13 Best Calisthenics Ab Exercises for a Sculpted Core

Achieving sturdy and toned abs is the ultimate goal of many fitness enthusiasts.

However, it requires proper training and diet to bolster your abdominal muscles and reveal six-pack.

In this article, I’ll share the best calisthenics ab exercises and how you can use them to create a good core workout plan.

Calisthenics is more effective for improving muscle coordination than other forms of training like Pilates¹Effects of calisthenics and Pilates exercises on coordination and proprioception in adult women: a randomized controlled trial – (Journal Sports Rehabilitation) and helps improve posture, strength, and body composition without the use of any major training equipment, all you need is your body weight.² The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength, and body composition – Isokinetics and Exercise Science (Research Gate)

Whether you are an athlete or a typical fitness enthusiast, you can do calisthenics exercises to forge your abdominal muscles and improve your midsection muscle symmetry.

Are Calisthenics Exercises Good for the Core?

Yes, calisthenics exercises are effective for developing core strength and definition.

You can do various exercises to bolster your abdominal strength, such as v-ups, hollow body, hanging knee raises, L-sit, and plank.

A study has shown that core stability exercises can help ease low back pain, reduce the risk of injuries, and improve body composition.³ Optimizing Performance by Improving Core Stability and Core Strength – Sports Medicine

However, any exercise you perform with poor form can lead to injuries. So when you feel discomfort or pain, check your form and improve it so you can train effectively.

List of Calisthenics Ab Exercises for a Sturdy Core

Here’s a list of bodyweight calisthenics core exercises you can do at home with little to no equipment:

1. Hollow Body Crunch
2. Hanging Knee Raises
3. Reverse crunches
4. Front and Side Plank
5. L-Sit
6. Windshield Wipers
7. Single Leg Tuck-up
8. Lying Leg Raises
9. V ups
10. Dragon Flag
11. Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollout
12. Eccentric Sit-up
13. Bird Dog Plank

All these exercises are a part of my general abs workout routine. And I do them in my 10-minute core workout plan.

Let’s find out the benefits of each exercise and how to do them step-by-step.

1. Hollow Body

The hollow body crunch is an isometric exercise that highly activates core muscles and helps build shredded abs.

It engages as many as six muscles at the same time, for example, the oblique, hip flexors, back, hamstrings, quads, glutes, and especially the abdominal muscles.

You can incorporate this exercise into your calisthenics abs workout routine to improve your core strength, stability, and endurance.

How to do a Hollow Body Crunch:

1. Lie on your back with your arms straight behind you and legs straight in front of you.
2. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight, lift your legs off the floor and bend your knees in front of you so your feet are facing forward and your thighs are in line with your hips. That’s the start.
3. Inhale and raise your upper torso and arms off the floor (until you feel the contraction in your abs) while keeping your lower back entirely on the floor.
4. Inhale, pause for ten seconds, and then return to the start.

2. Hanging Knee Raises

The hanging knee raise is an efficient and effective pull-up bar ab exercise you can do to bolster your midsection, enhance grip strength, and improve functional strength.

It keeps your abdominal muscles under constant tension and provides decent stretch when you extend your legs. This combination of squeezes and stretches builds a solid core.

How to do a hanging knee raise

1. Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart and legs straight downward.
2. Engaging your abdominal muscles, bring your knees upward toward your body until your abs are fully engaged.
3. Hold for a couple of seconds, then lower your legs until your knees are extended. That’s your complete rep.

3. Reverse crunches

The reverse crunches are better than traditional ones because they engage core muscles efficiently without putting much stress on your lower back.

It specifically targets the lower abs and obliques and helps build ripped abs.⁴ New Study Puts the Crunch on Ineffective Ab Exercise By Mark Anders – American Council of Exercise (ACE) Study

Incorporating reverse crunches in your calisthenics ab workout routine can improve core stability and tone muscles, and may help you build six-pack abs quickly.

How to do reverse crunches:

1. Lie on the mat with your face up and legs extended.
2. Keep your arms out to the sides with the palms facing downward. That’s the start.
3. Exhale, brace your abdominal muscles, lift your feet off the floor, and bring your knees toward your chest until your abdominal muscles are fully engaged.
4. Hold in this position for a couple of seconds, breathe as usual, then return your knees to the start. And without landing your feet on the ground, do the subsequent repetitions.
5. Do two sets of 10 to 20 repetitions each, depending on your strength and endurance.

