Best Ab Exercises That Aren't Crunches

Let’s get real: When it comes to ab workouts, there’s nothing more boring than churning out crunches. Set after set. Workout after workout.

That’s why the best ab exercises aren’t crunches.

And that’s why so many BODi programs include a variety of ab exercises other than just crunches.

And ditching (or at least cutting down on) crunches might do more than eliminate your workout’s yawn factor. It could actually boost your fitness results, explains strength coach and physical therapist Michael Roncarati, P.T., D.P.T., C.S.C.S., director of rehabilitation for the Atlanta Hawks.

After all, while crunches zone in on your rectus abominis (aka “six-pack”) muscles, they come up short when it comes to training your transverse abdominis and other deep-lying core muscles.

Those are the muscles that stabilize your spine; keep your pelvis, ribs, and shoulder girdle in proper alignment; and help you transfer forces between your lower and upper body for improved exercise performance, Roncarati says.

Yeah, you could say that your core is kind of important.

What’s more, research shows that crunches can contribute to low-back pain by compressing the discs of the lumbar spine.

“Depending on your current back health, it’s important to be aware that typical crunches can exacerbate problems,” says strength coach Todd Durkin, C.S.C.S., who has trained top athletes including the NFL’s Reggie Bush and snowboarder Shaun White.

He notes that crunches can trigger back pain by increasing tightness in the hip flexor — which, in most people, especially desk-bound exercisers, tend to already be pretty tight.

Tight hip flexors tug on the pelvis, tilting it forward. That, in turn, increases the strain on the lower back. No bueno.

So if you aren’t training your core with crunches (or at least with crunches alone), what ab exercises should you do to hit your six-pack fitness goals? Start with 10 of the best ab exercises listed below.

After that, head to BODi for even more ab workouts and full programs that can whip your entire body into top shape.

1. Pallof Press

Secure a resistance band to a sturdy object at navel height.
Stand next to the anchor point with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. (The band should be at sternum height.)
Hold the resistance band’s handle against your sternum with both hands. There should be no slack in the band — it should have some tension.
Brace your core and press the handle straight out in front of your torso, making sure your body doesn’t turn to one side.
Once your arms are fully extended, pause, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start.

2. Feet-Elevated Stability Ball Plank

Get on the floor on all fours with your shoulders stacked directly over your wrists, and a stability ball on the floor behind you.
Brace your core and lift one leg off of the floor to place your shin on top of the ball.
Repeat with the opposite leg so that our entire body is parallel with the floor. Don’t let your hips sag or your butt stick up in the air.
Brace your core to maintain this position. Hold for time.
Lower each knee back to the floor, one at a time, to return to start.
Check out these tips for perfect plank form.

3. Deadbug

Lie flat on your back on the floor with your arms and legs bent at 90 degrees like you are sitting in a chair.
Press your lower back into the floor and brace your core to maintain this flat-back position throughout the entire exercise.
Slowly lower your right leg and left arm to within a few inches of the floor (your arm should end up above your head, not out to the side). Only go as low as you can — your lower back should not come off the floor.
Pause, and then squeeze your abs to slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Repeat with your left leg and right arm. Continue alternating sides.

4. Stability Ball Rollout

Place your hands on a stability ball and kneel with your knees hip-width apart and your toes on the floor for stability.
Keeping your back flat and core braced, and without moving your knees, slowly roll forward so the ball comes to your forearms, until your body forms a straight line from your head to your knees.
Pause, then roll back to the starting position.

5. Mountain Climber

Get in a high-plank position with your shoulders stacked directly over your elbows and hands, and the balls of your feet on the floor, spaced hip-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels.
Bend one knee to pull it toward your chest slowly and under control. Make sure to maintain the same straight-body position as you do so, not letting your hips pike up toward the ceiling.
Pause, then extend your leg back to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

6. Low-to-High Dumbbell Chop

Grab a dumbbell with both hands (one hand on each end), and lower into a quarter-squat position.
Hold the dumbbell to the outside of your right knee, your arms fully extended and diagonal from your body. Your torso should face the weight.
Keeping your arms fully extended and torso facing the weight, squeeze your abs, pivot to the left and release the right heel as rotate your hips to pull the dumbbell up and across your body until it’s above your left shoulder.
Pause, then slowly reverse the motion to return to start. Repeat on the opposite side.

7. Band-Resisted Bird Dog

Get on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Place a resistance band handle around one foot, and hold the other handle with the opposite hand so that the band is taut.
Simultaneously extend your banded arm in front of you and your banded leg behind you. Keep your core braced and back flat.
Repeat on your opposite side.
A variation of this move is found on BODi in The Master’s Hammer and Chisel – 10 Minute Ab Chisel.

8. Alternating V-Up

Lie face-up on the floor with your arms and legs fully extended so that your body forms one straight line from hands to feet.
Press your lower back into the floor, and brace your core to maintain this flat-back position. From here, squeeze your abs to lift both your torso and legs off of the floor — this is the starting position.
Raise your right leg and your left arm, and twist to reach your hand to your toes. Keep your leg as straight as possible and don’t let your shoulders hunch forward.
Return to start and repeat, alternating sides.
A variation of this move is found on BODi in SHAUN WEEK – 25 Abs.

9. Standing Band Rotation

Secure a resistance band to a sturdy object at navel height.
Stand next to the anchor point with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Hold the handle with both hands, arms fully extended in front of your chest and torso rotated to face the station.
Brace your core and rotate your torso so that you face away from the station, arms still extended in front of your chest.
Pause, then slowly reverse the movement to return to start.

10. Boat Twist

Sit on the floor, balancing on your butt with your feet raised, knees bent, and arms in front of you. Your feet and hands should each be pressed together.
Keeping your core braced, rotate your torso to your right as you reach back with just your right arm to touch the floor behind you, bringing your hands outside your hip.
Return to the starting position, and repeat to your left. Continue alternating sides.
A variation of this move can be found on BODi in Body Beast – Beast: Abs.