These Are the 17 Best CrossFit Ab Exercises If You Want to Lean Out and Carve Your Core

Published on 8/5/2019 at 5:52 PM

Having a strong core is essential if you do CrossFit because it makes you feel like you can lift more, run faster, and jump higher. Although we rarely do straight-up ab exercises since most CrossFit workouts are full body, when we do work our abs, these are the core-strengthening moves our coach has us do. Even if you don't do CrossFit, you can still do these exercises to get a lean and strong core.

AbMat Sit-Up (Diamond Sit-Up)

Lie on your back, and open your legs into a diamond shape (aka butterfly legs) with the soles of your feet pressed together and knees out wide. Extend your arms overhead. If you have an AbMat, place it under your lower back for support.
Inhale to curl your torso up, and tap the floor in front of your feet to stretch your glutes a bit.
Slowly lower back to the starting position.
This counts as one rep.

Hollow Body Rocks

Begin on your back with your legs straight and your arms extended overhead, in a hollow hold position. Actively press your lower back into the floor and draw your belly button into your spine.
Inhale to slowly lift your shoulders, arms, and legs off the floor. Keep your hands and heels as low to the ground as possible, while still pressing your lower back into the floor. Maintain tight abs and glutes.
Use your core to propel yourself into a forward rock so that your arms and chest are positioned higher than your legs and feet; then, rock back down, keeping your belly button pulled into your spine and your arms extended. You should be maintaining the hollow position through the entire rock.
One complete back and forth motion equals one rep.

Superman to Hollow Hold

Begin on the floor on your belly, and raise your arms and legs into the Superman Hold. Hold here for a solid three seconds, actively engaging your glutes and hamstrings.
Without using your hands or feet for help, roll to the right side and onto your back, coming into a Hollow Hold. Make sure you're actively pressing your lower back into the floor and drawing your belly button into your spine. Keep your arms and legs as low to the ground as possible while still keeping your lower back pressed into the mat. Hold for three seconds.
Roll to the right, coming back into Superman Hold for three seconds.
Roll to the left, holding Hollow Hold for three seconds.
This counts as one rep.

V-Up

Lie on your back, with your legs and arms extended a few inches above the floor.
Lift your upper back off the floor, reaching your hands toward your feet with straight legs, creating a V shape with your body.
Lower your arms and legs back down to starting position.
This completes one rep.

Burpee

Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position.
Do one basic push-up, bending your elbows and then straightening back to a plank.
Jump your feet forward to your hands, and come into a squat.
Do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can.
This counts as one rep.

Hanging Knee Raise

Start by hanging on a pull-up bar with palms facing out, or use the ab straps and hang with your arms inside of them. Use a box or bench if you need help reaching the bar.
Pull your shoulder blades down your back to keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Engage your abs as you simultaneously lift both knees up to your chest with control.
Lower your legs down slowly, and return to the starting position. This completes one rep.
Avoid swinging during this move to ensure you're really working your abs.
If this move is too hard, you can do seated knee tucks or reverse crunches on the ground.

Box Jumps

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hips-width apart in front of a sturdy box.
Bend your knees, and swing your arms back.
Jump onto the top of the box with both feet at the same time, swinging your arms forward to give you a little momentum.
Once you land, stand up until your legs are straight and drive your hips forward.
Step one foot at a time back to the floor, or jump down softly with both feet.
This counts as one rep.

Plank Dumbbell Row

Start in a plank position with your legs wider than hip-width distance; the wider stance makes you more stable. Hold onto your dumbbells, keeping your wrist locked to protect the joint.
With your core tight and your glutes engaged, exhale, stabilizing your torso as you lift your right elbow to row; feel your right shoulder blade sliding toward your spine as you bend your elbow up toward the ceiling.
Keeping your neck long and energized, return the weight to the ground.
Complete the same number of reps on each side.

Plank With Shoulder Tap

Begin in a plank variation with your feet slightly wider than your hips for added stability.
Keeping your torso stable, bring your right hand to your left shoulder, then return your right hand back to the mat.
Bring your left hand to your right shoulder, and return it to the mat. This counts as one rep.

Mountain Climbers

Start in a traditional push-up starting position — shoulders over hands and weight on just your toes.
Bring your right foot forward, bending the knee and putting weight on the ball of your foot.
Swiftly switch legs, bringing the left knee forward while moving the right leg back. It feels a little like running in place in a plank position.
This counts as two reps.

Side Plank Dip

Begin in a side elbow plank on your right side with straight legs and your feet stacked.
Inhale and lower your pelvis to the floor, so your right hip hovers just off the floor.
Exhale and press up through your right waist to lift your pelvis and return to side plank.
This completes one rep. Complete the same number of reps on both sides.

Seated Russian Twist

Holding a dumbbell in both hands, sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels off the floor.
Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight.
Pull your navel to your spine, and twist slowly to the left, bringing the weight to your left side. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging. Inhale through center, and rotate to the right.
This completes one rep.

Ball Slams

Stand with your feet shoulder-width distance apart with a 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 your spine.
Stand up, lifting the medicine ball above your head, fully extending your arms straight above you.
Forcefully slam the ball down on the floor as hard as you can. If the ball is light enough, catch it as it bounces slightly off the floor.
This counts as one rep.

Battle Ropes

Pick up both ends of the rope and use both arms to create an alternating moderate wave motion, one arm moving up as the other moves down for 15 to 30 seconds.
For the final 15 to 30 seconds, move both arms up and down together to do rope slams, creating mirror waves in each side of the rope.
This counts as one rep.

TRX Knee Tucks

In a CrossFit class, substitute two gymnastics rings for the TRX.

With the straps at mid-calf length, place one foot into each of the rings.
Lift your knees off the ground, coming into a plank position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders. Your back should be flat, and your core should be engaged (there should be no arch or dip of the torso visible).
Bring both knees in toward your elbows at the same time. Extend your legs, returning to your starting position.
This completes one rep.

Croc Walk With Sliders

Use sliders or two hand towels on smooth surfaces, or paper plates on carpet. If you don't have enough space to walk your plank, just do plank ups with sliders. If you don't have sliders, towels, or paper plates, just do mountain climbers.

Grab a pair of sliders, and put the hard side down on the ground. Place your toes on top of the sliders, and come into a plank position. Your wrists should be directly underneath your shoulders, and your back and neck should be in a neutral position.
Engage your abdominals as you move your right hand forward and simultaneously pull your entire body forward. Repeat this same movement with your left hand. Continue to move forward with control. Be sure to maintain a plank position throughout the entire motion, never rotating your hips and torso.

Elbow Plank With Hip Dips

From an elbow plank position, slowly rotate the spine to lower your right hip to just above the floor. Come back to elbow plank.
Now lower your left hip toward the floor.
This counts as one rep.