20 Best Ab Exercises for Women to Strengthen Your Core
Skip boring crunches and try these dynamic moves.
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Adding some of the best ab workouts for women into your routine is an effective way to strengthen your core. Plus, some of these exercises may even help back pain and lower the risk of falls.
When your core muscles are strong, it’s easier to swing a golf club, get a glass from the top shelf, bend down to tie your shoes, and even get out of bed in the morning. You may also have better posture, better balance, and less joint pain. Weak core muscles, on the other hand, can lead to more fatigue, poor posture, less endurance, and injuries, according to Mayo Clinic.
Meet the experts: Jim White, R.D.N., A.C.S.M. Ex-P, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios; and Frankie Alvarado, N.A.S.M. certified trainer
We know crunch fatigue is real; crunches don’t encourage your abdominal muscles to work through their full range of motion. So even if you’re doing a hundred reps a day, you might be disappointed to learn that you’re not going to get as strong of a core as you’d like. And, when done improperly, crunches are taxing on your neck and back. Many people tend to put their hands behind their nape and pull their neck into flexion without engaging the abs to lift. This will put a lot of stress on your spine and lead to unnecessary aches and pains in the long run.
To diversify your ab routine to get the best results, we’ve rounded up some of the best core moves you can use to create circuits that will have you feeling the burn in all the right places. Just pick five exercises from this list, switch them up every week, and your ab workouts will become more interesting and challenging in no time. All you need is a yoga mat and towel to get started.
Reps and sets: Aim for 10–20 slow and controlled reps per exercise—except for the plank and hollow holds. Hold those for anywhere between 20 seconds to 1 minute. Perform up to three sets.
Sit Ups With Towel
How to do it: Roll up a towel (or grab an AbMat) and place it under your lower back. Sit in a butterfly position with the soles of your feet touching each other. Initiate the movement by lying your back on the floor. Inhale. As you exhale, brace your core and lift with your abs. Touch your hands to your feet and repeat. Try and keep the soles of your feet glued together.
Pro tips: Placing a towel beneath your lower back will support your spine as well as allow your abs to do most of the work instead of your hips. In addition, it puts your abs in more of an extended position at the start which allows you to flex them through their full range of motion.
Hip Lifts
How to do it: Lie on your back and raise your legs up until they are perpendicular with your torso. Pull your navel toward your spine and lift your hips a few inches off of the floor. Lower the hips down to the ground and restart the motion. Keep your hands planted beside your torso, and flex your feet towards your face.
Pro tips: To make this move harder, try completing each rep without letting the hips touch the ground.
Flutter Kicks
How to do it: Start on your back and raise your legs until they are straight above your hips. Glue your lower back to the floor by bracing your abs. Then lower your legs as far as you can while keeping your lower back connected to the ground. Once you’ve found a challenging height raise your feet an inch. Start making small kicks up and down with your legs. Breathe in and out through your nose as you complete the reps.
Pro tips: Keeping your lower back attached to the floor is key to maximizing the effects of this movement as well as protecting your lower back. It’s okay to raise your feet a bit to keep that connection, but just make sure the exercise is still challenging.
Lateral V-Ups
How to do it: Start by laying on your side with your hips stacked on top of each other and feet together. Then, perform a side crunch while lifting both legs off the ground and touching your hand to your top foot. Return to the starting position to complete one repetition. Repeat on the other side.
Pro tips: Utilize your weight-bearing arm/shoulder to assist you and provide balance while performing the side crunch motion. Push your body away from the floor with your hand/forearm.
Scissor Kicks
How to do it: Lie on your back and squeeze your abs as if you’re dropping your belly button to the floor. Raise your legs slightly while keeping your lower back connected to the ground. Scissor your right leg over your left as you scissor your left leg over the right. Then continuously keep switching until you have completed your reps. Try to keep your toes pointed as you move.
Pro tips: Once again, really focus on keeping your lower back engaged with the ground. If this is tough, lift your legs slightly higher.
