Adding abs exercises into your workouts isn’t just about building a six-pack; a strong core is crucial for completing day-to-day movements and maintaining good form during physical activity. 

And to build a strong core, you need to move your torso in different directions, mixing twisting and linear motions to make sure your trunk is well-supported and can move efficiently.

Luckily, there are hundreds of good ab exercises to pick from, so you’ll never get bored of core sessions.

We’ve chosen ten of the best bodyweight and weighted abs exercises (plus one bonus barbell movement) to add to your routine.

If you do any kind of sport or physical activity, you need a strong core.

For a core to be truly “strong”, you need to be able to control its movements: hold it steady when required, and twist or rotate it when you need to. Being able to hold your torso in a stable position means you can move more effectively, quickly change direction, maintain balance, brace your body against impact, lift heavy weights and significantly reduce the risk of injury.

Your core consists of your abdominal muscles – the “abs” – and the muscles in your pelvic floor, glutes, diaphragm and lower back.

Your abdominals are made up of four categories:

• The rectus abdominis is your “six-pack” muscle. It enables you to flex your trunk and supports your abdominal area. When people refer to “upper” or “lower” abs, this just means the top or bottom half of your rectus abdominis.

• The transversus abdominis are the deepest abdominal muscles. Their primary purposes are to aid breathing and support the lower spine.

• You have a pair of external obliques on either side of your six-pack muscles. These help you rotate your body and twist your trunk from side to side.

• The internal obliques sit under the external pair and also help with rotational and side-to-side movement.

If you want to develop a truly strong core, your ab sessions should include movements targeting all these areas  – so we’re going to show you exactly what an effective core routine should look like.

You’ve probably been told to “engage your core” while doing various ab movements.

But what does that mean?

Essentially, the instruction “engage your core” tells you to tighten, contract, and brace your abdominal muscles. Doing this ensures that other muscles (like those in your lower back) don’t take over the movement during ab exercises,  helping maintain your form to reduce the risk of injury.

If your first reaction to being told to “engage your core” is to tense your stomach and hold your breath, you’re not alone. This is most people’s first instinct, but all this does is create tension in the wrong places, leaving you out of breath and often feeling dizzy or “seeing stars”.

Instead, take a deep breath into your belly (your tummy should expand, not your ribcage). Then imagine sucking your belly button upwards as if you were “zipping up” your abdominal muscles. And, crucially, remember to keep breathing.

You can practice this outside the gym – try it while sitting at your desk or out for a walk.

It’s time to get started with some introductory movements.

These beginner ab exercises will teach you the fundamentals of maintaining core engagement and solid form while breathing correctly.

But don’t think that if you’re an advanced gym-goer these won’t benefit you; if they’re performed correctly, these exercises will make even the strongest person feel like they’ve done a great core workout. 

The ‘crunch’ is probably the most well-known and commonly used abs exercise – and for good reason.

Crunches mainly target your six-pack muscles, but there are plenty of variations that can be used to target your upper and lower abs and obliques (which we’ll touch on in a little while).

To perform a basic crunch:

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees.
2. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
3. Inhale and engage your core (remember to “zip” up those muscles).
4. Exhale and use your abdominal muscles to raise your shoulder blades off the floor, keeping your neck straight and chin up. Imagine trying to close the distance between your ribs and your upper thigh.
5. Pause at the top of the movement for a few seconds, ensuring your abs stay contracted.
6. Inhale and slowly lower your shoulder blades back down (but don't allow your body to return to a full lying-down position).
7. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

While the basic crunch might seem simple, there are a few things to be aware of to make sure you’re doing this safely and efficiently, and getting the most out of exercise. 

Firstly, the movement has to come from your core; your body shouldn’t lift as a result of you pushing your feet into the ground or (moving your elbows up and down if your hands are behind your head).

And make sure your lower back is always in contact with the ground. If it arches up, you’ll lose any tension in your core and risk causing yourself an injury.

We know planks aren’t everyone’s favourite exercise, but we’d recommend you learn to love them because they’re one of the best all-round core exercises you can perform. Plus, there are lots of variations, so you can play around with them to find one that works for you.

But you’ll need to master the basic forearm plank and be able to hold your trunk in this isometric position before you can try other variations.

