10 Best Ab Workouts at Home to Build Your Core

The benefits of strong core and abs cannot be denied. Abdominal and core exercises are a crucial part of any well-rounded fitness program. These muscles play a vital role in posture, support of the spine, stability, balance, and respiratory functions. Core and ab workouts train your abdomen, pelvis, lower back, and hips to work in harmony. Strong abdominal and core muscles help various daily activities as well as sports.You do not require an expensive gym membership to step into your fitness journey or build up a strong body. The world is now turning to home workouts. You can strengthen your muscles, burn calories, tone your abs, and get a full body workout at home without any props and machines. It does not take much effort or money to design an at-home workout program.

What are the 10 best ab workouts you can do at home?

Here are a few exercises you can include in your home workout plan to build your core, sculpt your abs, and achieve your 6 pack abs dreams.

1. Leg raises

Leg raises are a killer abs exercise and improve the flexibility of the hip flexors at the same time. Leg raises help in alleviating low back pain, by overall strengthening and stabilizing of the core, while strong hip flexors will improve your squats, your runs, and your spin game.

How to do Leg raises:

1. Lie down on your mat with your face up and legs extended.
2. Make sure your back is flat on the floor.
3. You can place your hands underneath your lower back and glutes to support the pelvis.
4. Keeping the legs straight and together, begin to raise your legs towards the ceiling. Lift until the hips are completely flexed.
5. Then slowly lower your leg down, hold for a moment, and repeat.

Do three sets of 15-20 reps.

2.Toe touches

A six pack exercise at home should include toe touches. Toe touches target the rectus abdominis in particular and strengthens the abs and hip flexors.

How to do Toe touches:‍

1. Lie down on your mat with your face up and legs extended.
2. Lift and extend your arms and legs up towards the ceiling.
3. Now lift your upper back off the floor and exhale as you reach your hand towards your toes.
4. Slowly lower legs back down towards the floor while lowering and reaching your arms overhead.
5. Make sure to keep the shoulders off the mat and the lower back pressed into the mat. Repeat the crunch.

Do three sets of 15-20 reps.

3. Bicycle crunch

When doing effective core exercises at home and with no equipment, bicycle crunch can be very useful. Bicycle crunch targets the rectus abdominis and the obliques.

How to do Bicycle crunch:‍

1. Lie down flat on the mat with your lower back pressed to the ground, and your head slightly raised.
2. Place your hands on the sides of your head, bring both your knees towards the chest and lift your shoulders off the ground.
3. Straighten right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body and rib cage to the left and bringing your right elbow to your left knee.
4. Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep.

Do three sets of 15-20 reps.

4. Reverse crunch

Reverse crunch engages the entire rectus abdominis region, obliques, and transverse abdominals.

How to do Reverse crunch:

1. Lie on your back with your arms at your side and palms facing downwards to create the required balance for the lift.
2. Raise your legs enough so your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and then bend your knees at a 90-degree angle.
3. Breathe out and contract your abs to bring your knees towards your chest while raising your hips off the floor.
4. Hold for a moment. Then slowly lower your hips back on the mat.

Do three sets of 8-10 reps.

5. Russian twist

Russian twists strengthen the spine, obliques, and core. It targets all the muscles in the abdomen and core, making it a great addition to abs workouts.

How to do Russian twist:

1. Sit on the mat with your legs out straight.
2. Lean back slightly, brace your abdominal walls and engage your core to raise your shins parallel to the floor to bring your torso and legs to form a V-like shape.
3. Balance your body here and twist your torso from side to side without moving your body. Make sure you breathe and move slowly.

Do three sets of 10-12 reps.

6. Boat pose

Boat pose works on building abdominal as well as core strength. Additionally, it works on the deep hip flexors and aids in building balance.

How to do Boat pose:

1. Sit on the mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Lean back slightly, brace your abdominal walls, and engage your core to raise your shins parallel to the floor to bring your torso and legs to form a V-like shape.
3. Slowly straighten your legs to a 45-degree angle and straighten your arms roughly parallel to the floor with palms turned up.
4. Balance yourself in the pose and breathe.

Stay for at least 5-7 breaths.

7. Hollow hold

Hollow hold works on building strength and stabilization in your abs and back muscles. Hollow body hold also helps in preventing back pain and improving posture.

How to do Hollow hold:

1. Lie on your back with legs extended straight out and arms extended overhead on the floor.
2. At the same time, and with control, lift your arms, head, shoulder blades, and legs off the floor and hold for 20 seconds.
3. Then come back to the starting position and rest for 10 seconds.

Do 5 sets of 20 seconds hold with 10 seconds rest.

8. Plank

A great workout when doing ab exercises at home is the plank. It works on the deep inner core. It also engages your quads, glutes, arms, and more.

How to do Plank:

1. Start on all fours on the floor and place your hands directly under your shoulders.
2. One at a time, step your feet back.
3. Maintain a straight line from the top of the head through the heels and gaze slightly in front of your face.
4. Tighten your abs, glutes, quads, and hold.

Start with holding for 15 seconds and slowly progress to 30 seconds or 1-2 minutes.

9. Star plank

Star plank Builds strength in the shoulders and arms and reaches and lights up your deep core.

How to do Star Plank:

1. From a plank position, step one hand a few inches in front of your shoulder and then the other.
2. Now step both your feet a few inches out, one by one, and hold it there. Make sure your body is in a straight line. Hold the position.

Start with holding for 15 seconds and slowly progress to 30 seconds or 1-2 minutes.

10. Mountain climbers

Mountain climbers focus on the entire body and are great for building cardio endurance, core strength, and agility.

How to do Mountain climbers:

1. Get into the plank position.
2. Pull one knee to your chest as far as you can.
3. Switch the legs by pulling this knee out and bringing the other knee in.
4. Alternate inhaling and exhaling with each leg change and run your knees in and out for as far and as fast as you can.

Do 4 rounds of 30 seconds each.Include these exercises in your workout routine to target your abs and core and get strong. Make sure you balance out your routine with exercises for developing your back muscles as well.

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Try this Ab Workouts To Get Six Pack Abs Provided By Cult fit