Strengthening your abdominal muscles makes daily tasks that much easier, whether it’s walking up a flight of stairs or cleaning the floor, you use your core muscles more than you realize. In other words, a strong core doesn’t just look great—it’s great for your overall health, too. We spoke to several fitness trainers to find out the best ab exercises for women, especially those who have limited time to dedicate to a workout.
Best ab exercises for women
Crunch
“The legendary crunch is great for isolating the abs and focusing on the six-pack goal,” saysTony Hill, T.O.U.C.H.E. Fitness and Fit Music Media Founder. How to:
Life flat on your back with your fingertips resting on the top of your head. Bend knees to mimic the fetal position.Contract your abs, inhale, and exhale as you lift your upper body curling touching your elbows and kneesReturn to the starting position. Complete 15-30 crunches for 5 sets.
Complete the movement by utilizing your core in a slow, controlled manner rather than engaging the head or neck to reduce any risk for injury.
Bicycle crunch
“Marked as the best ab exercise, the bicycle crunch targets the upper and lower abs and the obliques, all in one single exercise creating a lean, V-shaped look,” Hill explains. How to:
Start by lying on the ground, with your lower back pressed flat into the ground, and your shoulders raised slightly above it.Interlock your fingers behind the head to provide some support (make sure to not pull upwards on the neck)Bend your knee to almost mimic the fetal position.Begin to slightly extend one leg while pulling in the other leg towards the chest. (Make sure the leg extended is not fully extended out)While doing this twist through your core so the opposite elbow comes towards the raised knee.Alternate to other leg pulled in towards the chest and opposite elbow towards the knee. Try to manage 10 reps on each side.
If you are unable to touch the elbow to the knee just focus on moving through your core as you turn your torso.
90-degree leg lift
“The 90-degree Leg Lift or Straight Leg Raises works your lower abs, and also improves the strength and flexibility of your hips and lower back,” says Hill. How to:
Lie on your back extending both legs. Engage your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button in towards your back.Slowly raise your legs upwards, breathing out, until they form a 90-degree angle with your hips. Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.Slowly lower your legs to return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
6-inch leg lift
“The 6-inch leg lift or commonly known as the floor raises strengthens the abdominal muscles and flatten the stomach area,” Hill explains. How to:
Lie flatten your back with hands towards your side, palms flat on the floorRaise your legs, breathing out, until your heels are at least 6 inches off the ground. (Keep the rest of the body on the floor pushing your lower back to the ground)Hold for at least 30 secondsSlowly lower your legs to the starting position. Complete 10-15 repetitions
If there is difficulty raising both legs at once for a period of time practice lifting both legs, squeezing your abdominal area and lowering to repeat for 10-15 repetitions and build up to holding the position.
Reverse crunch
The reverse crunch targets your core utilizing the transverse abdomens (the deep muscles below your abdominals). How to:
Lie on your back with your knees bent 90-degrees almost as in the fetal position.Place your hands face down, palms flat on the floorLift your knees towards your face or chest as if tucking them and breathing out to contract your abdominal areaSlowly lower your knees down and repeat 10-15 repetitions
High plank to low plank
High plank to low plank (known to the non-yogi world as a push-up!) is the mother of all core and ab exercises. “High plank to low plank strengthens all of the core muscles of the body. This exercise creates not just the surface abs we all want but helps boost our deeper core muscles,” says Brittany Hackman, Bulldog Online Certified Yoga Instructor. How to:
Start in a high plank (push-up) position with hands shoulder-width apart & shoulders stacked above wrists. Arms are straight.Thighs are engaged and strong. Hips in line with shoulders. The low belly draws in towards the spine. The neck is long, gaze is forward and down.Start to bend elbows 90-degrees into low plank position. Elbows are also hugging in towards ribs.Inhale to High Plank, Exhale to Low Plank, Repeat 10x.Modify this exercise with knees down or bend elbows less than 90-degrees
Tabletop extension and crunch
“This is an incredible ab exercise for women that can also be used as a great warm-up to other ab exercises, as it helps to stretch the spine and prepare the engaged muscles,” Hackman explains. “This exercise engages the muscles of the core, triceps and biceps, and it brings stability to the hips and the shoulders.” How to:
Begin in Table Top pose with hands underneath shoulders and knees underneath hips. Fingers are wide and palms are pressed into the mat.On the inhale, one arm reaches forward, the opposite leg lifts & extends back. Back foot is flexed and energetically pressed back.Front arm is straight and the bicep frames your ear. Gaze is down and slightly forward. Spine is neutral.On the exhale, bend and bring the extended arm and leg toward the chest in an elbow-to-knee crunch, while the belly pulls in toward the spine. Spine is arched or rounded.Repeat 5-8x on one side, reset in tabletop & switch to the other side.
Side plank (elbow to knee) crunches
“Side Plank crunches specifically target the obliques (side core) in a full-body dynamic movement that is designed to bring control over the body and foster core & hip stability,” Hackman states. “Your whole body, especially your abs, will thank you later!” How to:
To enter Side Plank, behind in high plank pose and start to shift body weight onto one hand and side, bringing your feet together at the back of the mat, so your ankles and thighs are touching.Roll to the outer edge of your bottom foot, stacking your feet together or keeping them staggered to modify.Extend your opposite hand towards the sky. Wrists and shoulders are stacked.From Side Plank pose, start to bend the upper arm and leg, crunch the lifted knee and elbow together.