So, grab a mat, and then:

1. Position your forearms on the ground with elbows directly under your shoulders. Your arms should be parallel and about shoulder-width apart.
2. Place your feet hip-width apart.
3. Gently raise your whole torso from the ground; the only body parts touching the floor should be your hands, forearms and toes.
4. Maintain this position for the desired time (or as long as you can!).

To do a forearm plank effectively, you need to breathe throughout, keep your spine neutral, hold your hips up (prevent them from sagging – your body should be in a straight line), and gently squeeze your glutes. If you feel yourself dipping at the hips, lower yourself back down to the floor and start again.

And, while it’s very tempting when you’re getting towards the end of a plank rep, don’t grit your teeth; this will cause additional tension in your arms, neck and shoulders, taking the focus away from your core.

You can also do a plank with straight arms, but this requires less core control and more direct engagement of muscles in the arms, shoulders, and back. However, they’re a great introductory exercise if a forearm plank is too tricky for you just now.

Lying side crunches are an excellent beginner oblique exercise because the floor supports your body weight, and there’s no rotation involved.

Start by lying on your left-hand side, with your legs straight and your knees and ankles stacked on top of one another. Then:

1. Place your right palm on the ground in front of you to steady yourself.
2. Exhale as you squeeze your legs together and lift both feet a few inches off the ground. Make sure both of your knees and feet stay touching one another.
3. Pause for a moment, then inhale as you lower your legs back to the floor.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps, then switch sides.

Once you’ve mastered this movement, you can make it more challenging in a few simple ways:

• Don’t let your bottom leg touch the floor in between each leg raise.
• Turn the exercise into an isometric movement by holding your legs off the floor for 20 - 30 seconds.
• Use ankle weights. 

Whichever variant you choose, the key to getting the most out of this exercise is to ensure your obliques control your torso’s movement: you shouldn’t use your resting arm to force your body off the ground or “flick” your legs and feet up towards the ceiling.

Cross-body mountain climbers work your upper and lower abs and really hone in on your obliques. They’re also great for boosting your balance.

Many people find that the first time they try these, they rotate their whole body, dropping their shoulders and shifting their bodyweight to the side. But your upper body should stay fixed; make sure the only rotational movement is coming from your legs.

Set yourself up in a straight-arm plank position (as if you’re at the top of a press-up movement) with your hands shoulder-width apart. Inhale as you engage your core, and then:

1. Lift your left foot.
2. Bend your left knee and twist as you bring it under your body, aiming to get it as close to your right shoulder as possible. Remember to keep your shoulders square.
3. Exhale, then return your left foot to the floor.
4. Inhale, then repeat the movement on the right side.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps on each side.

If you’re looking for a great exercise for your lower abs, look no further than the reverse crunch.

Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms at your sides, palms facing down. If you’re still getting used to this exercise, place your hands under your hips for extra support. 

Once you’re in  position:

1. Press your lower back onto the floor, inhale, and engage your core.
2. Exhale and use your lower abs to raise your hips off the floor, bringing your knees toward your chest.
3. Inhale as you slowly lower your hips and legs back down.
4. Keep your feet just above the mat between reps to maintain core tension.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Your lower back will need to lift slightly as you raise your hips off the floor, but keep your mid-upper back and shoulders grounded. If anything above your lower back is coming off the ground, it’s probably a sign that you’re not controlling the movement with your core and are flicking your knees up to initiate the exercise.

Get ready to work hard, because the single-leg side plank is one of the most challenging isometric abs exercises you can do.

It’ll work your entire core while targeting your obliques, requiring rock-steady balance and excellent core engagement.

Lie on your right side, legs extended and on top of one another. Place the elbow of your right arm directly under your shoulder, with your forearm on the floor at 90 degrees to your body for stabilisation. Now:

1. Inhale and contract your core.
2. Exhale, then lift your hips and knees from the mat so your weight is through your right forearm.
3. Place your left arm either along your left side, or raise it in the air if you need it to balance.
4. Slowly lift your left leg off of your right and hold it in the air.
5. Keep breathing throughout, and stay in this position for the desired time.
6. Slowly lower yourself to the ground and swap sides.

Keep your torso straight throughout, and ensure you don’t rotate either forwards or backwards.

Similarly to a regular plank, you can also do a single-leg side plank in a straight-armed position, but this will put more focus on your upper body, with increased pressure going through your resting arm and wrist.