V-sits
How to do it: Begin on your back with your legs straight in front of you. Sit up and touch your heels as you bring your knees towards your chest. Then lower yourself down as your legs straighten back to the floor. Sit up again to start another rep.
Pro tips: To make this move more challenging, lower your legs and torso as low as you can without touching the floor before you sit back up. To make it easier, keep your knees bent throughout the movement.
V-ups
How to do it: Lie down and begin with your arms straight above your head. Inhale and draw your belly button in towards your spine. As you exhale, sit up and bring your straight legs up to meet your arms. Lower down and repeat.
Pro tips: If this is too challenging, prop yourself up on your forearms for a little assistance. From here, bend your knees and bring them up to 90 degrees. Lower your torso to the floor as you straighten your legs out. Then crunch up and bring your knees in toward your chest.
Bear Crawl
How to do it: Start in a tabletop position, on all fours with your hips stacked over knees and your shoulders stacked over wrists. Keep your back flat and your chest parallel to the floor. Then, lift your knees about an inch off the ground, press your toes into the floor, and take a small step forward with opposite legs and hands. When you reach the front of your mat, crawl backward and repeat.
Pro tips: Keep your knees close to the ground and your butt low, as you would in the plank position. Also, be sure to keep your back flat and engage your core during the entire movement. It may also help to take small steps at first, progressing to larger steps over time.
Leg Lifts
How to do it: Start on the ground with your head facing the ceiling and your legs straight out in front of you. Brace your core by gluing your lower back to the floor. As you maintain that engagement, lift your legs about a foot off of the floor. Pulse your feet up and down. Each “up-down” equals one rep.
Pro tips: Keep your lower back in contact with the floor! If you are having trouble doing this, you may need to raise your feet a bit higher until you can keep that core engaged.
Hollow Body Hold
How to do it: Lie on your back and bend your knees. Lift your knees up until they are directly above your hip bones. Then crunch up and bring your shoulders off the floor. Drop your chin to your chest. Lengthen your arms toward your hips with your thumbs facing toward the ceiling. Drive your lower back to the floor. From here, straighten your legs to the ceiling, then draw your arms toward your ears. Lower your legs to the floor until you start to feel your lower back lose contact with the ground. When you reach that point, lift your legs slightly to find your sweet spot. Hold this position for 20 seconds up to a minute. Make sure to breathe!
Pro tips: If this movement is super tough, it’s okay to hold the position with your knees bent and shoulders lifted off of the floor. As you get stronger in this position, you can work on straightening your legs and getting them closer to the floor. The key is to keep that lower back flat on the floor. Once you find where your sweet spot is, you don’t have to think so much about getting into the position.
Hip Dips
How to do it: Prop yourself up on your right forearm for a side plank hold. Then lower your right hip to the floor. Engage your abs to lift again. Complete your desired reps and do the same on the other side.
Pro tips: Make sure to keep your hip bones stacked on top of one another and that you are not leaning forward or backward. Make sure the elbow on the ground is directly beneath the shoulder. You can place the opposite arm on the hip or straight in the air.
Birddog
How to do it: Begin in a tabletop position, on all fours with your hips stacked over knees and shoulders stacked over wrists. (This is the starting position you will return to after every repetition.) Then, engage your core while maintaining a neutral spine and reach the opposite arm and leg away from your body until both are fully extended. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position and repeating on the opposite side.
Pro tips: When extending your leg, think about squeezing or contracting your glute muscles to reach full extension with your back leg. Brace your core for stability before lifting your arm and leg off the floor.
Toe Touches
How to do it: Begin on your back with your legs pointed towards the ceiling. Crunch up and aim to touch your toes. Lower down and repeat the movement. Flex your toes towards your face to engage your lower ab muscles.
Pro tips: It’s okay if you can’t touch your toes for this one. Just try to get as high as you can. If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees slightly.
Plank
How to do it: Lie on your stomach, then lift yourself up onto your forearms and toes. Keep your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Draw your shoulders away from your ears. Squeeze your abs and glutes and keep your hips, neck and spine in one straight line. Aim to hold for anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute. Hold and breathe in and out through your nose.
