Get total-body toned with this amped up plank. While performing a triceps push-up, bring your knee to the outside of your elbow, and switch sides on the next rep. Don’t drop or pike your hips through the entire move — your body should stay in a straight line from shoulders to ankles.

2. Sphinx to Forearm Plank

[caption id="attachment_53637" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo courtesy of CorePower Yoga[/caption] A slight twist on a high-low plank move, you’ll flow from a yoga sphinx pose (similar to a baby cobra) into a forearm plank. Try to minimize movement in your hips as you go.

4. Army Crawl Side Planks

Take your abs workout to P.E. class and army crawl your way across the mat. Stay low in a strong forearm plank as you slither your arms and legs forward. Then finish with a side plank to target your obliques.

Talk about tough! This pike-up plank offers a gymnastic element to build strength in your lower abs. The higher you pike, the harder the exercise... and the stronger your core.

Ask most fitness experts to break down the basics of a push-up and they’ll tell you it’s a moving plank. So learn how to master that solid, isometric position before you move onto the push-up part. When you do, you’ll build muscle in your entire upper body.

7. Side Plank with Leg Raise

Foam rollers not only loosen up your fascia, they also add a stabilization challenge to ab exercises. In this side plank variation, you’ll feel your midsection fighting to keep your body steady.

A chaturanga-inspired exercise often done on a reformer, you’ll take this move to the mat. Your obliques work to bring you upright, as the rest of your core stays tight to move you through the middle.

Do three moves for the work of one! This combination exercise not only targets your obliques and transverse abdominis, but also your hips and lats. A triple threat you’ll want to keep tackling.

10. Plank Jacks to Tuck Jump

Crush a core workout while also squeezing in some cardio. This two-for-one move will rev your heart rate, as you reach new calorie-torching heights. From the jack to the jump, it's one quick ab-strengthening routine.

Skip the infomercial-inspired equipment and grab a towel for this “rolling” move. As you slide the towel forward on the floor, you’ll sculpt your stomach. Just don’t forget to keep your pelvis in a neutral position.

BOSU balls work great for bettering your balance — and improving your core stability. This take on a conventional clamshell further challenges your abs, as you aim to keep your hips lifted.

13. Rotating Renegade Row

Chisel your core by mixing a push-up, row, and T raise. Your midsection muscles work to keep your body in one long line, as you flow through the three-move mash-up.

15. Straight Leg Lifts

It may look simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Keep your legs fully extended, knees straight and your back against the floor as you lift and lower your feet to the ground (or as close as you can go without arching your back).

[caption id="attachment_57929" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo courtesy of Emily Adams / Bend & Bloom Yoga[/caption] Three things you need to remember here: Keep your hips square to the ground, your shoulders in line with each other, and your back flat. And the one thing that’ll help you nail all three? A strong core.

Have tons of fun with this move that has you rolled up in a ball, moving forward and backward on a mat. The bonus to working your abs this way? You also get a nice back massage!

18. Bridge Tap Hollow Hold

The key to good form during a glute bridge involves engaging your abs. And that’s what you’ll do during this move — and then some. After doing a regular hip raise, straighten your legs out into a hollow hold to get even deeper into your core muscles.

19. Downward Dog Dance

Go with the flow in this downward dog routine. You’ll target the front, back and side of your abs by moving your knee straight into your chest, back out behind you, then to your opposite elbow.

Start with your arms and legs straight out, then crunch up into a V position — only moving one arm and one leg (opposite sides). Your obliques, transverse abdominis, and rectus abdominis, along with your hips and quads, will all get a workout.

Make your breath the focal point of this exercise and it becomes a moving meditation, while still working your abs. We’ll always take a mind and body workout in one.

Borrowed from the Pilates playbook, you need to maintain the c-curve (belly button pulled in toward your spin) to reap this move’s ab-sculpting benefits. Then, with a Pilates ring squeezed between your thighs, move your knees in toward your chest, then back down toward the ground to add additional muscle-building.

Strengthening the sides of your core — aka your obliques — makes bending, spine stabilization and twisting all easier. This rock-star-like extension targets those muscles, while also working the back of your body.

24. TRX Duo Static L Hold

Like a hollow hold on the ground, but taken to the next level, this exercise calls for the TRX duo trainer. Holding on to each ring, you’ll have to use your abs to keep your body up. If you’re feeling super confident, pick those feet up off the floor.

Transitioning from the floor to your feet takes some core stability, and this exercise has you moving on up. Keep squeezing those abs so you don't lose solid body alignment and it'll make the get-up easier.

26. Lying Glute Bridge with Abduction

Another variation to the glute bridge, you need to brace your core to lift your hips to the sky. Keep your abs engaged as you separate your knees and target your glutes even more. Next Up: Standing Ab Exercises

[caption id="attachment_53185" align="alignnone" width="620"] GIF: Alexis Farah[/caption] Low-impact doesn’t mean low intensity. Prepare to feel your heart rate rise and your obliques burn as you pull your knee into your chest and stay grounded on one foot.

28. Standing Bicycle Crunch

Take your abs workout off the mat for this move that mimics a regular bicycle crunch — except in upright form. You’ll work your obliques and rotational muscles so you’re ready to move in any direction.

29. Kickboxing Crunch

It’s time to kick your core exercises up a notch. This punch-and-kick combo requires stability so you can stand on one leg, plus you need to use your abs to pull your knee in and extend your foot out.

30. Plie Oblique Crunch

Besides bicycles and ab twists, you can sculpt the side muscles of your midsection with this barre-inspired exercise. Light weights make it more challenging, and dropping it low in the squat targets your legs, too.

31. Standing Rotation Twist

You may have spotted a landmine at your gym — that barbell attached to a rotating base. Now it’s time to pick it up and work your middle. This ab-centric exercise builds strength in the transverse plane of motion, so you can twist with ease.

