The Best Abs Workouts for Home, the Gym, or Wherever You Move

A strong core powers everything from your workouts to your daily movement. Ab exercises do more than shape your midsection. They support posture, reduce the risk of injury, and help your body move with ease.

Without core strength, simple movements can feel harder and leave you more prone to aches and pains. Over time, these small issues can build up and affect your overall wellbeing.

Adding focused ab training a few times each week builds strength and improves stability. You don’t need a gym or special gear. You just need the right exercises that fit into your routine wherever you are.

Unlock the benefits of core training and build strength that supports your everyday life.

What Are Abs? Key Benefits of a Strong Core

The abdominal muscles, or abs, are a group of muscles around the midsection. They play a crucial role in balance, stability, and general movement. There are four main muscles you'll target with your workouts:

• Rectus Abdominis: The so-called “six pack muscle,” which runs vertically from the pubic bone to the rib cage.
• Transversus Abdominis: The deepest layer of abdominal muscles, which wraps around the full torso.
• External Obliques: Located on the sides and front of the abdomen, helping the core rotate.
• Internal Obliques: These lie underneath the external obliques and also support torso movement.

When designing an ab workout plan, try to target each of these muscles with distinct exercises. This will help you build a well-rounded core that supports you in everyday life. That means you may need to do more than just crunches to reach your core-strength goals. 

You should also know that genetics play a significant role in determining your abdominal shape and visibility. So, don't get disappointed if you put in the work and don't see progress right away. Try to focus more on how you feel than how you look. 

And, if you're serious about getting a six-pack, prioritize nutrition. It's at least as important as the exercises you do, as minimizing fat around the belly is the only way to see your ab muscles.

Bodyweight Exercises for Home Workouts

You can work your abs out with nothing but the equipment you have at home. Some of the most effective home workouts for abs include the hollow hold, the side plank, and bicycle crunches.  We’ll take a closer look at each of these rut-busting workouts now.

The Hollow Hold: Build Core Stability

This exercise targets the Transversus Abdominis and Rectus Abdominis. It can help with spinal stability and overall torso control:

1. Lie flat on your back, extending your arms over your head and keeping your legs straight.
    
2. Lift your shoulders and legs off the ground, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
    
3. Hold the position and feel your deep core muscles engage.
    
4. Release and repeat as many times as your workout dictates.

Side Plank: Targeting the Obliques

This ab workout hits both the internal and external obliques. It’ll strengthen the sides of your core, improving balance and posture in the process:

1. Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and feet stacked on top of each other.
    
2. Left your hip off the floor, creating a straight line that extends from your head to your heels. Try not to hold all of your weight on your elbow.
    
3. Hold for as long as your workout dictates, then release and switch sides.

Bicycle Crunches: Engaging Multiple Muscles

Bicycle crunches target the Rectus Abdominis and Obliques. They combine bending with rotation to activate multiple muscles at once and give you a well-rounded burn:

1. Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and knees bent.
    
2. Bring your right elbow to your left knee while extending the right leg.
    
3. Come back to the floor and alternate sides.
    
4. Repeat as many times as your workout dictates.

Weighted Ab Exercises for Gym Sessions

Bodyweight exercises may be all that you need to reach your fitness goals. But you can also kick things up a notch with weighted exercises at the gym. Here are two options worth adding to your strength training routine.

Russian Twists: Adding Resistance to Core Rotation Cable

This exercise targets both the obliques and the Rectus Abdominis. It uses resistance to improve rotational strength and muscular endurance:

1. Grab a medicine ball or weight plate, starting light if it’s your first time. This will help you get the form correct before pushing yourself too hard and risking injury.
    
2. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, holding the weight.
    
3. Lean back slightly, and keep your spine straight.
    
4. Twist your torso from side to side in a controlled manner, tapping the weight to the floor each time.

Woodchopper: Dynamic Movements for Strength

This tough ab workout hits the obliques, the Transverse Abdominis, and the shoulder muscles. It uses resistance to build the body’s rotational power:

1. Stand beside a cable machine with the handle set high or low (not in the middle).
    
2. Pull the handle diagonally across your body, either low to high or high to low, depending on how you started. Twist your torso through each movement.
    
3. Reset and hit the other side as many times as your workout calls for.

Equipment-Free Ab Exercises for Versatility

You don’t need a gym membership to strengthen your core. These equipment-free drills are perfect for home and travel. You’ll also find some tips for modifying your ab workouts to avoid injury.

Plank Variations for All Levels

The plank is an exercise you can do virtually anywhere. It’s also one with many variations to support people at different fitness levels:

• Standard plank: Assume the push-up position, placing your forearms and toes on the floor. Then, hold yourself up for as long as your workout dictates. Keep your core, glutes, and quads engaged to avoid sagging.
   