4. Planks

The plank is one of the compound workouts that work on several muscles at once, such as arms, shoulders, hips, legs, and primarily the core.⁵ Reality Check: Are Planks Really the Best Core Exercise? Jim Gerardby – American Council of Exercise (ACE)

It requires you to keep your body in a stable position for a set amount of time. It looks easy, but it challenges your abdominal strength and fires up your core muscles.⁶ Amiruddin, Miftachul & Wiriawan, Oce & Muhammad, Muhammad. (2023). Strength and Balance Improvement with Plank Exercise Variations. COMPETITOR: Jurnal Pendidikan Kepelatihan Olahraga. 15. 282. 10.26858/cjpko.v15i2.47332.

Planking also enhances muscular endurance and increases respiratory capacity.⁷ Park S, Choi BH, Jee YS. Effects of plank exercise on respiratory capacity, physical fitness, and immunocytes in older adults. J Exerc Rehabil. 2023;19(6):332-338. Published 2023 Dec 26. doi:10.12965/jer.2346536.268

The plank has several variations, such as the forearm, lateral, extended, and high plank.

Let’s look at step-by-step instructions for the forearm front and side plank.

Forearm Plank

1. Get into an “up” position of a pushup, with your arms straight underneath your shoulders and legs behind. Make sure your body is straight from your head to your heels.
2. Keep your body weight on your forearms and toes, and keep your core tight.
3. Hold there for as long as you can for effective results.

Side Plank

1. Lie on either side with your forearm on the ground underneath your shoulder, and keep your legs straight in a stacked position.
2. Lift your hips off the floor and maintain a straight torso. That’s your start.
3. Brace your core and hold in this position for 20 to 30 seconds, and then switch to the opposite side.
4. Do it once on each side.

5. L-Sit

The L-sit is one of the best calisthenics ab exercises you can do with and without equipment to develop a powerful core.

L sit engages as many as eight muscles: rectus abdominis, obliques, hip, arms, quadriceps, shoulders, and pectoralis major.

Steps to perform the L sit on the floor:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you.
2. Keep your hands on the floor beside your hips.
3. Brace your abdominal muscles, maintain your back as straight as possible, and push into the floor with your hands to lift your legs (straight and together) off the floor; your thighs will be parallel to the floor.
4. Hold in this position for as long as possible, and lower your body to the start. Repeat three times.
5. Your legs should be as straight as possible when you hold them above the floor.
6. Keep your core tight throughout the movement.

You can also use a dip or push-up stand to perform this movement.

6. Windshield Wipers

The windshield wiper helps improve balance and flexibility and develops a firm core. It works on multiple muscles simultaneously, including the abs, obliques, and hips.

You can do this exercise on the floor and the pull bar. Since doing it on the pull-up bar isn’t possible at home, let’s see how to do it on the floor.

Steps to perform a floor windshield wiper:

1. Lie on the mat with your legs straight and together on the floor.
2. Keep your arms straight out to the sides with your palms down.
3. Brace your core and position your hands firmly on the ground.
4. Raise your legs until your heels are facing the sky/ceiling.
5. Lower your legs to the right until your feet touch the floor.
6. Pause for a moment, then repeat on the opposite side.
7. You’ll feel the contraction in your abdominal muscles during the entire movement.

7. Single-Leg Tuck-up

The single-leg tuck-up is a simple but effective exercise for the abs. It targets the lower abs and improves overall balance.

You can incorporate it into your calisthenics workout plan to strengthen and tone core muscles.

How to do a single-leg tuck-up:

1. Lying on your back, keep your arms straight behind you and your legs in front of you.
2. Brace your abdominal muscles and lift your torso off the floor.
3. Keep your arms straight and bring your right knee inside toward your chest simultaneously.
4. Hold there for a moment, then return to the start.
5. Follow the same steps and do equal reps and sets on each side.

