Ab Workout: The Best Core Exercises and a Weekly Plan
GYMDONE editorial team
A good ab workout takes 10–15 minutes and slots in at the end of a normal training session. You only need three core exercises: a trunk curl (crunch or reverse crunch), something that brings the legs up (hanging knee raise or leg raise), and something that resists movement (plank, side plank or ab wheel rollout). Each gets 2–3 sets, two or three times a week. As you get stronger, keep making them harder, the way you would with any other lift.
You'll end up with a stronger core that shows more, but none of this burns the fat sitting on top of it. Whether your abs show depends mostly on overall body fat, and body fat answers to your whole training plan and your diet.
What ab exercises can and cannot do
Your abdominal wall has a few layers: the rectus abdominis (the "six-pack" muscle that bends your trunk forward), the external and internal obliques on the sides, and deeper muscles that brace the spine. Work them hard enough and they behave like any muscle. They get stronger, they last longer, and they can grow.
Ab exercises don't remove belly fat on their own. One six-week study had sedentary adults do seven abdominal exercises, 2 sets of 10 repetitions, five days a week. Abdominal endurance went up. Body fat, waist circumference and abdominal fat stayed where they were compared with the control group (Vispute et al., 2011). Our guides to losing lower belly fat and strength training for fat loss are the place to go if a flatter stomach is your main goal.
Not every exercise hits the abs equally hard. An electromyography study of traditional and less common ab exercises measured the highest abdominal activity in ab wheel movements (rollout, pike, knee-up), the hanging knee-up and the reverse crunch on a 30° incline (Escamilla et al., 2006). The catch is that those same moves lean heavily on the hip flexors, so anyone with low back pain may do better with easier versions.
The best ab exercises
Take one exercise from each of the first three rows. The home option asks for nothing more than a mat, a sturdy chair or a pull-up bar, and our bodyweight workout at home has more equipment-free ideas.
| Movement | Gym option | Home option | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trunk curl | 2–3 × 10–15 | ||
| Leg raise | 2–3 × 8–15 | ||
| Anti-extension | 2–3 × 6–12 or 20–45 s | ||
| Anti-lateral flexion | 2 × 20–40 s per side | ||
| Anti-rotation | 2 × 8–12 per side |
Those first three rows cover the front of the abdomen. The last two make the obliques and deep muscles hold the trunk stable, which pays off in squats, deadlifts and carrying heavy things.
An ab workout plan, three days a week
Tack one of these short circuits onto the end of your regular sessions, after a full-body workout three days a week, for example. Rest 45–60 seconds between sets. If abs are all you're training that day, spend a few minutes on easy movement first.
- Day A, exercise 1: hanging knee raise or lying leg raise, 3 sets of 8–15.
- Day A, exercise 2: front plank, 3 sets of 20–45 seconds.
- Day A, exercise 3: side plank, 2 sets of 20–40 seconds per side.
- Day B, exercise 1: cable crunch or crunch, 3 sets of 10–15.
- Day B, exercise 2: Pallof press or dead bug, 2 sets of 8–12 per side.
- Day B, exercise 3: suitcase carry, 2 walks of 20–30 metres per side.
- Day C, exercise 1: ab wheel rollout from the knees or plank, 3 sets of 6–12 or 20–45 seconds.
- Day C, exercise 2: reverse crunch, 3 sets of 10–15.
Rotate A, B and C through the week. You'll be doing about 8 hard sets for the abs per session and 20–25 per week. Newer lifters should start with 2 sets of each exercise; squats, deadlifts and overhead presses are already training the core anyway. To keep the session short, check how long to wait in our guide to rest between sets.
How to progress
Progress here works the way it does on any other lift. Pick a repetition range, say 10–15. Once every set reaches the top of it with clean form, make the exercise harder: add weight to the cable crunch, hold a light dumbbell for crunches, straighten the legs in the knee raise or roll further out on the ab wheel. Planks are simpler. Add 5–10 seconds until you can hold 45 seconds, then switch to something harder, like a plank with one arm or leg lifted. This is progressive overload, and without it the abs stop improving after the first few weeks.
Holding a plank for several minutes is rarely worth the time. When a variation gets easy, switch to a harder one for a shorter time rather than chasing an ever longer hold.
Write down your repetitions, holds and the variation you used. Small changes slip your mind quickly, and a workout log makes it obvious when to move on.
Common mistakes
- Hundreds of fast crunches. All those easy repetitions build endurance, but in a short session you'll get more from slower, harder sets in the 8–15 range.
- Pulling on the neck. In crunches, rest your hands lightly at your temples or cross them on your chest, then curl the ribs toward the pelvis.
- Swinging in hanging raises. Momentum takes the work away from the abs, so control the way down and pause briefly at the bottom.
- Sagging hips in the plank and rollout. Ribs down, glutes squeezed. Stop the rollout before your lower back arches.
- Expecting ab work to burn belly fat. It won't, so pair it with full-body strength training, daily activity and a diet that fits your goal.
Common questions
How often should I train abs?
For most people, two or three times a week is plenty. The abs recover fairly quickly, but if the sets are hard, training them daily adds little.
Can I get a six-pack from ab workouts alone?
No. Ab workouts make the muscles stronger and can make them bigger, but body fat decides whether they show, and that shifts with your whole training plan and your diet over time.
Are planks or crunches better?
They do different jobs. Crunches and leg raises bend the trunk; planks and rollouts teach it to resist movement. You want both in a balanced ab workout.
Is it safe?
These are standard exercises, but build up gradually and drop any movement that causes sharp pain. With back pain, a hernia or another health condition, or if you are pregnant or recently gave birth, get advice that fits your situation before you start.