Top 5 Bodyweight Abdominal Exercises!

In my experience if you want to train your abs at home you will need an arsenal of exercises that target upper, lower and obliques. You will also need to choose exercises that range on their level of difficulty as well.

I like to balance my abdominal workouts with 1 – 2 intense exercises combined with 2 – 3 moderate exercises. This way you can maintain a continuous burn throughout the entire workout and still push yourself as hard as possible on every exercise.

In this article I talk about my TOP FIVE bodyweight abdominal exercises, which area of the core each exercise targets the most, and how to perform them to maximize your gains!

Turn these exercises into an at home abdominal routine!

• 3 rounds
• 15 – 20 reps per exercise
• Rest as little as possible between sets & rounds
  
  

Floor Crunch (Upper & Lower ABS)

The floor crunch is much more involved than just going up and down. With each crunch you want to make sure you touch your chest to your thighs at the top. As you return to the bottom, make sure your lower back touches the floor first and you do not begin the next rep until your shoulder blades touch the ground.

If you want to make this exercise more intense, place a pillow or a pad under your lower back to increase the arch / range of motion of each crunch.

Floor Oblique Crunch (1 – 1 Count) (Obliques)

To perform this exercise you will need a degree of flexibility to swing your leg up and over. Once in position the movement is simple, place one hand behind your head for neck support and crunch forward. Try to hold the crunch for a brief moment as you flex your obliques and make sure when you return to the starting position your shoulder blade touches the ground.

If you would like to perform the more intense version of the exercise simply roll to your side so that you’re resting your upper body on your elbow/forearm. Keep your feet together (staggered if you need to for balance) and extend your hips to the ceiling as high as you can. As you lower your hips back to the ground, focus on crunching your obliques as hard as you can and repeat.

Alternating Abdominal Kick (1 – 1 Count) (Upper & Lower ABS)

This is an exercise of my own design and will put a bit more emphasis on the lower abs. To perform the movement lay on the ground and begin with your right leg straight, keeping your heel 2 – 3 inches off the ground, and pull your left knee into your chest. Once in place, begin to crunch as high as you can and as you return your upper body to the ground begin to extend your left leg and bring your right knee into your chest. Be sure to touch your shoulder blades to the ground with each rep and never let your heels touch the ground!

Alternating Toe-Touch (1 – 1 Count) (Upper & Lower ABS and Obliques)

For this movement you are going to begin lying on your back with your feet together and your arms extended away from your body. Next, simultaneously begin to lift your right leg and left arm so that you touch your toe over the center of your torso. As soon as you touch your toe, return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg and right arm. Make sure your shoulder blades/upper back comes completely off the ground with each rep!

Reverse Floor Crunch (Upper & Lower ABS)

Begin the exercise by lying on the ground with your feet together and your hands behind your head. Once in place, elevate your feet 2 – 3 inches off the ground and bring your knees to your chest. As soon as your knees touch your chest extend your legs back out, never letting your heels touch the ground, and repeat. This movement will put a bit more emphasis on your lower abs and for added stability you can flex your glutes as you extent your legs.