of the band just above your head. Keeping your arms bent, contract your abs and and bring your upper body downward toward the floor while twisting and bringing your right elbow toward your left knee. Return to start position. Repeat the downward motion, bringing left elbow toward right knee. Return to start position. Repeat in this pattern for the desired number of reps.

Lying Ab Crunch with Band: Secure an exercise band around a sturdy, immobile object, about a 6" above your head when you are lying on the floor. Lie on the floor on your back with your head about 2' from the object. With both hands, grab the ends of the band and pull the band so that your hands are beside your head. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Slowly raise your upper body as high as you can while pressing your lower back into the floor. Lower to start position.

Twisted Lying Ab Crunch with Band: Secure an exercise band around a sturdy, immobile object, about a 6" above your head when you are lying on the floor. Lie on the floor on your back with your head about 2' from the object. With both hands, grab the ends of the band and pull the band so that your hands are beside your head. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Raise your upper body and twist it to the right. Return to start position. Raise your upper body and twist it to the left. Repeat this pattern for the desired number of reps.

Best Ab Exercises - Wood Chops

Low Wood Chop with Band: Secure an exercise band around a sturdy, immobile object, about a foot above your head. Stand with your right shoulder toward the object and your feet shoulder width apart the object. With both hands, grab the ends of the band just above your shoulder. Keeping your arms straight, contract your abs and bring your upper body downward toward your left foot. Return to start position. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then repeat for the other side of the body.

Best Ab Exercises - Plank Exercises

Plank to Pushup: Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body up off the ground while keeping your body straight like a board and keeping your abs tight. Do not let your butt raise up in the air. Hold for a count of ten. Keep your body in the air as you place your hands under your shoulders and push your body up higher so that you are now in pushup position. Hold for ten seconds.

Plank with Leg Lift: Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body up off the ground while keeping your body straight like a board and keeping your abs tight. Lift your right leg in the air. Do not let your butt raise up in the air. Hold for as long as you can. Repeat with the left leg.

Plank with Arm Lift: Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body up off the ground while keeping your body straight like a board and keeping your abs tight. Lift your right arm in the air. Do not let your butt raise up in the air. Hold for as long as you can. Repeat with the left arm.

Plank with Rotation: Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body up off the ground while keeping your body straight like a board and keeping your abs tight. Do not let your butt raise up in the air. Hold for a count of ten. Lift your right arm off the floor as you rotate your entire body to the right. Hold for a count of ten. Return to start position and hold for a count of ten. Lift your left arm off the floor as you rotate your entire body to the left. Hold for a count of ten. Return to start position and hold for a count of ten.

Side Plank: Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body up off the ground while keeping your body straight like a board and keeping your abs tight. Do not let your butt raise up in the air. Lift your right arm off the floor as you rotate your entire body to the right. Hold for as long as you can. Repeat with the left arm.

Best Ab Exercises - V-Ups

Oblique V-ups: Lie on the floor on your right side. Lift your legs slightly off the floor and place your right hand on the floor in front of you for support. Place your left hand behind your head. Contract your abs as you lift your legs and upper body off the ground. Return to start position. Continue for desired number of reps. Repeat on left side.

Best Ab Exercises - Miscellaneous Ab Exercises

Leg Lifts: Lie on your back with your legs straight. Place your arms next to you on the floor. Slowly raise your legs as high as you can while pressing your lower back into the floor. Lower to start position.

Knee In with Twist: Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body up off the ground while keeping your body straight like a board and keeping your abs tight. Do not let your butt raise up in the air. Bring your right knee in to your chest and then twist your knee and your lower body to the right. Return to start position. Bring your left knee in to your chest and then twist your knee and your lower body to the left. Continue in this pattern for the desired number of reps.

Leg Grab: Lie on your back with your legs raised. Contract your abs and raise your shoulders off the floor (start position). Bring your right leg in toward your chest as you reach your hands to your right ankle. Reverse the motion and bring your left leg in toward your chest as you reach your hands to your left ankle. Continue in this pattern for the desired number of reps.

Roll Up: Lie on your back with your legs straight. Stretch your arms above your head. Slowly lift your arms as you slowly roll forward and peel your spine off the floor, one vertebrae at a time. Continue rolling forward and bend your upper body over your legs as you reach for your toes. Return to start position.

Leg Circles: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift your right leg as high as possible and point your toes. Rotate your leg clockwise in a big circle. Repeat for the desired number of reps. Repeat with the left leg.

Circular Leg Lifts: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Raise your legs in the air until your feet are over your head. Slowly swing your legs to the right in a circular motion until your body is straight. Continues circling your legs back up to the left until your legs are once again over your head. Continue for the desired number of reps. Repeat in the opposite direction.

Core Twists: Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Fold your hands together and lift your feet off the ground. Twist your upper body to the right as you twist your lower body to the left. Then reverse the motion and twist your upper body to the left as you twist your lower body to the right. Continue in this pattern for the desired number of reps.

Exercise Ball Pass: Lie flat on your back with an exercise ball between your lower legs. Contract your abs and raise your upper body as you lift your legs. Transfer the exercise ball from your legs to your hands. Lower upper body and legs. Once again, contract your abs and raise your upper body as you lift your legs. Transfer the exercise ball from your hands to your legs. Lower upper body and legs. Repeat this pattern for the desired number of reps.

The best ab exercises don't require fancy equipment or the newest gadget, just some dedication and hard work!

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