Beginner Ab Workout: Your Guide to the Most Effective Exercises
Updated March 2024
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2024 will be the year you finally get that lean waistline and chiseled abs that you’ve been coveting but have been too intimidated or apprehensive about taking on. This mindset will change now. With enough determination and guidance in the right direction, you will have the best chance of getting that six-pack for this summer!
In this guide, we’ll go over some common questions, find solutions, and initiate your beginner’s ab workout routine that will get you on the pathway to a new, toned you. Below, you will find nine easy yet effective exercises you can do at home to help improve your core.
Anatomy of the Abdominals
The abdominal muscles, also known as your “core,” surround your spine and digestive organs. Your core comprises four main abdominal muscles: rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, internal obliques, and external obliques.
The rectus abdominis, also called your “six-pack,” keeps your internal organs in place and helps your body stay stable during movement.
The transversus abdominis contributes to maintaining internal abdominal pressure and assists in the stabilization of your trunk.
In contrast, the internal and external obliques allow your trunk to twist and turn smoothly.
What are the Benefits of Having Strong Abdominals?
1. Better Posture
There is a give-and-take relationship between your abdominal muscles and your posture. Strengthening your abdominal muscles promotes better posture, while maintaining an ideal posture strengthens your core muscles and helps prevent injuries or even lowers their severity.
2. Prevent or Reduce Back Pain
The struggle with having a weaker core is that it can lead to lower back pain due to the muscles surrounding the spine being overworked, and the spine has to compensate as a result. A promising solution would be to develop and improve your core strength through ab workouts. In strengthening your core muscles through ab-related exercises that primarily focus on core stability, you can help alleviate lower back pain.
3. Slimmer Waistline
The evident truth is that if you want that desired slimmer waistline, you must perform exercises targeting the abdominal area. Alongside maintaining a varied abs workout routine, a low-carb diet will increase the amount of subcutaneous fat burned, all while also increasing your metabolism.
Additionally, reducing the body fat around your abdomen can help lower your overall risk of certain chronic diseases linked to higher body fat content, like diabetes and particular cancers.
4. Improved Athletic Performance
Another advantage of having a strong core is the newfound ease of performing physical activities that you once deemed more taxing. Strong abdominal muscles will help you generate power and control your body position needed in nearly every sport or physical activity by increasing core stability.
5. Improved Balance and Stability
Improved balance and core stability are the heart of all benefits you can reap from strengthening your abdominal muscles. The reason is that you’ll ultimately need strong core stability to achieve that six-pack. Additionally, strong core stability is essential for the proper balance of your pelvis, spine, and kinetic chain (interrelated groups of body segments that work together to perform movements).
What is a Good Ab Workout for Beginners?
It’s time to lay to rest the popularized misconception that we must haul ourselves through thousands of traditional crunches during every workout to achieve toned abs.
A recent study conducted by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) showed that when they monitored abdominal muscle stimulation, traditional crunches performed the most poorly compared to the abs workout discussed below.
Can a Beginner Get Abs in 30 Days?
It’s extremely doubtful that a beginner can achieve such a remarkable feat within a month, even with great diligence. Although it could potentially be doable for a minuscule number of people with an already low percentage of body fat, 30 days is not a feasible or healthy goal for the majority.
In order to achieve those chiseled abs, there are three significant variables to focus on— a high-protein intake, a decent calorie deficit, and a consistent workout regimen.
9 Abs Exercises For Beginners
1. Bicycle Crunches
One of the most effective exercises targeting your abdominal region is bicycle crunches. Not only does it strengthen your six-pack, but also your obliques, giving you a more toned stomach when done regularly.
A yoga mat (affiliate link) is optional.
How to perform:
1. Start by laying on the floor and having your knees bent so your feet are firmly flat on the ground. Next, have your hands positioned behind your head and hold.
2. While keeping your lower back pressed onto the floor, lift your shoulders off the ground without pulling on your neck.
3. Pull back one of your shoulder blades while slowly raising your knees off the floor and into the air at a 90-degree angle.
4. To mimic a bicycle pedaling motion, you’ll need to bring one knee towards your armpit while straightening your other knee, which should remain in the air.
