Hanging Knee Raise
Why it's on the list: There are many reasons to like leg raises, but top of the list is their scalability. You can start doing bent-knee raises in a captain's chair or with ab straps to focus on the lower core, work up to straight-leg raises, and then move to a hanging bar. By the time you're doing full straight-leg toes-to-bar raises, you've built unparalleled strength in your entire core.
Machine Crunch
Why it's on the list: Ab exercises with added resistance don't get enough love! Extra resistance spurs growth in the fast-twitch muscle fibers like almost nothing else and can really build up the "bricks" of your six-pack.
By using a machine, you can also adjust the load and train to failure at just about any rep target you want. A pin-loaded machine works especially well when doing dropsets. If your gym doesn't have a dedicated ab machine, you can still get the same benefits using cables or bands.
Pallof Press
Why it's on the list: This increasingly popular movement trains your abs to do what they're supposed to do: stabilize your skeleton. The Pallof press is an anti-rotation movement, meaning the body is actively fighting rotation throughout the motion. By utilizing exercises like this, you can increase core stability in various planes of movement and reduce the likelihood of injury.
If you've never done these before, expect to be challenged more than you might expect!
Cable Crunch
Why it's on the list: The strength of this exercise is its versatility. It works for any fitness level, on any cable machine, and you can add any amount of resistance you need to train at your target rep range. You can also use a resistance band if you don't have a cable stack handy.
Decline Crunch
Why it's on the list: This old-school fave amps up the ab engagement by increasing the range of motion over standard crunches. You can also dial up—or down—the degree of difficulty by adjusting the angle of the bench.
Holding a medicine ball, dumbbell, or plate against your chest adds a further level of customizable resistance. If you want the ab-chiseling upside of cables or gym machines but don't have access to a gym, this is for you.
Squat
Why it's on the list: No, we're not going to echo that old myth that squats and deads are all you need for abs. You need more! But there's no debating that both front and back squats force you to learn how to brace your abs to maintain a neutral, upright position. And before you say, "It doesn't count if you wear a lifting belt," a number of studies have shown that a belt actually increases ab activation during squats.
Russian Twist
Why it's on the list: To recruit the obliques, you need to do one of three motions:
Bend to the side
Rotate your trunk
Suck in your belly
By adding a medicine ball to the twist, you're hitting your obliques with a double whammy by requiring the upper abs to contract isometrically to stabilize against the weight as you move. Try to get a little crunch on either side after the rotation to up the ante.
Ab Roll-Out
Why it's on the list: This cheap piece of equipment has gained a cult following over the years, and for good reason. EMG data suggests that using an ab wheel is equally if not more effective than hanging leg raises, sit-ups, and reverse crunches at activating the abs.
Why is the ab wheel so effective? It capitalizes on the concept of eccentric strength-building perfectly. As you roll out, your trunk must actively fire while those abs stretch to maintain a neutral spine without collapsing under your body weight and gravity.
Exercise Ball Pike
Why it's on the list: It turns out the exercise ball is good for more than just sitting and waiting for your partner to finish their set! A research team demonstrated that the pike movement is one of the most effective total-ab activators out there. It topped the EMG list for upper abs, lower abs, and obliques. The version in the study was performed on a ball, but pikes can also be done on a suspension strap system.
Plank
Why it's on the list: Muscle activation studies consider the plank a mid-level exercise. But in this case, that doesn't tell the whole story. It's first and foremost a great transverse abdominis move, but that muscle is deep, so can't be measured by EMG
Planks primarily made the list because of how easily you can use different variations to change the level of difficulty. If an elbow plank is too difficult, perform it with the arms straight or simply drop to your knees. Too easy? Lift an arm or a leg—or an arm and a leg. Put your feet into suspension straps or on a stability ball. Each one of these progressions leads to a greater training stimulus to the abs.
Hard And Heavy Ab Workout
If you're ready to build your ab muscles so they're visible even at a slightly higher body fat level, this is the workout. With hanging leg raises and a weighted superset, you'll be feeling your core right out of the gate. Finishing with a round of kneeling cable crunches, you'll leave the gym afraid to cough or laugh.