8. Lying Leg Raises

Lying leg raises are a simple exercise that strengthens your core, especially the lower abs and hip flexors, while also engaging your side abs (obliques).⁸ Alavi SF, Tahan N, Mikaili S, Baghban AA. The Effects of Curl-Up and Straight Leg Raising Exercises in Different Hip Joint Positions on Abdominal Muscle Thickness. J Chiropr Med. 2023;22(3):173-179. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2023.04.005

It involves lifting your legs slowly while lying flat. This movement builds a stronger midsection, improves posture, and enhances hip flexibility without putting much stress on your erector spinae.

How to do a leg raise:

1. Lying straight on the mat, keep your arms straight at your sides or under your glutes.
2. Raise your legs straight and together until your hips are fully flexed.
3. Pause for a couple of seconds, lower your legs back to the floor, and aim for 10-15 repetitions.

9. V-ups

The V-up is an advanced calisthenics exercise that helps increase core strength, full-body mobility, and endurance.

I love doing V-ups as I feel my core work considerably during this exercise. It helps me improve my overall core fitness.

Whether you want to strengthen your core or thicken your six-pack abs, you can add it to your routine.

How to do a V up

1. Lying on the floor, keep your arms extended overhead and legs straight in front of you.
2. Contracting your abdominal muscles, raise your legs and trunk simultaneously until your fingertips touch your toes.
3. Keep your lower body also engaged during the movement.
4. Do two sets of as many repetitions as possible.

10. Dragon Flag

The dragon flag is one of the most efficient, effective, and challenging calisthenics exercises for abs. It helps build a rock-solid core by targeting the entire abdominal region, hip flexors, and lower back while stabilizing with shoulders and grip.

This intense move also improves spinal health, flexibility, and muscle definition, but it’s challenging and requires proper form – good strength, balance, slow, and a strong spine to perform this movement efficiently.

Here’s how you can also perform the Dragon flag:

1. Lie on the floor against a standing solid object.
2. Take your arms behind your head and grab the object firmly with your hands.
3. Brace your core and lift your legs, hips, and lower back off the floor until your heels face up.
4. Slowly return them to the starting position.
5. Do as many reps as possible.

11. Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollout

The ab wheel rollout is an excellent exercise for core development. It stretches abdominal muscles well and helps build a sturdy core.⁹ Electromyographic analysis of traditional and nontraditional abdominal exercises: implications for rehabilitation and training – Physical Therapy Article on NIH

You can do several wheel roll-out variations, such as kneeling roll-out, oblique wheel roll-out, roll-out on toes, etc.

Let’s see how to do a kneeling wheel rollout:

1. Sit on your knees, grab the wheel, and position it on the floor underneath your chest.
2. Keeping the abdominal muscles tight, roll the wheel forward until your arms are extended in front of you, and lift your feet off the ground as you move forward.
3. Hold a moment in the extended position, then reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
4. Keep your back as straight as you can throughout the entire movement.
5. Perform two sets of 5 to 10 reps each.

12. Eccentric Situps

The eccentric sit-up is the modified variation of the sit-up, which involves lowering your torso as slowly as possible while returning to the floor.

It works on abdominal muscles (upper & lower rectus abdominis) and engages the hip flexors and lower back.¹⁰ Kim K, Lee T. Comparison of muscular activities in the abdomen and lower limbs while performing sit-up and leg-raise. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(2):491-494. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.491

Sit-ups help burn more calories, build a strong core, and improve endurance.

How to do it stepwise:

1. Start by lying on the floor with your knees bent in front of you and feet flat on the ground.
2. Keep your elbows bent and fingertips behind your ears. That’s the start.
3. Raise your trunk toward your knees; you’ll feel the contraction in your abdominal muscles.
4. Breathe out, pause for a couple of seconds, and then return to the start.
5. Do as many sets and reps as possible.

13. Bird Dog Pose

The bird dog is a popular strength and mobility exercise. It is a low-impact exercise that builds core strength, stabilizes the lower back, and activates the glutes and shoulders.¹¹ Graham, John F MS, CSCS*D, FNSCA. Exercise: Bird Dog. Strength and Conditioning Journal 31(6):p 93-94, December 2009. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181c2228a

The bird-dog plank involves extending the opposite arm and leg while holding a plank. This movement improves balance, coordination, and posture while supporting spinal health and reducing back pain risk.¹² Xiao J, Sun J, Gao J, Wang H, Yang X. The Activity of Surface Electromyographic Signal of Selected Muscles during Classic Rehabilitation Exercise. Rehabil Res Pract. 2016;2016:4796875. doi:10.1155/2016/4796875

Steps to do it:

1. Sit on all fours with your hips under your knees and arms below your shoulders.
2. Brace your core and maintain a flat back. That’s the setup.
3. Lift your right arm and left leg off the floor until they are parallel to the ground.
4. Pause for five to ten seconds, then return to the start and repeat on the opposite side.

