Ab Workout At Home: 16 Best Ab Exercises

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A strong core helps with posture, balance and stability, and can help prevent back injury and reduce existing back pain. Along with the lower back and glutes, the abdominal muscles are the primary muscle group of the core, and therefore ab exercises should be an integral part of your fitness routine to strengthen the core.

However, many common ab exercises like sit-ups can be tricky, and common mistakes — like pulling on the neck — can cause pain and injury. Luckily, sit-ups and crunches aren’t the only moves that target your abdominals. There are different ab exercises to work the core from different angles and that effectively strengthen the core without putting undue stress on the neck and back.

18 at-home ab exercises

Personal trainer and TODAY fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour demonstrates 18 ab exercises that you can try at home:

Dead bug

Lie down face up while keeping your shoulders and low back flat on the floor. Keep your arms straight as you lift them up towards the sky until they are straight above your shoulders. Then, lift your legs while bending your knees into a tabletop position, stacked over your hips at a 90-degree angle. Exhale and engage the core while you lower the opposite arm and leg (left leg and right arm), hovering them above the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side (right leg and left arm). Repeat five times on each side.

Pilates roll down

Sit on the floor and bend your knees with your feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart. Keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed and down, and extend both arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height. Begin to roll your body back toward the ground slowly, rounding your back and neck. Allow your low back to touch the ground first, then your middle back, then your upper back until your full back is on the ground. Then reach the arms overhead. To return to the starting point, slowly roll up to the starting position, starting by peeling the upper back off the floor, followed by the middle back and lower back. Repeat for 10 reps.

Pelvic tilt

A pelvic tilt is always a great way to begin a set of ab exercises in order to wake up the core and practice engaging the proper muscles. Lie on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Make sure your feet are hip-width apart and your arms are reaching down towards your feet. Then take a deep breath, and feel your lower back arch slightly off of the ground. Then exhale as you tilt your pelvis forward and press your low back into the ground. Pull in the naval toward your spine as if you’re zipping into a tight pair of pants. Release and repeat 10 times.

Start on your hands and knees, and line up your shoulders over your wrists, making sure the wrists are parallel with the front of the mat. Next, walk your knees back a few inches and pull your navel in toward your spine. Tuck your toes under as you lift your legs up off the ground. Squeeze your quads and reach your heels toward the back of the room. Make sure your shoulders are over your wrists, and that you’re looking a few inches in front of your fingers to keep your head and neck elongated. Hold for 30 seconds.

Repeat the plank position explained above, but hug the legs together and bring the left foot to touch the right. Next, slowly turn to the right with control, and move the right foot onto its right outer edge, stacking the left foot on top. Pull the right hip up and press down through your right hand, keeping it directly underneath your right shoulder, and slowly bring the left hand onto your left hip. Extend the left arm straight up to the ceiling, and hold the position for 30-45 seconds before coming through plank position again and switching sides.

Begin in plank position, keeping your back straight, your hips low and your core engaged. Bring your right knee under your chest toward your right elbow. Return your right leg back to plank position; bring your left leg under your chest toward your left elbow. Repeat, alternating your legs and keeping a steady pace. Remember to breathe and concentrate on engaging your abs, glutes and hamstrings.

Get on all fours with your palms directly below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Straighten your left arm straight out in front of you and your right leg out behind you. After that, bend your left elbow and your right knee, crunching your abs, until they touch underneath your stomach. Repeat using your right arm and left leg. Alternate between sides, performing 10 times on each side.

Lie on your back with your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Let your arms rest down at your sides. You can also place your hands under your butt for increased stabilization. Squeeze your core and lower both of your legs 6-12 inches down to about a 45-degree angle. Lift one leg up as your lower the other toward the floor. Switch legs. Continue to alternate, moving your legs in a flutter motion. Repeat for about 15 repetitions, and make sure not to speed up as you go.

This move works your lower core muscles. Stand with your feet hips-distance apart and your arms at your sides. Place the right hand on the back of the head like you would for a crunch. Begin moving your torso down toward the left, crunching the left oblique, so that your right elbow reaches up toward the sky. Reach your left hand down toward the ground. Hold this position, squeezing the abs, then switch sides.

