Best Abdominals Exercises
93 exercises target the abdominals as a primary muscle. Browse by equipment type below — each includes form guides and images from RepStack's 873-exercise database.
Barbell Abdominals Exercises
Dumbbell Abdominals Exercises
Cable & Machine Abdominals Exercises
Ab Crunch Machine
Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends
Cable Crunch
Cable Judo Flip
Cable Reverse Crunch
Cable Russian Twists
Cable Seated Crunch
Kneeling Cable Crunch With Alternating Oblique Twists
One-Arm High-Pulley Cable Side Bends
Bodyweight Abdominals Exercises
3/4 Sit-Up
Air Bike
Alternate Heel Touchers
Bent-Knee Hip Raise
Bottoms Up
Butt-Ups
Cocoons
Cross-Body Crunch
Crunch - Hands Overhead
Other Equipment Abdominals Exercises
Ab Roller
Advanced Kettlebell Windmill
Bent Press
Double Kettlebell Windmill
Exercise Ball Crunch
Exercise Ball Pull-In
Kettlebell Figure 8
Kettlebell Pass Between The Legs
Kettlebell Windmill
Sample Abdominals Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4 Sit-Up | 4 | 6-8 |
| Ab Roller | 4 | 6-8 |
| Ab Crunch Machine | 3 | 10-12 |
| Advanced Kettlebell Windmill | 3 | 10-12 |
| Alternate Heel Touchers | 3 | 10-12 |
Rest 2-3 minutes between compound sets and 60-90 seconds between isolation sets. Adjust volume based on your training experience and recovery capacity.
How to Train Abdominals
Research suggests 10-20 sets per muscle group per week for hypertrophy (Schoenfeld 2017). Spread volume across 2-3 sessions per week rather than cramming it into one.
Progressive overload drives growth — add reps within your target range, then increase weight. RepStack's rule engine handles this progression automatically, bumping weight only when all sets hit the top of the rep range.
Mix compound and isolation work. Start with heavy compounds when fresh, then use isolation exercises to accumulate volume on the abdominals without systemic fatigue.
Often Trained With
Pair abdominals training with complementary muscle groups for efficiency. See our exercise database to find movements that hit multiple groups at once.
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