These Are the 8 Best Ab Exercises for Beginners, According to Fitness Trainer

Add these to your daily routine and see results with a six-pack

Honestly, no one would reject a toned, strong, solid set of six pack abs. It’s the iconic visual of hard work and dedicated diet plan that definitely worth to be shown off. More than just help you look toned, building your abs also helps strength your core, improve posture, stability and balance, and boost your metabolism. A stronger core can also help reduce sports related injuries and even back pain.

However, ab exercise can be found challenging to many beginners, especially if you want an exceptional six pack. Thankfully, we’ve rounded up the best abs exercise for most beginners, they don’t require much equipment and can be done at home. Best of all, they can help you stay injury-free as your muscles get stronger. All you need to do is stay with them - It’s really important to keep going if you want to see the results.

Scissor Kicks

Scissor kicks are a lower ab and core-strengthening exercises. It targets a surprising amount of muscles. Scissor kicks work the entire core, including the lower abdomen, upper abdomen, lower back, hip flexors, and spine.

How to: Lie flat on your back on the floor, with arms by your sides. Ensure your lower back pressed into the floor, and engage your core. Next, lift your legs until they reach an angle of 45 degrees off the floor. Begin to lower one leg as you straighten the other. Alternate the movement back and forth.

Planks

Plank is a classic ab exercise that fires up your entire core and belly fat. It’s efficient, effective and a necessary prerequisite to many other exercise. An adult can burn 3 calories every minute doing a plank. Planks also strengthen your hips, lower back and abdomen, and improve your body balance. This pose is a perfect way to build abdominal muscles for beginners.

How to: Lie in a prone pushup position with forearms resting on the floor. Your elbows should be shoulder-width apart under your shoulders, and bent 90°. Push up off the elbows, tucking your chin so your head is in line with your body. Keep head in-line with your spine, and belly button drawn in. Hold for at least 60 seconds.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are a high intensity cardio that speeds up your heart rate and melt your belly fat. It targets your deep core muscle, as well as boosts runs, lifts and jumps. When performing the move, your core strength get trained, and you’ll get incredible heart rate bumping and burn calories. Plus it’s super simple, don’t require any equipment, so it’s an ideal ab exercise for any beginners.

How to: Get into a pushup position, remember to keep your back straight. Then, squeeze your belly and bring your knee up toward your chest before returning to pushup position. Repeat with the other leg and remember to keep the same pace and inhale.

Lying Knee Raises

Lying knee raises is another core-buster best for beginners. Apart from training your core strength, it also improves the strength of your lower back and hip, which does great health benefits for anyone who spends a lot of time sitting at a desk.

How to: Lie on your back with your feet on the floor and knees slightly bent. Place your hands under your head for comfort, not support. Slowly draw your knees toward your chest until they form a 90-degree angle with the floor. Squeeze your abs during the entire motion. Return your legs to the starting position in a slow and controlled fashion.

Dead Bug

Dead bug targets a deeper muscle group, helps stabilize your core strength and spine, and improve your overall mobility. This workout also helps improve the coordination and strength in your lower back, core, arms, and legs. Plus, dead bug is a great activating warm-up that prevents injury in further exercises. How to: Lie face-up on the floor or mat. Engage your core and keeping your lower back in contact with the floor. Lift your arms up and extend them straight above your shoulders. Bent your knees to 90°. Pull your lower back to the floor to eliminate the gap.

Glute Bridge

The glutes form part of your core and can give you a big boost in strength when they are engaged and used in training. So strengthening your glute is important for developing other muscle groups. Besides, glute bridge also improves the strength and balance of your lowerback and hamstring, and re-align your body to the correct posture.

How to: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Make sure your core are engaged and tightened, push your knees forward, and drive your hips up. Hold this top position for a 1-2 seconds.

Side Plank

Side plank is another great strength endurance exercise for beginners. Focusing on your side body, this exercise will work your obliques which are the muscles on each side of your abs. Most importantly, it strengthens your core without putting pressure on your lower back, in order to protect your spine.

How to: Lie on side on mat. Lay on your side with your forearm flat on the floor, with bottom elbow lined up directly under your shoulder. Forming a straight line from your head to your feet. Feel your side core is engaged. Hold for at least 30 seconds.

Russian Twist

Russian twist is a perfect ab exercise for beginners that requires no equipment and tone your core effectively. It targets your obliques in the transverse plane, and trains your strength that you might be missing in other exercise.

How to: Sit on the floor or mat, lift your feet off the ground. Bend your knees and lean back slightly to feel that your stomach is engaged. Slowly twist your upper body to the left and to the right as far it can possibly go. Make sure you core part is stabilized as you twist.