GUYS WHO WANT abs will do situps until it hurts to cough. But if you want to truly build six-pack abs and have a core that's strong and bulletproofs your spine, you'll want a more dedicated, complete training approach. And that's because your abs, in tandem with your core muscles, do far more than look pretty on the beach.
Training your entire core as a unit unlocks a host of other exercises and real-world functions. And you can supercharge your core training by building around those ideas. This not only sets you up to build beach-worthy abs faster, but it also leaves you with a core that's more resilient against injury and better at letting you showcase the strength and athleticism you work so hard to have in the gym.
“Your core has a series of functions, just like every other muscle in the body, and if we attack those functions, we’re going to get the visuals we want in our core and a really bulletproof area that’s going to help us with our other exercises and provide us with longevity beyond the aesthetics,” explains Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., fitness director for Men’s Health.
To help you better understand what your core does and how to train it according to recent science, Samuel takes you through all its different functions. Start with these building blocks below to level up your workouts for stronger abs.
Your Multi-Function Ab Workout Exercises
BELOW, YOU’LL FIND eight exercises for the five primary functions of your core: bracing, rotation, anti-rotation, spinal flexion, and anti-extension. You can add any of these movements to your ab routine, or perform one exercise from each category as a complete workout. (If you go that route, only select one exercise from the categories that list more than one.)
The Ab-Building Exercises
Function: Bracing
Zercher Squat
Watch someone performing the exercise, and you might not think of your abs. The Zercher squat is a heavy loaded squat, first and foremost. However, Samuel likes this front-loaded lift because it trains you to brace—a movement that integrates your abs, glutes, and back extensors.
“When we think about core training, I like to think about integrated core training,” says Samuel. “What we get from that is, we’re training our abs… our lower back is involved, our obliques are involved. We’re getting all that active all at once, which will keep your lower back safe.”
The best way to train this core function, Samuel continues, is to lift heavy weights, since they essentially force your body to brace under load. That’s where the Zercher squat comes in. Compared to most traditional ab movements, like planks, you can place your core under a relatively immense load to recruit those bracing muscles.
SETS AND REPS: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Set the rack at about waist height. Squat down to get the barbell into the pit of your elbows. Make sure your upper arms are perpendicular to the ground, and squeeze your elbows close together.
- Roll the shoulder blades down and back to create that mid-back tension. Make fists with your palms facing each other, or clasp your hands together to create tension.
- Stand up from the rack and step back. Find your ideal squat stance so that your knees are wider than shoulder width as you come down, creating space for your elbows.
- Like your standard squat, keep your weight between your toes and heels. Squeeze your shoulder blades, abs, and glutes, and take a deep breath. Hold that breath as you push your butt back, then bend at the knee and lower down to keep your torso upright. Hold that bottom position for a second or two, but don't rest your elbows on your knees.
- Squeeze your glutes to return to standing.
Core Function: Rotation
Half-Kneeling Kettlebell Windmill
“[One way] to think about rotation, it’s your hips going one way and the shoulders going the other way, and one of the best ways to train this is the half-kneeling windmill,” says Samuel.
Extending a kettlebell over your head challenges your shoulder stabilizers (like the rotator cuff muscles) as you rotate your core through the full range of motion. Like the Zercher squat, the windmill forces you to brace—but it emphasizes the movement of your obliques and rectus abdominis, two surface-level core muscles that are less involved in spine stabilization and more prominent in trunk movement.
“A lot of the other exercises you’re doing have you in this sagittal plane, right out in front of you,” says Samuel. “The issue is that you’re not training your core to do what it does. The obliques prevent your core from ripping itself apart when you rotate, and you can only strengthen [that quality] when you train them.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 60 seconds per side
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start in a half-kneeling stance, foot set slightly wide, glutes squeezed and core tight, dumbbell or kettlebell held at your shoulder.
- Tighten your core and press the weight overhead.
- Keeping your core tight, hinge forward, lowering your free elbow to the ground. Keep watching the kettlebell as you do so; your chest will open to one side as you do this.
- Return to the starting position and pause for one second before starting the next rep.
Core Function: Anti-Rotation
Half-Bench Single-Arm Press
“The idea of anti-rotation is that my hips and shoulders are going to stay square, but I’m going to have to fight for it,” Samuel says. “As I’m battling to stay balanced against that rotation, my obliques, glutes, and lower back extensors are working overtime.”