Examples of Calisthenics Ab Workout Routine

10-minute (Beginner)

• Situps – 10 reps, 30-sec rest
• Bird Dog Pose -5 reps on each side (spent five seconds on each rep), 30-sec rest
• Leg Lifts – 10 reps, 30-sec rest
• Front Plank – 45-sec, 30-sec rest
• Reverse Crunches – 20 reps, 45-sec rest
• Side Plank – 20-sec/side
• Repeat twice.

20-minute (Intermediate)

• Mountain Climber – 15 seconds activity, 15 seconds rest.
• Situps – 20 reps, 30 secs rest
• Leg Lifts – 20 reps, 30 secs rest
• Bird Dog Pose -5 reps, five seconds each/side
• The hollow body – 15 seconds hold, 30 seconds rest
• Reverse Crunches – 20 reps, 30 secs rest
• Side Plank – 20-sec/side
• Hanging Knee Raise – 20 reps, 30 secs rest
• Ab Wheel Rollout – 10 reps
• Repeat twice.

30-minute (Advanced)

Perform three rounds.

Exercise	Activity	Rest
Mountain Climber	15-second	30-second
Hanging Knee Raise	15 reps	30-second
Situps	15 reps	30-second
Dragon Flag	5 reps	45-second
Bird Dog	5 reps/side	30-second
Ab Wheel Rolling	10 reps	45-second
Single-Leg Tuck-up	5 reps	30-second
Hollow Body	15-sec	30-second
Front Plank	60-sec	15-second
Side Plank	30-sec	No Rest

• Perform bird dog and single leg tuck-up five reps, 5 seconds each on both sides.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

• 1
  Effects of calisthenics and Pilates exercises on coordination and proprioception in adult women: a randomized controlled trial – (Journal Sports Rehabilitation)
• 2
  The effects of a calisthenics training intervention on posture, strength, and body composition – Isokinetics and Exercise Science (Research Gate)
• 3
  Optimizing Performance by Improving Core Stability and Core Strength – Sports Medicine
• 4
  New Study Puts the Crunch on Ineffective Ab Exercise By Mark Anders – American Council of Exercise (ACE) Study
• 5
  Reality Check: Are Planks Really the Best Core Exercise? Jim Gerardby – American Council of Exercise (ACE)
• 6
  Amiruddin, Miftachul & Wiriawan, Oce & Muhammad, Muhammad. (2023). Strength and Balance Improvement with Plank Exercise Variations. COMPETITOR: Jurnal Pendidikan Kepelatihan Olahraga. 15. 282. 10.26858/cjpko.v15i2.47332.
• 7
  Park S, Choi BH, Jee YS. Effects of plank exercise on respiratory capacity, physical fitness, and immunocytes in older adults. J Exerc Rehabil. 2023;19(6):332-338. Published 2023 Dec 26. doi:10.12965/jer.2346536.268
• 8
  Alavi SF, Tahan N, Mikaili S, Baghban AA. The Effects of Curl-Up and Straight Leg Raising Exercises in Different Hip Joint Positions on Abdominal Muscle Thickness. J Chiropr Med. 2023;22(3):173-179. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2023.04.005
• 9
  Electromyographic analysis of traditional and nontraditional abdominal exercises: implications for rehabilitation and training – Physical Therapy Article on NIH
• 10
  Kim K, Lee T. Comparison of muscular activities in the abdomen and lower limbs while performing sit-up and leg-raise. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(2):491-494. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.491
• 11
  Graham, John F MS, CSCS*D, FNSCA. Exercise: Bird Dog. Strength and Conditioning Journal 31(6):p 93-94, December 2009. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181c2228a
• 12
  Xiao J, Sun J, Gao J, Wang H, Yang X. The Activity of Surface Electromyographic Signal of Selected Muscles during Classic Rehabilitation Exercise. Rehabil Res Pract. 2016;2016:4796875. doi:10.1155/2016/4796875