The 9 Best Ab Exercises You Can Do Without Equipment

Training core can be one of the most neglected aspects of any training programme. Mainly because there isn't anything quite like that burn after a set of ab exercises. So, to make the whole process easier, here are nine ab exercises you can do at home, with no equipment.

Traditionally, ab training is done using little to no equipment anyway, with an emphasis on burning out the muscle rather than the quality of each rep and exercise. This was driven by the belief that you could lose fat by targeting a specific area of the body and constantly working that area.

But don't worry, thanks to modern sports science, we now know that this is not the case. You cannot spot reduce fat. But this isn't to say we can’t learn anything from our fitness mistakes. These bodyweight ab exercises are great for developing the core muscles and can be done at home with no equipment whatsoever.

1. Crunch

The crunch remains the best-known exercise for your abs, and with good reason. They work the entire abdominal area and achieve a great contraction with every rep. 

• Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You can cross your arms across your chest or keep your hands up by your forehead.
• Contracting your abdominal muscles, bring your ribcage closer to your hips. Your extreme lower back should remain on the floor.
• Squeeze tight and return to the start position with your back flat on the ground.

3 sets of 10 – 20 reps to start, increase the reps as you progress.

Remember, this is not a sit-up. You should only be contracting your abdominal muscles, not bringing your entire torso into your knees.

2. Heel taps

• Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground.
• Your feet and knees should be together and tucked high close to your glutes.
• With your hands at your sides, contract your left obliques to touch your left heel with your left hand and then immediately contract your right obliques to touch your right heel with your right hand. This counts as one rep.
• Keep repeating this movement for the desired sets and reps.

3 sets of 30 reps (each heel) to start, and progress as you get better

•  Assume a press-up position, except place your forearms on the ground with clenched fists at about the same position as your shoulders.
• Brace the body and hold this position.

Hold for 3 sets of 30 seconds to start with, increase the times as you get better. Rest for the same amount of time that you worked.

You can make these harder with your elbows slightly forward or weight on your back. A backpack is most easily accessible for this purpose.