High boat to low boat
“High Boat pose takes an extreme amount of strength in our abs,” Hackman explains. “By adding the power movement of high to low boat, this is an intense ab exercise that not only strengthens the abdominals but also the lower back and pelvic floor.” How to:
Start in a high boat pose, by coming to a seat first on your mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat in front of you. Palms may come behind you to start, with your fingers facing towards you on the mat.Lean back slightly to begin to balance on your tailbone, keeping your spine long and on an angle with your mat, and start to lift both legs up, bringing the legs into a 90-degree angle with your upper body.Arms reach out in front of you, towards the sky, or behind your legs to modify.From High Boat, take an inhale, and on the exhale, lower slowly down into low boat so the heels and the upper back hover off the floor. Keep the hands pointing in front of you, by your sides. Engage lower core muscles, belly button to spine.Inhale lift back to high boat, exhale lower to low boat. Repeat 10x.
Warrior 3 crunches (elbow-to-knee)
“While Warrior 3 helps in strengthening the leg muscles, arms, hips and shoulders, Warrior 3 additionally uses a lot of strength from the abdominal muscles,” says Hackman. “This ab exercise helps to contract and tone the abdominal organs while promoting balance and firing up the entire body.” How to:
Begin in Warrior 3 from a standing position with feet hip-width apart and hands by your sides. On your inhale, raise your hands to the sky, while you bring one knee to your chest, shifting your body weight to the standing leg and foot.On your exhale, hinge at the hips and extend your lifted leg behind you, parallel with the floor and your mat. Extend both arms forward, biceps frame your ears.Keep the hips square toward the ground. Keep the spine and neck long with a gaze forward and down.From Warrior 3 pose, bend and bring both arms and the lifted leg toward the chest in an elbows-to-knee crunch, while the belly pulls in toward the spine.Inhale to extend arms and the lifted leg long, back into Warrior 3, exhale to crunch elbows-to-knee.Repeat 10x, reset in standing position, and switch exercise to the other side.
Hanging leg raises
“This exercise is an advanced core exercise which requires good core strength and understanding of movements of the pelvis and the relationship of pelvis to core,” Calva explains. How to:
Using a squat rack OR pull up bar hold the bar with a strong gripSet shoulder blades and contract lats to provide a solid and stable start positionPosteriorly tilt your pelvis (towards your nose) and extend legsHold for 15-20s per set & then take 30-60s rest before attempting next setTo regress do the same exercise and technique but lying horizontally on the floorTo progress use ankle weights OR grab weight between feet
Weighted ball slams
“This exercise provides full extensions and flexion of the spine providing the abdominals with a full ROM workout - they also stabilize the spine throughout the movement adding to the athletic nature of the exercise,” Calva states. How to:
Use a 6-10kg slam ballSquat to pick up the ballLift ball above the head and at the same time come on to tiptoes to reach as high as you canAs powerfully as you can engage through core and smash the ball to the floorImmediately pick up the ball maintaining good posture and repeat the movement as explosively as you canRepeat for 10-20 repsTo regress use a lighter ballTo progress use a heavier ball
Weighted plank
“This is a highly effective rectus abdominal exercise which provides huge crossover into improving any other athletic exercises,” says Calva. How to:
Start using either a weighted vest OR weight plate OR even a rucksack with some weight/water bottles insideAssume the traditional full plank position ensuring arms directly under shouldersMove up to full plank hold aiming to achieve a ‘C shape” in the body which will further help activate the coreTo regress do this kneelingTo progress add single leg lifts whilst holding the plank
Hundreds
“This classic exercise will target your front sheet of abdominal muscles and build major heat throughout the body,” says Kim D’Agnese, founder of The KIM Method LLC. How to:
Lay on your back with your head down and legs stretched up to the ceiling. Reach your fingertips by your side, toward your hips. Curl up your head, neck, and shoulders. Lower your legs to about a forty-five-degree angle. Begin vigorously pumping your arms by your hips in a small range of motion. As you do this, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, like you are blowing out birthday candles.
Straight leg scissors
“This twist will target your obliques and trim your waistline,” D’Agnese explains. How to:
Lay on your back, press hands to the floor, stretch legs up to the ceiling and point toes Alternate your legs like you’re walking toes toward the floor. Try to skim one inner thigh past the other. Keep hips still as you do this, and your shoulders relaxed. While legs are alternating, reach arms up and begin to twist opposite hand to the opposite foot.
Oblique twist and inner thigh slicer
“This exercise will target obliques, and inner thighs,” D’Agnese states. “It will also serve as a great spine stretch as you twist away unwanted tension.” How to:
Come down to your right hip and prop yourself up on your forearm. Stack your knees and bend them to about a forty-five-degree angle. Open your top left knee and place your left foot on the ground behind your right thigh. Place your left hand behind your ear. Begin to lift your right bottom leg up, at the same time twist your left rib and shoulder down.
Mountain climber
“This will not only target lower abs, but it will also work arms and chest as well,” D’Agnese explains. How to:
Come to a full-form plank (like you are prepping for a push-up).Start to draw one knee to your chest at a time.
Next, read up on these 18 easy, at-home workouts for beginners that will whip you into shape in no time.
Sources
Tony Hill, T.O.U.C.H.E. Fitness and Fit Music Media FounderBrittany Hackman, Bulldog Online Certified Yoga InstructorSandra Calva, Co-Founder and Personal Trainer at Fitness Lab