• Side plank: Lie on your side with your forearm directly beneath your shoulder. Stack your feet on top of one another. Then, lift your hips off the ground to form a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Hold for as long as you can, then switch sides.
   
• Plank with shoulder tap: Start a standard plank, then tap your left shoulder with your right hand. Return to the plank position and repeat on the other side, alternating for as long as you can.
   
• Plank with leg lift: Start in a standard plank, then lift one leg a few inches off the ground. Hold it for a few seconds, return to the plank position, and repeat with the other leg, alternating for as long as you can.

Leg Raises for the Lower Abs

Traditional ab workouts often ignore the lower abs, or work them less than other parts of the midsection. Leg raises are the perfect way to address this. They help with core control and strengthen the ab muscles that you might miss with other movements:

1. Lie flat on your back with your arms by your side and legs extended.
    
2. Raise your legs toward the ceiling, holding them straight and together.
    
3. Lower in a controlled way without allowing your feet to touch the floor.
    
4. Repeat as many times as your workout dictates.

Modifying Workouts to Prevent Injury

These ab workouts can be tough when you’re just starting out. But even if you’ve been focused on fitness for a while, you may still want to modify movements to protect yourself. Here's how to do it:

• Focus on form over intensity: Poor form will strain your lower back and increase your chances of injury.
   
• Control the release: You’ll get more out of your ab workouts if your movements are controlled throughout the full rep. If you don’t control the release from these exercises, the wrong muscles could engage, and you may strain something.
   
• Don’t rush progress: Increase the difficulty of your ab workouts only when you’re able to perform each movement stably and free of pain.

How to Stay Consistent with Your Ab Workouts

You want a stronger core. Maybe it’s for better posture, fewer back aches, or just to feel more confident in your body. Whatever your reason, the secret to visible results isn't a single intense session—it’s showing up again and again.

Let’s talk about how to make that happen.

Start with a Plan That Fits Your Life

Consistency doesn’t mean doing hour-long workouts every day. In fact, short, focused core sessions—just 10 to 20 minutes—done two to three times a week can deliver real strength gains. The trick? Fit them into your real life.

Here are three easy ways to make that happen:

• Anchor it to a routine. Do your ab workout right after brushing your teeth in the morning or just before your shower at night. It’s easier to build a new habit when it’s linked to something you already do.
   
• Schedule it like a meeting. Block time on your calendar—even if it’s just 15 minutes. Treat it like any other important appointment.
   
• Use micro-moments. Stuck in Zoom limbo? Waiting for your laundry to finish? Pop into a quick plank or try a guided five-minute session. A little goes a long way.

Set Yourself Up for Success

The easier it is to start, the more likely you are to follow through. Prep ahead to remove friction and boost your follow-through.

• Lay out your workout clothes. Seeing them acts as a visual cue to get moving.
   
• Choose your workouts in advance. Whether it’s a guided class on Apple Fitness+ or a 10-minute video from Orangetheory, know what you’re going to do so you’re not stuck scrolling.
   
• Pick a “default” workout. On low-motivation days, have a go-to core routine that’s simple, quick, and familiar.

Get Accountability that Actually Works

When motivation dips (and it will), accountability steps in.

• Find a workout buddy. Invite a friend, partner, or coworker to join you virtually or IRL. Even just checking in by text can boost your follow-through.
   
• Join a class. Wellhub gives you access to hundreds of live and on-demand sessions from studios like Club Pilates, F45, and CorePower Yoga. Booking a spot adds structure—and stakes.
   
• Track your progress. Use a calendar, app, or simple notebook to log your workouts. There’s something powerful about seeing a streak you don’t want to break.

Remember Why You Started

On the days when you’re tempted to skip, reconnect with your why. Stronger abs can help reduce pain, improve posture, boost stability, and build total-body strength. But even more importantly? Sticking to a commitment you made to yourself builds self-trust.

And that’s a muscle worth strengthening too.

Core Workouts Can Build Strength, Stability, and Everyday Confidence

Ab workouts are for more than developing the perfect six pack. They help you feel stronger in everyday life, avoid injuries, and support you in your other fitness endeavors. But you’ll need a consistent workout plan to build the strong core you want. That's often easier when your ab workout is part of a class or guided program.

Wellhub makes strengthening your core easier with on-demand access to a diverse line-up of workouts and fitness resources. You can check your eligibility here or start a petition if you’d like your company to join.

References

• Harvard Health. (n.d.). How to add core exercises to your workout routine. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-add-core-exercises-to-your-workout-routine