The 5 Best Ab Exercises in the Gym

Endless sit-ups get you less than a few well-chosen exercises with real resistance. These five exercises cover the upper and lower rectus abdominis as well as deep core stability — each with proven results for its area.

1. Cable Crunch

The cable crunch combines the movement of a classic crunch with real, progressive resistance — exactly what floor exercises lack once bodyweight alone stops being enough of a challenge. For the upper abs, it's one of the most reliable exercises, because the load can be increased cleanly just like with any other strength exercise.

Form: Kneeling in front of the cable machine, grip the rope behind your head, round your torso downward by contracting your abs — the movement comes from your core, not your arms or hips.

2. Hollow Hold

The hollow hold trains the abs not through movement but by holding tension against gravity — a type of load that classic crunch movements don't cover. Because the entire core has to stabilize at once, both the rectus abdominis and the deep core muscles stay active throughout, not just during individual reps.

Form: Lying on your back, press your lower back firmly into the floor, lift your arms and legs slightly at the same time so only your lower pelvis and shoulders touch the ground. Hold, without your lower back lifting off the floor.

3. Hanging Leg Raise

Where crunch-style movements mainly target the upper abs, hanging leg raises noticeably shift the load lower — exercises that move the legs instead of the torso activate the lower portion of the rectus abdominis more.

Form: Hang from a bar or in a dip station with arm support, raise your legs with control until they at least reach horizontal, then lower slowly. Swinging from the hips noticeably reduces the effect.

4. Crunch Machine

The crunch machine delivers the same basic movement as a classic crunch, but with guided, cleanly progressive resistance — and takes the neck and lower back out of the movement, which tend to assist slightly in the floor version. For anyone who wants to progress steadily without relying on added weight at the cable machine, it's one of the most plannable options for the upper abs.

Form: Sit upright, secure the pads or handles at your upper chest, round your torso forward and down by contracting your abs, return with control — the movement comes from your core, not from arm strength against the pads.

5. Weighted Plank

Like the hollow hold, the plank trains through holding tension rather than movement — but primarily targets the deep core muscles that stabilize the lower back. With added weight on your back, it can be progressed like any other exercise, instead of just increasing how long you hold it.

Form: Forearm support, body in a straight line from head to heel, actively brace your abs and glutes, don't let your hips sag or push up.

What this means for your training

OUR APPROACH AT 10 REPS

These exercises are all part of the 10 Reps exercise catalog — trainable individually through the workout library with a "Core" focus, or embedded in a complete training plan.

The progression engine handles the increases from session to session, so you can focus on clean execution instead of working out the next load yourself.

Conclusion: Targeted Beats Endless

Five well-chosen exercises with real resistance get you further than endless sets of classic sit-ups.

Cover the upper and lower rectus abdominis plus deep core stability, and you have everything effective ab training needs.