If you really want to test your core strength and balance, try drawing small circles with the foot on your raised leg – extra points from us if you can do it both forward and backward!

The hollow body hold is the ultimate all-around bodyweight abdominal exercise: it works your upper and lower abs, deep abdominal muscles and even your obliques.

It’s also very challenging to perfect. Most people will find that the first time they try it, they brace their core as hard as possible and hold their breath. Being able to breathe while holding this isometric exercise takes some practice. But don’t be scared of this movement: once you’ve mastered it, you’ll reap the rewards. 

1. Lie flat on the floor with your legs straight and arms extended behind your head.
2. Inhale and engage your core while pressing your lower back into the floor. Some people find squeezing their inner thighs together helps them prepare for the lifting element of the hollow hold.
3. Keep your abs tight as you exhale and lift your legs, head and shoulder blades off the floor simultaneously, ensuring your lower back stays pressed into the ground.
4. Hold this position for the desired time, then gently lower yourself back to the ground.

If this movement is too challenging right now, don’t worry; you can modify it while you’re building up your confidence and core strength. Try putting your arms out in front of you at shoulder height if it’s too strenuous to have them behind your head. Or, keep your arms where they are but bend your knees slightly (making sure your lower back is still pressed into the ground). 

Whichever option you choose, avoid tucking your chin into your chest, which puts unnecessary strain on your neck and reduces tension in your core.

One of the best things about training your abs is that there are literally hundreds of variations. With so many weighted ab exercises to choose from, it’s difficult to pick our favourites, but we’ve narrowed it down to the following four, depending on your ability level.

Oblique twists – also known as the ‘Russian twist’ – are a staple oblique exercise. They’re especially beneficial for anyone who plays a sport that involves rotational or throwing movements (think tennis, cricket, rounders, golf, or athletics/ track and field).

These are best performed with a medicine ball, but you can also use a dumbbell, kettlebell, or small weight plate.

Select your chosen weight, and then:

1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat, and your upper body at roughly a 45-degree angle. If you find your feet move, you can tuck them under a stable object (like a sofa or heavy chair) – but try to avoid this if possible.
2. Hold the medicine ball directly in front of you.
3. Engage your abs, and slowly twist your torso to the right-hand side, touching the medicine ball on the floor beside you. Pause for a few moments.
4. With your abs still contracted, lift the medicine ball and twist to the left-hand side.
5. Repeat for as many reps as you like.

It’s tempting to hold your breath during this exercise, but remember to inhale and exhale as you move.

If you want to make this movement slightly easier, it can be performed without a weight – simply touch your fingertips to the floor at the side of each twist. Or, to make it more challenging, raise your feet slightly off the ground.

Grab a medicine ball, dumbbell, kettlebell or weight plate and take the humble crunch to a new level.

To perform an overhead press weighted crunch:

1. Lie on the floor and bend your knees.
2. Hold your chosen weight firmly on your chest.
3. Inhale and engage your core.
4. Exhale and use your abdominal muscles to raise your shoulder blades off the floor, keeping your neck straight and chin up.
5. When you reach the top of the crunch, press the weight above your head.
6. Hold this position for a few seconds, ensuring your abs stay contracted.
7. Inhale and slowly lower your shoulder blades down while bringing the weight back in towards your chest.
8. Don't allow your body to return to a full lying-down position.
9. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

If you find this movement too challenging to start with, you can reduce the range of movement and help support your back by lying on a Bosu ball.

Cable machines are a really versatile way to add weighted abs exercises to your workout routine. 

While it takes a lot of core strength to perform a cable reverse crunch with solid form, it is one of the easier cable ab exercises to learn.

Start by connecting ankle straps or stirrup handles to a cable machine. The pulley should be secured just above floor height.

Lie on your back facing the machine, with the straps secured around your ankles. Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle, then complete the standard reverse crunch movement, being careful to control the range of motion and not let too much of your back come off the ground.

If the cable machine isn’t available, you can also do a weighted reverse crunch by holding a light weight between your feet. Be mindful that squeezing your feet together to hold the weight can take the focus away from your abs and mean your lower body and lumbar spine are working harder to complete the movement, so lighter is better if you choose this option.