5. To capitalize off this motion, rotate your torso so that your elbow touches the opposite knee when it comes towards you. Continue to alternate between your two knees, touching their opposite elbows in a twisting motion without arching your back.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 15 reps
2. Vertical Leg Crunch
Although similar to the traditional crunch, the vertical leg crunch not only targets the six-pack but is also effective in working your obliques and transversus abdominis. The result is leaner and more defined abdominal muscles.
A yoga mat is optional.
How to perform:
1. In your starting position, lie flat on the floor with your hands placed behind your neck and your fingers interlocking.
2. Bring your legs up in the air and extend them perpendicular to the floor with slightly bent knees.
3. While lifting your shoulder blades off the floor, slowly curl your upper body forward and keep your legs straight and pointed up. While curling your upper body, avoid pulling on your neck to prevent unnecessary injury or strain.
4. Hold this position for two seconds before slowly uncurling your upper body.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 15 reps
3. Russian Twists
This exercise targets your entire core, in addition to building stability and balance. A tip to keep in mind is to squeeze your abs as much as possible to increase effectiveness.
A yoga mat is recommended.
How to perform:
1. In your starting position, you will sit on the floor or yoga mat and have your knees bent in front of you. Next, hold both of your hands in front of your chest.
2. While keeping your spine elongated and your abdominal muscles tightened, slightly lean back.
3. Slowly twist your torso to the right while bringing your clasped hands beside your right hip.
4. Return to the center and slowly twist your torso to the left while bringing both hands beside your left hip, completing one repetition.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 25 reps
4. Planks
The plank exercise targets all four main parts of your abdominal muscles while also strengthening your spine. An excellent way to get the most out of this exercise is sucking your belly up to your spine as you hold this table-top position.
A yoga mat is required.
How to perform:
1. Lay prone on your yoga mat, then push your body off the floor into a table-top position. You’ll rest your weight on your toes and elbows while you hold yourself up. While in this position, you’ll aim to squeeze your core and glutes.
2. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then rest back down on your yoga mat before repeating.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 5 to 8 reps
5. Scissor Kicks
The scissor kicks engage all four main parts of your abdominal muscles and will require implementing your balance.
A yoga mat is required.
How to perform:
1. You will start by laying flat on your back with your legs fully extended and straightened. Your arms will be beside your body, with the palms facing down. (Optional: you can also have your hands positioned underneath your glutes and press your palms firmly into the yoga mat).
2. Press your lower back into the yoga mat and tuck in your pelvis. Maintain this position throughout the entire movement.
3. Lifting your shoulder blades and head off the yoga mat, you’ll also be lifting both legs off the floor at a 45-degree angle.
4. You’ll lower one leg towards the floor while lifting the other leg towards the ceiling. Proceed to do this “scissoring” motion by alternating between your legs.
Recommended sets and reps:
2 sets of 15 reps
6. Back Rotations
The objective of performing back rotations is to improve core stability, strength, and greater spine mobility. To effectively execute this exercise without the risk of lower-back injury or pain, you’ll need to engage your core and have proper form and technique throughout.
A yoga mat is required.
How to perform:
1. Firstly, lay on your back with your knees and hips bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Strengthen out your arms while pressing them onto the floor, and try to pull your belly button towards your spine. This will help your balance while performing the movement.
3. Next, slowly rotate your hips to one side with control of your core.
4. You’ll engage your abdominal muscles by moving your legs to the opposite side. Continue this motion, moving your legs and hips from side to side.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 25 reps
7. Mountain Climbers
This exercise will raise your heart rate and work out your entire body by challenging agility, cardio endurance, and core strength.
A yoga mat is required for performing this exercise.
How to perform:
1. Your starting position will be the table-top plank form. With your hands shoulder-width apart, ensure your core is engaged and your back is flat.
2. Pull your right knee into your chest as far as possible. Quickly switch by pulling that knee out and bringing your left knee into your chest.
3. Continue to alternate between both legs for at least 15 seconds, counting as a single rep.
Recommended sets and reps:
2 sets of 3 to 5 reps
8. Long Arm Crunch
The target muscle in the long arm crunch exercise is your six-pack (rectus abdominis).
A yoga mat is optional.
How to perform:
1. Your starting position will be lying on your back on the floor. Your feet are placed flat on the floor while your knees are bent, and your arms extend over your head.
