Hate Planks And Crunches? Here Are 7 Ab Exercises You Can Do Standing Up

Are you sick of doing endless crunches on the floor, or holding your planks for what feels like forever? Get up off the ground and carve your abs without having to do a single crunch or plank.

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Yes, you heard that right. There are several effective moves that will work your core whilst on your feet. If you’re tired of lying around and want to try something new, check out these standing, ab-sculpting moves below — no mat required.

1. Extended Toe Touch

  1. Stand up on one leg, the other slightly bent behind you. Raise the arm on the side of the grounded foot straight up.
  2. Take the raised leg and lift it straight up, while lowering your arm at the same time. The two should meet and touch.
  3. Once they touch, return them to the original position and do the same movement on the opposite leg.
  4. Do three sets of 20 to 30 reps (10 to 15 each leg).

2. Reverse Dumbbell Chop

  1. Stand up straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grip a dumbbell in both hands.
  2. Lift the dumbbell up beside and above your head to either the right or the left. In one motion, bring the dumbbell down in a karate-chop motion.
  3. Raise back up to original position and repeat. Do three sets of 15 reps on each side.

3. Side Knee-Lift Crunch

  1. Stand up with your feet together,but slightly bent. Lift your arms above your head, palms touching each other.
  2. Extend one leg upward and draw your torso in on the same side. Hold for a few seconds and release.
  3. Do three sets of 10 to 20 reps on each side.

4. Standing Core Stabilization

  1. Stand up straight with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in your hands out in front of your chest.
  2. Keeping the back and legs straight, twist your torso to one side. Hold for a few seconds and return to the center.
  3. Then move to the opposite side. Hold for a few seconds and return to center. Repeat for about three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

5. Dumbbell Side Bend

  1. Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Have your arms down by your sides, holding a dumbbell in each one.
  2. Lean over to one side and hold for a few seconds. Lift back up and return to a straight position.
  3. Repeat for three sets of 15 reps on each side.

6. Overhead Circles with Medicine Ball

  1. Stand up straight, feet hip-width apart. Raise the medicine ball up above your head.
  2. Make circles around your head with the medicine ball, making them as big as possible without losing your balance.
  3. Make eight circles on one side and then repeat in the opposite direction. Do three sets on each side.

7. Reverse Lunge With Twist

  1. Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a medicine ball in both hands, arms stretched out in front of you.
  2. Maintaining your core, begin to lower into a lunge position. As you are getting into that position, twist your torso either to the right or left.
  3. Raise back up into your original position. Then repeat, but twist in the opposite direction. That makes one rep. Repeat for three sets of 15 reps each.