15 Killer Ab Exercises for a Solid Core

Are you ready to strengthen your core and sculpt visible abdominal muscles? We've compiled 15 intense ab exercises designed to challenge your abdominal strength, target all areas of your core and help you on your journey to shredded abs.

These workouts go beyond basic crunches, incorporating a variety of exercises to hit your upper abs, lower abs and obliques.

1. Floor Crunches

How to do it: Lie flat on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hands behind your head or crossed over your chest. Engage your core and lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor. Exhale as you crunch up, inhale as you lower down.
Target Area: Upper abdominals (rectus abdominis).
Main Benefit: Builds foundational abdominal strength and enhances muscle definition in the upper abs.

2. Knee Touch Crunches

How to do it: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Extend arms straight toward your knees. Crunch up, reaching forward to touch your knees with your fingertips, then lower back down slowly.
Target Area: Upper abs.
Main Benefit: Increases engagement of the abdominal muscles through added reach and motion, improving muscle control and tone.

3. Alternate Oblique Crunches

How to do it: Start lying on your back, hands behind your head. Bring one knee toward your chest while twisting your torso so the opposite elbow moves toward that knee. Alternate sides with each rep.
Target Area: Obliques and rectus abdominis.
Main Benefit: Strengthens the side abdominals (obliques), improving rotational core strength and waist shaping.

4. Cross Arm Sit Ups

How to do it: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms crossed over your chest. Engage your core and perform a full sit-up, lifting your torso all the way to a seated position, then lower with control.
Target Area: Full rectus abdominis.
Main Benefit: Enhances overall abdominal strength with minimal neck strain, ideal for building endurance.

5. Twisting Crunches

How to do it: Start on your back with knees bent and hands behind your head. As you crunch up, twist your torso to the right, bringing your left shoulder toward your right knee. Return and alternate sides.
Target Area: Upper abs and obliques.
Main Benefit: Combines ab and oblique engagement for better definition and core control.

6. Russian Twists

How to do it: Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet slightly off the ground. Lean back slightly and clasp hands together or hold a weight. Twist your torso side to side, tapping the floor beside your hips.
Target Area: Obliques, transverse abdominis, lower back.
Main Benefit: Improves rotational strength, core endurance, and stability. Great for shaping the waist.

7. Reverse Crunches

How to do it: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet lifted. Curl your knees toward your chest while lifting your hips off the floor. Slowly lower back down without arching the lower back.
Target Area: Lower abs.
Main Benefit: Targets the lower portion of the abs more effectively than traditional crunches, improving lower ab strength and stability.

8. Bent Knee Lying Twists

How to do it: Lie on your back with arms extended out to the sides for support. Bend your knees at 90 degrees and slowly drop them to one side, keeping shoulders on the floor. Return to center, then repeat on the other side.
Target Area: Obliques and spinal stabilisers.
Main Benefit: Enhances flexibility in the spine and strengthens the core muscles responsible for rotation and balance.

9. Dead Bug Waist

How to do it: Lie on your back with arms extended toward the ceiling and knees bent at 90 degrees. Slowly extend your right leg and left arm while keeping the other limbs in place. Return and repeat on the opposite side.
Target Area: Transverse abdominis, obliques, stabiliser muscles.
Main Benefit: Builds deep core strength, promotes spinal stability and improves motor control and coordination.

10. Oblique Crunches

How to do it: Lie on your back, knees bent. Bring your legs slightly to one side. Crunch up diagonally toward the raised knee, lifting your shoulder off the floor. Repeat on the same side before switching.
Target Area: Obliques.
Main Benefit: Isolates the side abdominal muscles, helping to tighten and sculpt the waistline.

11. Seated In-Out Leg Raises

How to do it: Sit on the floor with your hands placed slightly behind you for support and your legs extended in front of you. Lean back slightly, lift both legs off the ground, and open them out to the sides. Bring them back together, then pull your knees in toward your chest. Extend them again and repeat the sequence.
Target Area: Lower abs, hip flexors, inner thighs.
Main Benefit: This exercise targets the lower abs, strengthens the hip flexors and enhances core stability and control without requiring any equipment.

12. Cocoons Waist

How to do it: Lie on your back with arms and legs extended. Simultaneously crunch up and bring knees toward the chest, hugging your body into a "cocoon" shape. Extend and repeat.
Target Area: Entire core, especially lower abs.
Main Benefit: Combines a crunch with a reverse crunch, providing full-core activation and toning.

13. Lying Leg Raises

How to do it: Lie on your back with legs extended. Keeping them straight, raise both legs up until perpendicular to the floor. Lower them slowly without touching the ground.
Target Area: Lower abs, hip flexors.
Main Benefit: Builds strength in the lower abdominal region and increases control over the pelvis and spine.

14. Kick Reverse Crunches

How to do it: Begin with legs lifted, knees bent. Perform a reverse crunch to lift your hips, then kick your feet outward and back before lowering down.
Target Area: Lower abs and hip flexors.
Main Benefit: Adds dynamic resistance to the reverse crunch, enhancing intensity and coordination.

15. Front Plank Twists

How to do it: Get into a forearm plank position with a flat back. Rotate your hips side to side, gently tapping the floor with your hips on each side.
Target Area: Obliques, transverse abdominis, shoulders.
Main Benefit: Strengthens the full core while incorporating rotation, improving endurance, balance and torso stability.