Here is our conclusion to the best abdominal exercises series. If you haven’t already, you can read the Top 10 Best Abs Exercises Part 1. Then don’t forget to hit the Top 10 Best Abs Exercises Part 2.
Here is our list of the second 5 of our favorite 10 ab exercises that you can use to get 6-pack abs. Perform these exercises on a regular basis, mix them up, use different speeds, tempos, angles, and positions to get a full workout. Always try to mix it up from workout to workout.
That is quite enough out of me for now. Go ahead and read about the 5 exercises and then figure out how to work them into your routine.
Integrating the Best Abdominal Exercises Into Your Routine
Here are 3 ways you can combine the best abdominal exercises for different workouts.
- Choose 5 exercises that work in different plains of motion and perform them all in a continuous circuit. Rest only 1 minute after the circuit and not at all during the circuit. Repeat 3 times.
- Figure out a way to alter each of these exercises to perform them hanging. You can hang from your hands, arms, legs, or feet. To hang from your feet, go get yourself some gravity boots.
- Superset each one of these ab exercises with an exercise from your regular upper or lower body workout routine. Do 3 sets of each superset. I used this method to increase the circumference of my calves by 1.5 inches in 6 months.
1. Vertical Leg Kicks
The vertical leg crunch, or full vertical crunch, was ranked as the fourth most effective exercise in the ACE study for the rectus abdominus. I suggest changing this exercise to focus more on kicking up rather than crunching.
This is a great change of pace from regular crunches, as it works the entire abdominal muscle to its fullest extent similar to Fold Ups.
To set up: Lie flat on your back. Place your hands lightly behind your head. Contract your abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor. Lift your legs about 12 inches off the floor.
To kick: Bring your knees in towards your chest, then deliver a double-leg kick straight up to the ceiling. By pressing the heels towards the ceiling, you are creating a ‘u’ shape with the torso. At the top of the movement, your hips should be off the floor.
Lower your knees back to your chest, then fully extend your legs back to the starting position. Do not rest your legs or your shoulders on the floor. Instead, keep tension on the abs throughout the movement. That’s one rep.
If you find it hard to perform this exercise with your hands behind your head or if your lower back hurts, you can place your arms and hands palms down about 12 inches away from your body on either side.
I couldn’t find a video for this exact movement, but here is a pilates instructor explaining and demonstrating a few similar movements.
2. Russian Twist
My football buddy at college taught me this exercise. He had been using Russian Twists as one of the best abdominal exercises to develop a rock hard midsection since his early years in high school. This exercise will hit your obliques HARD.
To set up: First, go choose a medicine ball or a weight plate that you can handle without much difficulty. I recommend starting with 8-12 lbs. In time you can work up to as much as 45 lbs or even more.
Next, sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Contract your abs and position your upper body at about a 45 degree angle to the floor. Hold a medicine ball with both hands directly in front of you.
To twist: Contracting your abs, twist slowly from your torso to your right and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside your right hip. Quickly, but smoothly, contract your abs and twist your torso to other side, and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside your left hip. Thats one rep.
Really challenge yourself by keeping your feet off the floor. In this manner, only your butt will be touching the floor. Feel the burn.
3. Medicine Ball Sit Up Toss
This exercise is actually best done with a partner. The added weight helps you to work on muscle density, and you may get a bit of an upper body workout too.
To set up: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a medicine ball on your chest and have a partner stand at your feet. Use your abs to push your lower back flat to the floor. You do not want it arched at all.
To sit up: As you sit up, throw the ball to your partner. Hold the position as your partner catches the ball and throws it back to you. Your position should not be straight up, in fact you should hold a 60 degree angle to keep tension on the abs at all times.
Catch the ball and slowly return to the start position, but don’t lay on the floor. Ideally, your shoulders should never touch the floor, but good luck with that.
Don’t have a medicine ball?
Throw a jab and a cross at the top.
Have a medicine ball but no partner?
Throw the medicine ball at a wall and catch it again before you go back down.
4. Windshield Wipers
To set up: Just find a pull up bar and hang from it. Now pull yourself up so that your upper body is parallel to the floor and your legs are perpendicular to the floor. There should be a 90 degree angle between your torso and your legs.
To wipe: This exercise is so simple yet so effective. All you have to do is rotate your legs from side to side like a windshield wiper.
This guy has it down pat.
5. Leg Throws
You might think this exercise will tighten the hip flexors, but because it is so balistic and you have to maintain such a solid core throughout the movement, you end up working your abdominal muscles hard. In order to do it right though, you have to be agressive. Hard throws, don’t touch the floor, and quickly return to the top position.
Video demonstrates straight and diagonal leg throws.
Honorable mentions: Bruce Lee Style Flags, Side Bends, Cable Crunches, Planks.
Adding the Best Abdominal Exercises to Your Current Routine
To integrate these exercises into a 5 day split workout routine, pick one different exercise each day and do 3-5 sets. Try to alternate targeting rectus abdominus and obliques.
To integrate these exercises into a 3 day full body workout routine, pick two to three different exercises each day and do 2-3 sets of each. Consider performing the exercises as one giant superset with little to no rest between sets.
Another way to use these abs exercises, is to combine all of them into 15 minutes of non-stop abs training 3 times a week. Rest at most 30 seconds between sets and train to near failure.
Remember to train your lower back and posterior chain in addition to your abs for total core strength. You can use the 5 best hamstring exercises to do that.
Final Thoughts
That concludes the 10 best exercises for abs part 3. Hopefully you enjoyed all three parts to this series, and your abs will benefit from the results. If you haven’t had a chance to read part 1 or part 2 you should do that now to complete your best abdominal exercises education.
