Ab and core workouts
Two ab and core workouts that train the abs to bend, rotate and brace, with every ab exercise in the library below.
Your abs do two jobs: they bend and rotate the trunk, and they brace it to stop movement. A full core workout trains both, with crunches and leg raises for bending, twists for rotation, and planks, dead bugs and Pallof presses for bracing.
Ab workout
A loaded crunch, a hanging raise, a rollout and an anti-rotation press.
Cable Kneeling Crunch- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10–15
- Rest
- 60 s
Hanging Leg Raise- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–12
- Rest
- 60 s
Wheel Rollout- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–10
- Rest
- 60 s
Band Horizontal Pallof Press- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 10 each side
- Rest
- 60 s
Core stability workout
Bracing exercises that teach the trunk to stay still under load.
Dead Bug- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 8–10 each side
- Rest
- 60 s
Side Bridge- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 20–40 s each side
- Rest
- 45 s
Weighted Front Plank- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 30–45 s
- Rest
- 60 s
Reverse Crunch- Sets
- 3
- Reps
- 12–15
- Rest
- 45 s
Can’t do one of these?
Machine taken or training somewhere else? Each of these has substitutes that work the same muscles.
Tips
- Curl your spine on crunches and leg raises. If only your hips move, your hip flexors do the work instead of your abs.
- Treat abs like any other muscle: pick a rep range, and add load or reps over time once it gets easy.
- Breathe out hard as you crunch or brace. It pulls the ribs down and makes the abs work harder.
Run this workout in SPLYT
Every exercise here is in SPLYT’s library. Save the workout as a template, log your sets on iPhone or Apple Watch, and next time your weights are already filled in from what you lifted.
174 ab exercises
Every one links to step-by-step instructions and a demonstration. Swap any of them into the workouts above.
Air BikeBody weight- Dead BugBody weight
Cable TwistCable- Side BridgeBody weight
Tuck CrunchBody weight- Wheel RolloutWheel roller
- Reverse CrunchBody weight
Cable Side BendCable- Hanging Leg RaiseBody weight
Cable Reverse CrunchCable- Weighted Front PlankWeighted
- Cable Kneeling CrunchCable
- Band Horizontal Pallof PressBand
FlagBody weight
Sit-upBody weight
CocoonsBody weight
Curl-upBody weight
Otis UpWeighted
Questions
How many ab exercises are there?
SPLYT’s exercise library has 174 ab exercises, including Air Bike, Dead Bug and Cable Twist, each with step-by-step instructions, a demonstration and the muscles it works.
How often should I train abs?
Two to four short sessions a week is plenty. The abs recover fast, but they also work in every heavy squat, deadlift and press.
Will ab workouts give me a six-pack?
They build the muscle, but whether it shows depends on body fat. Training them makes the abs more visible at a given body fat, and diet decides the rest.