32. Nose and Toes Against the Wall

You’re not exactly standing on your feet here — but you are standing on your hands. And that works your core way harder. Want to do a handstand sans wall? This move is a step in the right direction.

Catch some air to carve some abs. While you’ll burn out your legs on the leap, you’ll also use your abs to pull your knees into your chest and crush this tuck routine. Here’s to you hitting new heights — and snagging powerful muscles in the meantime.

34. Single-Leg Toe Touches with Ball

Balance is all about those abs, especially when you’re holding a big slam ball. Brace your belly to bring the ball down to your foot and back up to stand.

35. High-Low Rotation

Grab a partner and have some fun with this standing ab exercise. It requires you to turn your upper body, keeping your core tight while you go. When you twist, hand off a water bottle, weight or whatever you have on hand. (A bottle of wine will do, too.)

36. Hanging Knee Raises

Hang tight... your abs are about to get super strong. Tuck your knees up toward your chest to work your rectus abdominis (those six-pack-sculpting muscles). Next Up: Sneaky Ab Exercises

Yes, that booty back, knees bent, hips to the floor move you often associate with working your legs. It also engages your abs. To perform a squat properly, with your body upright, you need to keep your core tight. Inhale as you lower to the ground and exhale as you stand to help you do just that.

38. Lateral Raise Balance

Not only do you sculpt your shoulders here, but because of the balance challenge your lifted leg adds, you’ll also strengthen your core. Double duty work at its finest.

Sure, kettlebell swings make your backside work to the max. But you also need to keep your abs engaged as you lean down, then exhale to stand — all with a flat back. Your core should be burning.

Your back and arms may handle the brunt of the work in this move. But to execute it more efficiently, be sure to brace your belly, keeping your entire body tight.

41. Staggered-Stance Clean with Squat and Press

This creative three-for-one kettlebell move will certainly impress. Pop the heel of one foot to get your abs in gear — they’ll work to help you maintain your balance.

To keep your back flat during this glute-strengthening move, you need to engage your abs and pull your belly button up toward your spine — try not to loose that neutral spine position through the entire exercise. Consider your abs sculpted and your butt lifted.

43. Squat to Crawl Out to Push-Up

We love a good combo move and this one brings the benefits threefold. It takes some serious core strength (plus power from your legs and arms) to move from a squat to a plank to a push-up and repeat. Consider this your go-to when you want max benefits in less time.

44. High Pull Lateral Lunge

The secret to a strong deadlift: bracing your core. Inhale on the downward motion and exhale when you come up. This keeps your abs tight, taking the pressure off your lower back. Your abs will also fire to maintain a neutral spine during the lunge and pull.

45. Tricep Shoot Through

Take a cue from gymnasts — a group that gives us some serious ab envy — by working with a pair of parallette bars. In order to pull your legs through the middle of the bars, you’ll need to use your abs (and arms).

46. Donkey Kick Push-Up

Embrace the burn in this full-body plyometric move that delivers cardio and strength. The reason it’s on this list of ab exercises? Core strength and stability keep you from flipping over in that donkey kick, while also helping you perform the perfect push-up.

47. Donkey Kick-Through

Here’s a cardio move that’ll strengthen your core in no time. Start with a donkey kick, then swivel on one foot and swoop your leg through to kick your foot to the side. Working in all planes of motion, you’ll swiftly sculpt your midsection while squashing major calories.

48. Reverse Lunge to Press

Do an overhead movement — especially with a heavy weight — and you’ll see why it works your abs. In order to keep your spine neutral as you lift, you must engage your midsection muscles. Your core also comes into play to keep your pelvis neutral in the lunge.

Pack a one-two punch to get your abs in fighting shape. As you use your hips and legs to put power behind your jabs, crosses and hooks, your core keeps you stable, allowing you to pivot and execute each motion with extra force.

50. Squat with Lunge Rotation

Throw a rotational movement into any routine and you’ll whittle your middle. With this combo move featuring a secret weapon — a towel — you keep your abs engaged through the squat and lunge. Feel your abs fire even more as your move the towel to the outside of your leg in the lunge. Not a Daily Burn member? Sign up at dailyburn.com and start your free 30-day trial today. Originally published July 2017. Updated January 2018 and April 2022

What are the best ab exercises for a stronger core?

The most effective core exercises combine anti-extension (planks), anti-rotation (Pallof press, bird-dogs), and flexion movements (crunches, leg raises). Planks and their variations are consistently rated highest by research because they train the deep stabilizing muscles that protect your spine, not just the visible rectus abdominis. For beginners, start with forearm planks, dead bugs, and bicycle crunches. For a complete home workout that includes core training, see Daily Burn’s beginner’s guide to working out at home.

How often should you train abs?

Train your core 3-4 times per week for best results. Your abs recover faster than larger muscle groups, so more frequent training is effective. However, dedicated ab sessions of 10-15 minutes are more productive than marathon core workouts. Include a mix of stability exercises (planks, bird-dogs) and movement exercises (crunches, leg raises) across the week. Pair core work with back stretches to maintain balanced trunk strength and prevent lower back issues.

Can you get abs from home workouts?

Yes — visible abs are achievable entirely at home. Building core muscle requires progressive bodyweight exercises (planks, leg raises, mountain climbers, crunches). Revealing those muscles requires reducing body fat through consistent exercise and nutrition. A combination of HIIT workouts, bodyweight strength training, and daily walking creates the caloric deficit and muscle stimulus needed. Daily Burn’s streaming programs include targeted core workouts designed for home use.

50 Ab Exercises to Score a Stronger Core

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50 Ab Exercises to Score a Stronger Core

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