Pro tips: Refrain from hiking your hips up towards the ceiling. If this is too difficult to maintain, drop your knees down to the floor and hold this position.
Deadbug
How to do it: Lie on your back and bring your arms up until your wrists are directly over your shoulders. Bring your legs up until they are right over your hips. Keep your legs straight. Squeeze your belly button in towards your spine. To initiate the movement, drop your right leg and your left arm toward the floor. Draw them back up toward the ceiling to reset then lower your left leg and right arm to the floor. Always keep the nonworking leg and arm pointing towards the ceiling. Do the same amount of reps on each side.
Pro tips: This move takes a bit of coordination, so if you are having trouble isolating your arms and legs, slow the movement down. Take a second to think about which leg and arm you are lowering and which need to stay up in the air. Like most of the other moves on this list, it’s vital to keep your lower back connected to the ground. If you feel yourself arching, don’t drop your arms and legs as low.
Bicycles
How to do it: Start by laying flat on your back with your feet off the floor and knees bent at 90-degree angles. Place hands behind your neck with elbows wide, rotating away from your body. Then, while keeping your core engaged, lift shoulder blades off the floor and pull your left knee towards your chest. Extend your right leg until it is straight and touch your opposite knee to the opposite elbow. Alternate each side.
Pro tips: Perform this exercise at a slow and controlled pace, really focus on using your core for stability. Avoid rotating your shoulders too quickly as this can reduce the core strengthening benefits of this exercise.
Vertical Leg Crunch
How to do it: With your back to the floor, raise your legs until they are completely vertical. Crunch up toward the ceiling, then lower yourself down. Flex your toes towards your face to engage your lower ab muscles. Repeat to complete another rep.
Pro tips: This crunch is great because because it does not put as much torque on the spine. To avoid putting stress on your neck, do not try to curl your head to your legs with your arms. Instead look towards the ceiling and focus on lifting your shoulders and chest up to your knees.
Plank Rolls
How to do it: Start in a forearm plank position. Before you begin the movement, make sure your elbows are below your shoulders and that your hips aren’t hiked up into the air. Squeeze your glutes and your abs. Next, rotate your pelvis down to the left, then toward the right. Whatever your desired rep scheme, make sure you perform the same amount on each side.
Pro tips: Inhale before you initiate the plank roll and then exhale as you try to get your hip as close to the ground as possible. Make sure to tighten your obliques (your side abs) on the way down.
Reverse Crunch
How to do it: Relax on your back and bring your knees up to 90 degrees. Put your hands behind your head. Then lift your chest toward your knees and your knees to your chest. Reset and repeat for your chosen amount of reps.
Pro tips: This is another great crunch variation that engages the deeper ab muscles without so much wear and tear on the spine. Avoid pulling your head in toward the knees. Instead, lift the shoulders to keep your neck safe and pain-free.
Side Plank Crunches
How to do it: Start in a side plank, weight bearing on one arm with your legs stacked on top of one another and hips off the floor. To support yourself, position yourself either on your forearm or hand for an extra challenge. Pull your top knee to your chest while bringing your elbow (of the arm not engaging in the side plank) in front of your body towards your bent knee. Hold for 1-2 seconds, then return to the side plank position before initiating another repetition. Repeat on the other side.
Pro tips: Perform repetitions slowly, keeping the rest of your body as still as possible.
Adele Jackson-Gibson is a certified fitness coach, model, and writer. She earned her master's in Journalism from NYU, her bachelor's in Literature from Yale University, and has since written for various sports, fitness, beauty, and culture outlets.
Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms.
Shannen Zitz is an Assistant Editor at Prevention, where she covers all things lifestyle, wellness, beauty, and relationships. Previously the Editorial Assistant at Prevention, she graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland with a bachelor's degree in English. If she’s not reading or writing, you can probably find her frequenting the skincare and makeup forums on Reddit or hogging the squat rack at the gym.
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