2. Keeping your neck neutral, you’ll exhale as you lift your arms and upper back off the floor.
3. Counting to two, squeeze your abs and then reverse the motion as you inhale.
4. Return to your starting position and repeat.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 15 reps
9. Reverse Sit-Ups
The reverse sits-ups help activate your six-pack by making you flex your trunk and spine. This exercise is good for keeping pressure off your spinal discs, so there is less stress on your back than if you were to perform traditional crunches.
A yoga mat is optional for performing this exercise.
How to perform:
1. Lying on your back, bring your legs above your hips and have your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Keeping your arms by your sides with the palms facing down, you’re going to engage your core and push your legs straight up into the air until they are vertical.
3. Tuck your knees towards your face and have your hip and lower back lifted off the ground. Hold this position for a second, then slowly descend your lower body and legs towards the floor. Try to straighten your legs without touching the floor before tucking them back in for another repetition.
Recommended sets and reps:
3 sets of 25 reps
Example Ab Workout
As a beginner, you’ll want to ease into working out your core because, after the first couple of times you’re working on your abdominal muscles, you will definitely “feel the burn” in all your core muscles. Now, let’s look at an example of what an abs workout would include.
*Note: Make sure always to warm up your body with stretches, and after doing your main exercises, do some cool-down stretches. For your cool-down, static stretches will help release any tension within your body while also initiating recovery.
Exercise #1: Pick between Mountain Climbers or Planks
Mountain Climbers: 5 reps (15 seconds per repetition) x 2-3 sets. Rest 15 seconds between each rep and 1-2 minutes between each set.
Planks: 5 reps (30 seconds for each rep) x 3 sets. Rest for 20 seconds between each rep and 1-2 minutes between each set.
Exercise #2: Pick between Back Rotations or Vertical Leg Crunches
Back Rotations: 25 reps x 2-3 sets. Rest 30 seconds between each rep and 1 minute between each set.
Vertical Leg Crunches: 12-15 reps x 2-3 sets. Rest for 15 seconds between each rep and 1 minute between each set.
Exercise #3: Pick between Russian Twists or Bicycle Crunches
Russian Twists: 25 reps x 3 sets. Rest 15 seconds between each rep and 1-2 minutes between each set.
Bicycle Crunches: 12-15 reps x 2-3 sets. Rest for 15-30 seconds between each rep and 1-2 minutes between each set.
Exercise #4: Pick between Reverse Sit-Ups, Scissor Kicks, or Long Arm Crunches
Reverse Sit-Ups: 20-25 reps x 2-3 sets. Rest for 15 seconds between each rep and 1 minute between each set.
Scissor Kicks: 12-15 reps x 2 sets. Rest for 15 seconds between each rep and 1 minute between each set.
Long Arm Crunches: 12-15 reps x 2 sets. Rest for 20 seconds between each rep and 45 seconds to a minute between each set.
The abs workout example above is a great template that targets and works your abdominal muscles. Try to mix the different types of exercises each time you do an ab workout. Aim to perform an ab workout two to three times weekly for optimal results.
Final Thoughts
I also want to emphasize that while an ab workout is an excellent choice for a targeted muscle workout, you shouldn’t only perform it since you can easily overwork your abdominal muscles. You’ll want to incorporate different workouts targeting other body areas to achieve a comprehensively toned physique for the best overall results.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can a 10-minute ab workout be effective?
Yes, it can. Multiple factors like the intensity of each exercise and the number of reps/sets completed correctly in a 10-minute time slot could be effective if it is consistently done. The key is to engage your core muscles; even if it is just a 10-minute ab workout, you can still see results with time.
Can a beginner do abs every day?
No. As mentioned, overworking your abdominal muscles could negatively affect you, beginner or not. That being said, a beginner will want to incorporate ab workouts at least once a week but never every day. As you gain momentum on your workouts, you can start to do ab workouts up to two to three times a week.
How do you tone your stomach for beginners?
Toning your stomach will require dedication to your ab workout regimen, meaning consistency is critical.
How can I get a six-pack in 3 minutes?
Simply put, you can’t. Gaining a six-pack can take a month or more, depending on how much subcutaneous fat you have surrounding your abdomen. You can achieve these results quicker if you also adjust other factors (i.e., diet, types of exercises, lifestyle, etc.).
This article has been reviewed by our editorial board and has been approved for publication in accordance with our editorial policy.
