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Ab workout routine

This ab routine goes at the end of your workout: two blocks, A and B, of 20 to 25 minutes each, alternated two or three times a week. It covers the three jobs your abs do: bending the trunk or hips (crunches, leg raises), rotating it (Russian twists) and resisting movement (side planks, dead bugs).

Each block has four exercises on purpose: four done well beat ten done halfway. Do all the sets of one exercise with its rest, then move on to the next. Every exercise links to its own page, with how to do it and the most common mistakes.

Block A

  1. Cable crunch

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 1 min

    Alternatives: Crunch

  2. Side plank

    Sets 3 · Reps 30 to 45 s per side · Rest 1 min

  3. Dead bug

    Sets 3 · Reps 8 to 10 per side · Rest 1 min

  4. Russian twist

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 per side · Rest 1 min

Block B

  1. Leg raises

    Sets 3 · Reps 10 to 12 · Rest 1 min

  2. Crunch

    Sets 3 · Reps 12 to 15 · Rest 1 min

    Alternatives: Cable crunch

  3. Mountain climbers

    Sets 3 · Reps 30 s · Rest 1 min

  4. Side plank

    Sets 3 · Reps 30 to 45 s per side · Rest 1 min

When to do it

At the end of your weight training session, two or three times a week, alternating A and B. You don't need a separate day. If you do it before lifting, your abs arrive tired to the squat or the deadlift, which rely on them to stabilize your spine under load.

For visible abs

Training your abs makes them stronger and thicker, but whether they show depends mostly on how much fat sits on top. Ab exercises don't burn belly fat in particular: fat comes off the whole body, through diet and training in general. That is why this routine aims at strength and control, not at burning.

How to progress

On loaded exercises such as the cable crunch, add reps up to the top of the range, then move to the next step on the stack. On bodyweight exercises, you progress by doing them slower, with a one-second pause at the hardest point, or by adding seconds to the plank.

If your lower back bothers you

If you feel your lower back during crunches or leg raises, shorten the range of motion and keep your lower back pressed into the floor or bench. The Russian twist is the usual culprit: do it without weight and with a short twist, or drop it. If it still bothers you, stick to dead bugs and side planks, which load it less. If the pain doesn't go away, see a doctor or physiotherapist.

Frequently asked questions

How many times a week should you train abs?

Two or three times is enough for most people. They recover quickly, but training them every day doesn't develop them faster if your total weekly volume is the same.

Do ab exercises get rid of belly fat?

Not directly. Fat doesn't come off the area you train, but off your whole body. Ab exercises strengthen the muscle, which will show once the fat covering it comes down.

Do I need ab work if I already squat and deadlift?

Those lifts already work your abs to stabilize you, but they don't take them to fatigue in flexion or rotation. Adding a few dedicated exercises strengthens them in ways the big lifts don't cover.

Gojan builds the routine and changes it when you tell it your week falls apart. Download Gojan