40 Awesome Ways to Work Your Abs

If you ready my last blog, you are primed and ready for more awesome ab tips. As I begin to wrap up my 30 days of motivation, I wanted to make sure I leave you with some good training tips in addition to all the diet and mindset motivation. In this blog, I will give you over 40 different ways to work your abs plus 9 more ab workout videos to put to the test.

If you can’t commit to going to the gym every day, commit to working your abs every day, even if it’s just one or two exercises. Anything you will do will be better than nothing. And, doing abs every day helps you stay focused and stick to a routine. You will notice it’s easier to hold your stomach in and maintain a tight midsection when you train them regularly. Plus, a strong core is so good for you. Tight abs, obliques and low back strength protects your back and prevents injury.

Not all ab exercises are created equal though. There are more ab exercises than just crunches and sit ups. Here are 40 ab exercises, complete with links to video instruction. Just click on the exercise to bring up the video.

Post your favorite ab exercises in the comments below!! I’d love to hear about your favs too!

20 Exercises for Tight & Flat Abs

While many of the exercises may work one part of the abs more than the other, the main benefit is the tightening effect it has to flatten the abs and and trim the waist. These are model-makers right here! (Of course you should read my last post about what really makes abs, but these are great to add to your ab tool box).

1. Plank
2. Side Plank
3. Pulse Side Plank
4. Diagonal Knees
5. Hanging Knee Raise
6. Sit-ups
7. Ab Wheel
8. Barbell Ab Rollouts
9. Swiss Ball Pike
10. 2-Point Stance
11. Flutter Kick
12. Dead Bug
13. Snow Angel
14. V-up
15. Swiss Ball Roll Out
16. Swiss Ball Reverse Crunch
17. Cable or Band Wood Chop
18. Russian Twist
19. Vacuum (this isn’t one do in the gym, but I do it in the car and hold it at red lights)
20. Ab Wheel Walk on Treadmill

TRAINER TIP: If you want a flat stomach make sure you are holding your tummy in tight while doing these exercises. Taking in too much air or not really engaging the abs correctly can prevent you from getting all that you want out of these exercises.

10 Exercises for a 6-Pack

These ab exercises help build those ice-cube abs you see on people like Gwen Stefani and Ryan Reynolds. Of course, some of your ability to get a six-pack will depend on genetics. Some people have compact ice-cube like abs, while others have a larger flat abs (this can also be due to a longer torso). Some people only show four or six cubes, while others seem to have an eight-pack. That’s just how God made them. However, you can definitely develop your abs more and make the most of what you have. Here are the go-to exercises for building more definition.

1. Crunch
2. Cable Crunch
3. Plate Crunch
4. Take It Or Leave It Abdominal Crunch
5. Ab Crunch Machine
6. Jack Knife Crunch
7. Frog Sit Ups (low abs)
8. Decline Crunch (low abs)
9. Reverse Crunch (low abs)
10. Decline Reverse Crunch (low abs)

10 Exercises for Obliques & Serratus

Not everyone cares about obliques and serratus (the muscles along your side). You may not even see them until you start getting really lean, but you should still work them. The number one reason to train them is because they bring the waistline in, acting like a girdle.

Be careful when strengthening the obliques though. Doing weighted side-bending exercises can add width. Do you see that big chunk of muscle on Steve (where most people’s love handles are)? That’s her very developed oblique. Big obliques can add width if you aren’t careful. Of course he’s lean and looks great, but that’s just a small word of caution. If you want to keep that waistline small, all these exercises are great, just avoid weighted side bends. Give some of the exercises a try!

1. Hanging Oblique Raise
2. Bicycle Crunch
3. Oblique Crunch
4. Snowboarder Crunch
5. Cross Body Crunch
6. Side Bends
7. Side V-up
8. Medicine Ball Twist & Pass
9. Plate Twist
10. Landmine 180s

10 All-in-One Ab Exercises

We don’t always have time to do a really great ab routine so here are a few exercises that are good “all-in-one” exercises, hitting a little of everything in one exercise.

1. Sit-up
2. Toes to Bar
3. Ab Wheel
4. Bicycle Crunch
5. Crunch And Punch
6. Barbell Ab Rollouts
7. Cross Body Crunch
8. Exercise Ball Pull In
9. Russian Twist with Med Ball Slam
10. Diagonal Knees

Click HERE to learn how to build an ab workout.

9 Awesome Ab Workouts

Scripture of the Day:

“Stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.” – Ephesians 6:18

Mantra of the Day:

Motivation is preferred, but perseverance is required. – Bonnie Pfiester