Read more: Top 6 Ab Training Mistakes
Tags: 6 pack, ab exercises, abdominal exercises, abdominals, abs, best abdominal exercises, best abs exercises, ripped abs, six pack abs
Extraordinary rundown of exercises, Great arrangement of abs preparing. much obliged to you for sharing.
Love to see the many different ways you can lose the belly fat! Important to remember is that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. That is why it is great to experiment with different exercises.
these exercises{windshield wipers,leg throws}is easy to do someone in gym?and particulary the first it wants only pull ups or it can be on the ground..also the second if you dont have partener how can be?
Sad to see the good old weighted crunch didn't make the list. I don't know if this is because you don't like the exercise or it just seems too obvious to put on the list. 5 sets of 15 crunches with a weight plate behind your head does wonders for your abs.
Hey Steve, thanks for the excercises posted on the abs, but a big question to ask is how and what sort of training you need to gain the V shape abs and possibly an 8 pack. I have a somewhat great metabolism and my body can achieve and process good results however i just dont know what type of excercises for V shape abs
Website…
The Top 10 Best Abdominal Exercises Part 3 | Project Swole…
Hey Steve just have a question about a possible ab injury. A few months back I was doing my workout routine as I usually do in the moring. I always would end the work out with bicycle crunches. Later that day I had to take a t.v over to a friends house. It was an old 25in t.v heavy and bulky. I picked up the t.v, carried to my car and forced it into the back seat of my car. Then when I got there, I pulled it out and carried it up to his house. After that my lower abdominal felt weird, it feels like there is constant pressure. It looks different as well, swelling and I guess inflamation. I went to the doctor’s to make sure it was not a hernia and they said no. I even got a ct scan to check for internal damage but it was negative as well. They said it is probly an abdominal strain. But it does not hurt when I sneeze, cough, run, or even do crunches. It is just a general pressure feeling from around my belly button and below. When I show it to people, to get there opinion they say it looks perfectly normal. But I know what my abdomen use to look like, so I know its not normal. If you have any insights to give me on this matter, I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks
Just read a eye-opening article about 12 boys on a football team that all ended up in the hospital with “”compartment syndrome,” which caused soreness and swelling in their triceps and high levels of creatine kinase, a protein that can harm the kidneys. Three players had surgery to relieve swelling.Authorities said the cause was not yet known, but the condition can be the result of exercise or the use of certain medications. All but one of the players who became ill worked out last Sunday at the high school’s wrestling room, where one player says the temperature reached 120 degrees.” What a bad decision that was by the 1st year coach.For all my subscribers at abs home workout please be judicious and start slowly if you have not been working out in a while. If you take too much of a jump up in your exercise routine, your body will break down a lot of muscle at once. The result will be the release of too much broken down muscle particulates into the blood stream. This can clog the kidneys and cause Rhabdo.
Nice story.
i think floor wipes should be number 1 they are the most effective ab workout i hav eever done,
not many people know what they are
No Full-Contact Twists?
What are full contact twists?
Hi Steve,
the best explanation could probablly be found here https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mm6.htm . It was apparently developed to increase punching power, I have only started recently doing them and them seems to give a great workout to my abs. I have also notice wall walking has done wonders for my abs and flexiblity. I was just curious if you had heard of the full contact twist since I am pretty all about it right now lol
Never heard of the full contact twist until now. It seems good. If Pavel says it’s good, you should do it.
Hi Steve. Pleny of great information. Very glad I found your website. I changed my workout a lot since reading all the info. Also I would like to get advice from you. I have a problem with my abs. My abs are not in the same line, I mean left side is higher than right. I want six pack, but I am loosing my motivation because of that. What can be done to correct that???? If anything :(. Thanks for your answer and sorry for my english I am from lithuania.
Hey steve, in case you missed my previous question, i ask you again, what s your opinion on p90x? Im from argentina, i hear it s a very famous training program in you country, im planning on starting it… by the way, your website is great, ive learned more in the last couple of months than i did in my entire life. I constantly recommend it to friends.
Fran: I’m pretty sure P90X is great. I have never used it, but people seem to get great conditioning results from it. I do hear that it is quite painful to stick to the program though, because it is pretty intense. If you can stick with it for the full program, I just know you will get good results. Don’t do P90X if you want to be a bodybuilder or powerlifter, you need more specialized programs for that. But for just getting mad cut and conditioned, P90X sounds like it should work.
Thanks, will do
Hi Steve, I work sitting behind a desk for almost 10hr a day , and feel that is affecting my abs. Can you explain how this is not helping me and what can I do. Thanks
Alex: I also work behind a desk, but for only 8 hrs a day – until I go home and work on my private projects like Project Swole, in which case I am seated at the computer yet again. When we are sitting we often lose focus on our posture. We let our abs relax and spill out over our pants, we slouch our backs, and we snack on junk food. Nothing about sitting at a desk all day is good for your body.
I recommend getting up for at least 5 minutes every hour or so. Take this opportunity to stretch and flex your abs hard a couple times – get in some good isometric contractions. All day long whenever you can remember, try to sit up straight and suck your abs in. Breathe out and hold for 10+ seconds. Keep those muscles tight and hard all day long. Booyah!
Hey steve, great info, really helpful. Keeping with the subject, have you heard about p90x´s ab ripper?? i ve been doing it for weeks and got amazing resutls. Im also planning to start the whole program once i recover from a meniscus surgery. I d really apreciate your feedback on ab ripper and the program as a whole.
thanks in advance!!
Great series of abs training. I should recommend others this post. Looking for next in series.
Thanks for feedback.
I completely agree! I recently started doing these with a 25lb. plate and i am noticing that my core strength isnt what i thought it was! But, i love doing this excercise, i just feel like i am training for the S.A.S when i do it! 🙂
Great list of workouts, once again.
Russian Twists are ‘ab’solutely killer :: sigh ::