While technically, the weight is used as a piece of equipment to perform this movement rather than adding resistance to the exercise, we couldn’t forget about barbell rollouts.

Barbell rollouts will strengthen your upper and lower abs (as well as every other core muscle group), activate upper body muscles including your deltoids and pectorals, and help you become much more aware of your lumbar spine posture.

Load a barbell with one round weight plate on either side and kneel in front of the bar. Then:

1. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip, with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Keep your knees on the floor, and lean forward onto the barbell so it supports the weight of your upper body.
3. Inhale and engage your core as you roll the bar away from your body, keeping your arms and back straight.
4.  Keep your core engaged and exhale as you roll the bar back towards you.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

It’s essential that you only roll the bar as far as is comfortable for you to do so. Keeping your back straight is far more important in this exercise than how far you can roll, so only go as far as you can without your back and hips dropping.

Rollouts can also be performed with an ab wheel, but many people find the stability of the wider grip in the barbell variant preferable to the close grip required when using a wheel.

Your abs are one of the easiest muscle groups to work out from the comfort of your own home because you can achieve results with nothing other than your body weight (and a mat, if you have one – but it’s not essential).

The following intermediate ab workout can be completed at home up to three times a week, with at least one full day of rest in between.

If you want to complete any of the weighted exercises, you can use a medicine ball, dumbbell, weight plate, or even household items like bottles of water.

Give it a go. You’ve got this!

1. Crunch: 1 set of 10 – 12 reps
2. 30-second rest
3. Reverse crunch/ weighted reverse crunch: 1 set of 10 – 12 reps on each side
4. 45-second rest
5. Cross-body mountain climbers: 1 set of 10 – 12 reps on each side
6. 45-second rest
7. Russian twist/ weighted Russian twist: 1 set of 10 – 12 reps on each side
8. 45-second rest
9. Forearm plank: 1 set of 45 – 60 seconds
10. 3-minute rest.
11. Repeat the whole circuit 3 times.

For variation, you can also complete each exercise three times before moving on to the next, like so:

1. Crunch: 3 sets of 10 – 12 reps, 45 – 60 seconds between sets.
2. Reverse crunch/ weighted reverse crunch: 3 sets of 10 – 12 reps on each side, 60 – 90 seconds between sets.
3. Cross-body mountain climbers: 3 sets of 10 – 12 reps on each side,  60 – 90 seconds between sets.
4. Russian twist/ weighted Russian twist: 3 sets of 10 – 12 reps on each side, 60 – 90 seconds between sets.
5. Forearm plank: 3 sets of 30 – 60 seconds,  60 – 90 seconds between sets.

While you might be looking for a concrete answer to the question, “How should I incorporate ab exercises into my workout?” we’re afraid the answer is that “it depends”.

Some people need to do ab exercises (especially movements like the plank) to fire up their core and glutes before compound movements such as deadlifts, squats or sprinting. 

However others find that doing ab exercises at the start of their session tires them out and makes it more difficult to engage their core during their main workout. Finding the best balance for you regarding where core exercises go in your sessions might take some trial and error.

But if you plan on doing several weighted core exercises or a core circuit, it’s definitely best to leave those until the end of your session before your cool-down.

In terms of frequency, your core can (and should) be worked out more than some muscle groups. But it’s still important not to overwork your abdominals as this can lead to overuse injuries, a painful lower back if you’re not using the correct form, and even muscular imbalances if you’re working one section of your abs more frequently. Make sure you have at least two days a week where you rest your core.

Whether you’re looking to improve your weights in the gym, optimise your sports performance or boost your day-to-day life with better posture, adding abs exercises into your routine is crucial and will benefit you for years to come.

And regardless of whether you’re working out at home or in the gym, you’ll want to be comfy while completing these ab exercises.

From shorts to joggers and leggings, our men’s gym bottoms and workout pants will ensure you can move freely and stay at the perfect temperature. Team with one of our range of men’s gym tops and t-shirts, which will keep you cool when it’s hot, and warm when it’s freezing outside.

When you’re doing a core circuit finisher, the last thing you want is hair (or sweat) in your eyes, so keep distractions at bay with our women’s UA mesh headband or UA adjustable mini headbands. And if you want extra grip while doing your weighted oblique twists or overhead crunches, our women’s UA weightlifting gloves will give you all the confidence you need to squeeze out those last few reps.