Samuel’s favorite anti-rotation movement is a single-arm dumbbell bench press, which forces half of his body off the bench. Samuel removes additional support by suspending one of his glutes and shoulders, forcing his core to work even harder to stay stable. He emphasizes that you should never lead off your workout with a stability-focused movement like this; instead, start with your heavy compound lifts and perform your less stable movements later in the workout.
“An exercise like this will help you build stability and translate to your bench press,” Samuel adds. “Mixing this stuff in is a really good way to bulletproof your body against injury and make you better at those classic heavy lifts.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start sitting on the edge of the set on the bench holding a single dumbbell. Lie back, shifting the weight to one shoulder, then press straight up above your chest.
- Shift your body off the bench on the same side as your working arm. Your glute, spine, and half your head should be off the back pad. Squeeze your glutes, ground your feet into the floor, and brace your abs to keep your position on the bench. Extend your off arm for balance.
- Lower the weight down to your chest. Keep driving your feet into the floor and squeeze your glutes and abs to fight the rotation and stay in position.
- Press the weight back up.
Split-Stance High-to-Low Cable Chop
Another anti-rotation exercise is something Samuel calls a "stealth" abs move. “The split-stance cable chop is a good reminder that you don’t need to feel a muscle working on every exercise that you do,” he says. “Just because you don’t feel a pump, doesn’t mean an exercise is useless. Focus on the movement pattern you’re training and worry less about if you got a pump or whether you feel the muscle.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side
HOW TO DO IT:
- Set the cable at head height and kneel perpendicular to the machine in a staggered stance.
- Grab the handle with both hands and rotate your torso as you pull the handle diagonally down across your body.
- Finish with your hands outside your opposite hip.
- Return slowly and repeat.
Core Function: Spinal Flexion
Cable Crunch
The cable crunch uses a cable tower or resistance band to put yourself in a position you might not always find yourself in during your training. “It is very important for us to round our back, especially if we train athletically,” explains Samuel, who notes that most exercises like the deadlift and bench press require you to extend your back and open your chest. “I want to spend some time getting out of that position and training my rectus abdominis to get out of that position.”
Samuel likes the cable crunch for this. It’s simple to do, and you can easily progressively overload it by increasing the weight of the cable stack slightly each week. “If you want to get something out of your abs, you’ve got to load them,” he adds.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Set the pulley of a cable machine to its highest setting and attach a rope handle.
- Select the weight you want to use and then grab the rope with both hands and drop to your knees.
- Scoot back a few inches, bring the rope near the top of your head, and then crunch your head toward your hips. Think about pushing your belly button to the ceiling and rounding your back.
Core Function: Anti-Extension
Hanging Knee Lift/Leg Raise
“If you’re chasing visually impressive abs, one of the things you want to train is anti-extension,” says Samuel. “Hip extension is our position of power, but we want strong abs that can fight that.”
When you perform the hanging leg lift, you want to slightly extend your legs out in front of you and your hips forward to mimic a hollow hold position. This forward-first position will teach your body to brace and get you out of that extended position you’re in so often during most exercises.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Hang from a pull-up bar with arms straight and legs extended.
- Position your legs slightly in front of you and flatten your lower back. You should look like you’re in a vertical hollow hold position.
- Now, brace your core and lift your knees toward your chest.
- Pause at the top, then take two to three seconds to lower your legs back to the starting position
Dragon Flag
The final move allows you to add some showiness to your core training—and it all depends on your body positioning on the bench. “My rectus abdominis, that big six-pack muscle that we want to develop, the entire muscle is stretching because I have this long leg lever in front of me and it has to stay contracted the entire time.”
This is an eccentric-only exercise–or it will be for most guys, unless you’re Bruce Lee or something. You’ll kick your legs up so only your upper back is resting on the bench. Then, you’ll extend your legs and lower them back to the bench as slowly as possible. That slow lowering phase is what’s going to help you accumulate a lot of tension on your abs so try not to rush it. If you can’t perform the movement with your legs fully extended, try it with your knees bent first.
SETS AND REPS: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Lie back and hold the bench behind your head.
- Bend your knees and kick your legs up towards the ceiling, bringing your backside and lower back off the bench.
- Slowly move your body back down to the starting position.
Check out all of our ab-building videos in our Abs Redefined Video Training Guide, available exclusively for MH MVP subscribers, here.
Andrew Gutman, NASM-CPT
Andrew Gutman, NASM-CPT is a journalist with a decade of experience covering fitness and nutrition. His work has been published in Men's Health, Men's Journal, Muscle & Fitness, and Gear Patrol. Outside of writing, Andrew trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, helps coach his gym's kickboxing team, and enjoys reading and cooking.
