If you're a person who loves working your abs because you get to lie down on a mat, this post may not be for you. We've rounded up our favorite standing ab exercises to show you how to work your abs upright because these moves will help you in your everyday activities far more than crunches will. And if you have neck pain every time you do ab work on the floor, try some of these standing moves and see how you feel.
There's quite a variety of ways to work your abs once you are off the floor — some of the moves use weights and some don't. We'll teach you how to do the wood chopper and the tuck jump. Program these moves into your next workout; we recommend adding two to five of these in a sweat session. Say goodbye to the mat, and read on to see all the ways you can work your abs standing.
Start with your right foot extended back behind you and your hands together, reaching up and out (at about a 45-degree angle from your face). Keep your core tight and the weight on your left foot, with little to no weight on the right foot.
Drive your right knee up and toward your chest as you bring your hands down and twist your upper body to the right.
Re-extend your hands up and out while you tap your right foot back behind you. Tip: keep a soft bend in the knees.
Keep repeating, and don't forget to switch sides.
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4Kick Crunch
Exhale to engage the abs as you kick your right leg up, bringing your left hand to your right toes, doing a small crunch.
Repeat on the other side, and continue kicking alternating legs.
Begin with your weight on your left foot and your hands together in front of you for balance.
Bend your left knee and extend your right leg behind you, placing little to no weight on the right toes.
Drive your right knee toward your chest, bringing your hands to meet your knee.
Re-extend your right leg behind you. This completes one rep.
Be sure to switch sides.
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7Overhead Circles With Medicine Ball
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Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in your knees. Keeping your spine in neutral, lift a five- to eight-pound medicine ball overhead.
Begin to circle the ball to the right, in the largest circles you can make, while maintaining a still and stable torso.
Circle eight times to the right; then repeat, circling eight times to the left. Do three sets.
As you return to standing from your squat, bring your right elbow to your right knee to perform a side crunch.
Alternate sides with every rep.
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9Twisting Wood Chop With Medicine Ball
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Start with the feet a little wider than hip distance apart. Twist to the left raising the ball over to your left shoulder.
On an exhale pull your abs toward your spine and "chop" the ball down diagonally across your body toward the outside of your right knee. Imagine you're chopping some wood at this angle and the ball is your axe — the move is a bit percussive.
Focus the on the rotation initiating in your torso.
Control the ball back up to the starting position. This completes one rep.
Remember you are moving with force but also control. Don't give into the momentum of swinging the ball around. Do three sets of 15 reps on each side.
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10Medicine Ball Alphabet
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Grab a medicine ball between five and 15 pounds. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, making sure your knees are not locked. Then try one of these two variations.
For stability: Start with the ball at chest level, and slowly write the cursive alphabet in front of you. While your arms move around in all sorts of angles, you need to use your abs to keep your torso still. Think of keeping the area between your ribs and pelvis solid. For a more advanced version, try this move while standing on a BOSU.
For mobility: Start with the ball at chest level, but increase the range of motion of your arms making your alphabet larger, using your torso and rib cage to write the letters as well. Keep your abs engaged the entire time. For more of a challenge, try this version in a squat or a lunge.
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11Medicine Ball Slam
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with a 10-pound medicine ball on the floor in front of you.
Squat down and pick up the medicine ball, keeping your head up and trying not to round the spine.
Stand up, lifting the medicine ball above your head, fully extending the arms straight above you.
Forcefully slam the ball down on the floor as hard as you can. If the ball is light enough, catch the ball as it bounces slightly off the floor.
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12Rotational Ball Slam With a Lunge
Start in a lunge with your right leg forward. Be sure to keep your knee over your ankle, maintaining a 90-degree angle at the knee.
With the ball on the left side of your body, raise it up overhead, rotate your arms to the right, and slam the ball down on the outside of your right foot. Do eight to 10 reps then switch sides.
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13Row With Twist
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Start in a shallow squat, holding the weight in your right hand.
Pull your elbow back, squeezing your right shoulder blade toward your spine while you twist to the right. Do for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
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14Overhead Dumbbell Side Bend
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Hold the dumbbell above your head, squeezing your ears with your upper arms to activate your core.
Pull your abs to your spine and lengthen your spine as you bend slowly to the right. Return to standing upright, and then slowly to the left. Keep your pelvis still as you bend to the side.
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15Side Bend With Dumbbells
Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding five- to 10-pound dumbbells at your sides.
Bend sideways to the right, squeezing your waist on the right side. Keep your neck as neutral as possible, looking forward not down.
Pull the left ribs down to return to standing upright. This focuses the work on the left obliques.
Repeat for a total of 12 bends to the right, then switch sides.
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16Standing Russian Twist
Stand with your knees slightly soft, holding a dumbbell at chest level.
Keep your pelvis stable as you rotate your ribcage right and left, to complete one rep. Be sure to keep your abs pulled toward your spine as you twist from side to side.
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17Pallof Press
Lower the carriage of a cable machine so that it's about chest height, and attach a D-handle to the pulley. Adjust the weight so that it's at 10 pounds. If this is too heavy or too light, feel free to change the weight.
Standing with the left side of your body closest to the machine, grab the handle with both hands and take two or three steps out so that there's tension on the cable. Hold your hands at your sternum, and make sure that your body is square. If you feel like you're getting pulled to the left, this is an indicator that you should lighten the weight.
On an exhale, press the cable straight out in front of your body. Be sure not to rotate toward the machine. Hold for two seconds before returning to the starting position. This counts as one rep.
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18High to Low Wood Chop With March
Holding an eight- to 10-pound dumbbell overhead, twist to the left, pivoting your right foot as needed.
Exhale, and slice the dumbbell across your body to the right as you raise your right knee, bringing the weight to the outside of your right hip.
Raise the weight back to starting position and lightly tap your right toes to the floor. This completes one rep.
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19Kettlebell Orbit
Stand with feet hip-distance apart and arms extended slightly out to your side. Hold a kettlebell in your left hand at one corner of the horn.
In a fluid motion, swing it behind you and reach your right hand back to grab it on the other side of the horn.
Keep the motion fluid as you swing it to the front of you and grab it with your left hand. It should feel like you are making the kettlebell orbit your waist.
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20Shoulder Press With Side Crunch
Stand holding dumbbells at your shoulders. With your palms facing forward, press the weights overhead, straightening your arms.
As you bend your elbows to lower the weights, lift your left knee up toward your left elbow. Squeeze your abs to exaggerate the side crunch.
Lower your leg while raising the weights overhead, and repeat the side crunch on the right. This completes one rep.
Do 15 reps, alternating sides.
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2110-Minute Standing Ab Workout
Grab your weight, between five and 10 pounds, then press play, and get ready to work your abs and core with the quick standing workout.
