Best Ab Workout Exercises, Ranked

Most ab workouts fail for one of two reasons: the exercises are too easy to keep making progress, or the routine lives in a dozen saved reels you never open again. This list fixes the first problem. We ranked the best ab workout exercises by how hard they work your core, how easy they are to progress, and how well they fit a normal gym or home session. At the end you’ll find a 20-minute routine built from the top picks.

How we ranked these exercises

Every exercise here was scored on four things:

• Core demand: how much the abs and deep core have to work, not just the hip flexors.
• Progression: whether you can make it harder over time with load, range or tempo.
• Accessibility: how much equipment it needs and whether beginners can learn it safely.
• Carryover: how well the strength transfers to lifting, running and everyday movement.

The result favors anti-movement drills and loaded crunches over endless high-rep sit-ups. Those still have a place, but they rarely deserve the top spots.

The 10 best ab workout exercises, ranked

1. Hanging leg raise

Hang from a pull-up bar, brace, and lift your legs by curling your pelvis up rather than just swinging your thighs. It hits the lower abs hard and doubles as grip work. Start with bent-knee raises and move to straight legs once you can do 3 sets of 12 without swinging.

Sets and reps: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15. Common mistake: using momentum. Pause for a second at the bottom of every rep.

2. Ab wheel rollout

Kneel with the wheel under your shoulders, then roll forward while keeping your ribs down and your lower back flat. The farther you go, the harder it gets, which makes it one of the easiest exercises to progress. Roll out only as far as you can without your hips sagging.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 12. Progression: roll toward a wall to limit range, then remove the wall, then try it from your feet.

3. Cable crunch

Kneel facing a cable stack, hold a rope behind your head, and crunch your ribs toward your hips. Because you can add weight in small steps, it is the best way to build visible ab muscle. It is also the go-to choice if you want an ab workout for the gym that you can track week to week.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15. Common mistake: pulling with the arms or sitting back on the heels. Keep the hips still and move only your spine.

4. Dead bug

Lie on your back with arms up and knees at 90 degrees. Slowly lower the opposite arm and leg while pressing your lower back into the floor. It teaches the core to stay stable while the limbs move, which is exactly what it does when you squat, run or carry groceries.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 slow reps per side. Progression: hold a light dumbbell or a band anchored overhead.

5. Pallof press

Stand side-on to a cable or band, hold the handle at your chest, and press it straight out without letting it pull you into rotation. It trains the obliques to resist twisting, which protects the lower back.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 per side with a 2-second hold at full extension.

6. Plank (and weighted plank)

The plank earns its spot because almost anyone can start it and it scales well. Squeeze your glutes, pull your elbows toward your toes, and stop the set when your hips start to drop. Once 60 seconds feels easy, add a plate on your back instead of holding longer.

Sets and time: 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds.

7. Reverse crunch

Lie on your back, knees bent, and roll your hips off the floor toward your chest. It is a floor-friendly way to train the lower abs when you don’t have a pull-up bar. Lower slowly, because the lowering phase does most of the work.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 12 to 20.

8. Hollow body hold

Lie on your back, press your lower back down, and lift your shoulders and legs a few inches off the floor. Gymnasts use it as their foundation core drill. Tuck the knees or raise the legs higher to make it easier.

Sets and time: 3 sets of 20 to 40 seconds.

9. Decline crunch

A decline bench adds range of motion and lets you hold a plate on your chest, so it builds strength faster than a flat crunch. Keep the movement controlled and stop before your lower back arches off the pad.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15.

10. Bicycle crunch

The classic oblique move closes out the list. It is popular in short workout reels because it needs nothing but floor space. Slow it down: each elbow-to-knee rep should take about two seconds, or it turns into a hip flexor drill.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 20 total reps.

Best ab exercises for the gym vs. at home

If you train in a gym, build your sessions around the hanging leg raise, cable crunch and Pallof press, because all three let you add load. At home, the ab wheel, dead bug, reverse crunch and hollow body hold give you a complete routine with one cheap piece of equipment. Short on time? Our guide to short and efficient workouts shows how to fit core work into a 20-minute session.

How often should you train abs?

Two or three focused ab sessions a week is plenty for most people, with at least a day between them. Your abs recover like any other muscle. They also work during squats, deadlifts and overhead presses, so a separate daily ab circuit rarely adds much. What matters more is progression: add a rep, a few seconds, or a little weight every week or two.

Visible abs also depend on body fat, which comes down mostly to diet and overall training. Strong abs and visible abs are related, but they are not the same goal.

A 20-minute ab workout to start with

Here is a routine that uses the top-ranked exercises. Do it twice a week after your main workout or on its own.

1. Hanging leg raise: 3 sets of 10, rest 60 seconds
2. Ab wheel rollout: 3 sets of 8, rest 60 seconds
3. Cable crunch (or reverse crunch at home): 3 sets of 12, rest 45 seconds
4. Pallof press: 2 sets of 10 per side, rest 30 seconds
5. Plank: 2 sets of 45 seconds, rest 30 seconds

Want to follow it with a timer instead of scrolling back to this page? Find a reel that demonstrates these moves on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Facebook, tap Share and send it to Fitsaver. Fitsaver turns the video into a step-by-step routine with sets, reps and rest timers, and you can edit the numbers to match the plan above. Every ab workout you have already saved works the same way, so it stops getting lost in your saved folder. Then use workout reminders to lock your ab days into the week.

Frequently asked questions

What is the single best ab exercise?

For most people, the hanging leg raise or the ab wheel rollout. Both train the whole front of the core, both are hard, and both are easy to progress. If you can only use a cable machine, the cable crunch is the best choice for building muscle.

Are sit-ups bad for you?

Not for most healthy people, but they are a weak choice for building strength. The hip flexors take over quickly, and adding difficulty is awkward. Reverse crunches and decline crunches cover the same pattern better.

How many ab exercises should be in one workout?

Three to five is enough. Pick one exercise for each of these jobs: lower abs (leg raise or reverse crunch), flexion (cable or decline crunch) and stability (plank, dead bug or Pallof press).

Can I do these ab exercises at home?

Yes. The dead bug, plank, reverse crunch, hollow body hold and bicycle crunch need only floor space. Add an ab wheel and you can cover almost everything on this list.

Start with one routine

You don’t need 30 saved ab reels. You need a handful of good exercises done consistently with a little more effort each week. Start with the 20-minute routine above, add it to your week twice in Fitsaver’s weekly planner, and track it for a month. Get Fitsaver on the App Store or Google Play and keep every workout reel you save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook in one place.