These 9 Moves Are All You Need for a Killer Ab Workout at Home

Sets: 3

Reps: 15

Rest: None

Equipment: None

How to:

• Begin in the high-plank position with your core engaged and shoulders away from your ears.
• Lower yourself toward the floor and simultaneously bring your right knee to your right elbow. Squeeze the obliques and keep the knee off the floor.
• Press back up to the high-plank position as you return your leg to the starting position.
• Repeat with the alternate side.

Why? The Spiderman press-up is designed to target your core. While it also works your chest and triceps like a regular press-up, the movement of bringing your leg forward reduces your points of contact to three, forcing your abdominals and other core muscles to work harder to maintain stability.

Sets: 3

Reps: 15

Rest: 2 mins at end of superset

Equipment: Pull up bar

How to:

• Grab a pull-up bar and lower yourself into a dead hang with your shoulders away from your ears.
• Tuck your pelvis under, straighten your legs with flexed feet and pull your navel to your spine to engage your core.
• Raise your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to your torso.
• Hold and then lower slowly back to the starting position.
• Control the movement to avoid swinging.
• To regress the exercise, bend the knees.

Why? One of the hardest ab exercises around is also one of the most effective. Ok, it does require pull-up bar to work, but can still be done in the comfort of your own home. Variations such as the hanging twisting knee raise keeps the exercise fresh.

Sets: 3

Reps: 20

Rest: 2 mins

Equipment: None

How to:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Put your right hand behind your head, elbow flared out, and your left palm down perpendicular to your torso.
• Contract your abs to lift your shoulders off the floor and rotate your body to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
• Slowly lower and repeat all your reps before swapping sides.

Why? The oblique crunch is a classic and for good reason. When programmed with higher reps, you'll feel your obliques firing throughout the sets.

Sets: 3

Reps: 25

Rest: None

Equipment: None

How to:

• Lie down on the floor with your knees bent and, if possible, hook your feet under something that will prevent them from moving.
• Place your hands behind your head and tense your core as you lift your torso up so your upper body forms a V shape with your thighs.
• Lower under control back to the start position.

Why? Don't overlook the sit-up when it comes to building core strength. It will not only mobilise your spine for improved health, but also build muscle. Dynamic spinal flexion exercises were found to be superior to isometrics for abdominal muscle hypertrophy.

Sets: 3

Reps: 1 minute

Rest: 2 mins at end of superset

Equipment: None

How to:

• From a press-up position, walk your palms and toes out and away from your body until they form an x-shape.
• Brace your core to keep a flat line from your head to your hips and toes.
• Hold for the required time then walk back to a normal press-up position.

Why? This tricky variation on your average plank engages your entire body as your core works to centre yourself. Your whole body needs to be held in place by your core for the duration of the exercise. Brutal.

Sets: 2

Reps: 20

Rest: None

Equipment: None

How to:

• Lie flat on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Place your hands on either side of your head.
• Push your lower back into the floor as you lift your shoulders a few inches off the floor – make sure your lower back stays in contact with the ground at all times.
• Tense your abs hard at the top point of the movement, then return under control to the start position.

Why? These old-school favourites have gone the distance for a reason. A study by the American Council of Exercise looked at crunches alongside the effectiveness of popular core-busting kit such as the ab roller and ab lounge. The humble crunch showed the greatest muscle activation overall.

Sets: 2

Reps: 20

Rest: None

Equipment: None

How to:

• Lie on your back with your arms on the floor at your sides, palms facing down.
• Bend your knees and bring them towards your chest by contracting your abs.
• As they rise, roll your pelvis to lift your hips off the floor.
• Squeeze at the top then slowly lower until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.
• To regress the movement, bend the knees more.

Why? The reverse crunch may look relatively easy, but don't be fooled, when performed correctly this will ignite your lower abs and result in that ab burn you've been looking for.

Sets: 2

Reps: 1 minute each side

Rest: None

Equipment: None

How to:

• Lie on your left side with your knees straight and prop your upper body up to take its weight on your forearm.
• Brace your core and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line. Hold this position while breathing deeply and keeping your shoulder away from your ear.
• Then roll over and repeat on the other side.

Why? As well as providing a new angle for the classic plank, the muscles targeted by this move will also support you lower back and prevent back pain in later life. Researchers at Kuopio University in Finland found those with stronger hip and back extensor muscles suffered less from lower back pain. Straighten up by lying down.

Sets: 2

Reps: 25

Rest: 1 minute at end of circuit

Equipment: None

How to:

• Begin sat on the floor with your legs bent in front of you and feet planted on the floor.
  
• Lean back until you can feel your core engage.
• Hold the weight in front of you and bring it from side to side without it touching the floor.
• Keep the hips even to work the obliques harder.

Why? The only other exercise on our list that requires any equipment, the Russian Twist works with either a weight plate or a medicine ball. Much more effective than static rotations standing up, your core must be continually engaged to keep you balanced while the twist works either side of your body. Both sides? That's one rep.