With your knees bent, squeeze your abs and raise your legs so that your knees are hovering over your hips at a 90-degree angle. Keep your calves parallel to the mat so that your legs are in a table-top position. Engage your core as you lift your hips and knees toward your chest. Think of tilting your pelvis forward. Keep your entire upper body on the ground. Make sure that only the lowest part of your back comes off the ground; nothing higher. Keep the legs in a 90-degree angle throughout the entire movement as you come back down, through table top, and tap the feet on the ground. Repeat the steps, remembering to breathe slowly while squeezing your abdominals.

Lie on your back with your arms straight out at your sides forming a “T” shape with your body. Lift your legs off the ground and bend them into a tabletop position with the shins parallel to the floor. From this position, slowly lower your legs to the right hovering a few inches off of the floor, using your abs to control the movement. When your knees get close to the floor, reverse the movement of your legs, moving them back through center and down to the left side of your body. Repeat, moving side to side for a total of 20 reps (10 on each side).

Sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet either hovering above the floor or resting on the ground. Tilt your upper body backward to a 45-degree angle (this will feel like you are at the top position of a situp). Hold a dumbbell in both hands, squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull your shoulders away from your ears. Keeping the dumbbell in front of your chest, twist your torso to the right, tapping the dumbbell on the floor, then move back through center and twist to the left, tapping the dumbbell on the floor. Repeat 5 times on each side. For a modification, perform the move without a dumbbell.

Lying down on your back, reach your legs straight up so your feet are reaching toward the ceiling. For a modification, you can slightly bend your knees. As you exhale, tighten your upper abs and curl your head, neck and chest off the ground as you reach your arms toward your toes. Repeat 20 times.

Seated on a mat, engage your core muscles and gently lean back a couple of inches. Slowly lift your legs up in the air so that are in a table-top position. Reach your arms straight out in front of you so that they are parallel with the mat. Keeping your core engaged, extend the legs straight up to a 45-degree angle, forming a “V” shape with your body. If you feel balanced here, attempt reaching your arms up toward the ceiling. You always have the option to leave them straight out in front of you. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Keep the shoulders relaxed, abs pulled in and the inner thighs squeezing together. Release your legs and arms down to the starting position.

Sit up with your back straight and your knees bent with your feet flat on the ground. Lightly grab your ankles and lift your legs into the air, pointing your toes toward the ceiling, so that your body forms a “V” shape. Remember to keep your legs open as wide as your hips. Roll backward onto your shoulder blades, keeping your core engaged. Roll back up and straighten your back while keeping your legs straight up and open. Repeat, rolling back and forth, pausing at the top every time.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground as wide as your hips. With your hands behind your head and your elbows bent out to the sides, use your abs to lift your left shoulder blade off the ground. At the same time, bring your right knee to meet your left elbow. When your right knee is bent, straighten your left leg and reach it out in front of you at a 45-degree angle. Perform on the opposite side, bringing your left knee to your right elbow, straightening the right leg. Continue alternating legs and squeeze your core. Brush your inner thighs together as you switch sides to ensure you’re hugging your legs in towards the midline of your body.

Lie on the floor with your arms at your sides and your legs straight out in front of you. Make sure to keep your low back on the ground as you pull your naval in towards the spine and squeeze your legs together. With your legs straight and together, lift into the air so that your body creates an L shape. Slowly lower your legs toward the mat without arching your back. Once your feet are hovering above the ground, hold for a few seconds before returning to the first step.

Performing crunches while standing will help you avoid the back and neck discomfort that can be experienced when performing the traditional crunch. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and squeeze your abdominals, bringing your belly button toward your spine and your hips forward. Place your hands behind your head and perform a crunch, bringing your shoulder and head down toward the floor. Be sure to maintain the space between your chin and chest, and keep your elbows out to the sides to avoid pulling your neck. Reverse the move, returning back to an upright standing position. Repeat 10 times.