Work Your Abs While Standing

Though many people learn to exercise their ab muscles by lying on the floor and doing crunches, this isn't the only way to work your abs. If you don’t have a place to lie down, you can do some standing exercises for your abs. Your abs make up the front part of your core muscles, and standing ab exercises are a great way to improve not only your strength and stability, but also your posture.

Steps

Doing a Standing Bicycle

  1. Stand in the proper position. Keep your feet together with one heel lifted. Keep your hands behind your head. Your back should be straight, with knees slightly bent.
    • It doesn’t matter which heel you lift. This is just the leg you will be picking up first.[1]
  2. Lift your knee up in the direction of your opposite shoulder. If you are starting with the right leg, lift your knee up towards the left shoulder. The left knee should go towards the right shoulder.
    • Your knee should reach up to about the height of your hips. Any higher and you might fall over.[2]
  3. Reach toward your knee with the opposite elbow. Twist your torso so that your knee goes to your elbow.
    • Squeeze your abs tightly as you make this move. You want to make sure it emphasizes those muscles to get the most work. Observe caution while twisting your back. If something hurts in your back, reduce your range of motion and proceed slowly only if it feels safe.
    • Make sure your hands stay behind your head, which keeps your elbows pointed outwards.[1]
    • Don’t worry if you can’t reach without bending your back and possibly losing your balance. Your knee and elbow don’t need to touch. The important thing is that the knee and elbow are reaching towards the same point.
  4. Lower your leg back down. Put your leg back down to the ground. Stand up straight again as well.
  5. Repeat with the opposite leg. Do the same steps, just with your other leg. Alternate between your right and left legs.
    • You can also do a series of reps (try 20), with one leg before switching to the other leg. Just remember to do the same number of reps with each leg to keep consistent.[1]

Doing Wood Choppers

  1. Stand in the starting position. Stand upright, with your feet slightly wider than your hips. For this exercise to work your abs, you'll need a weight or medicine ball. Hold it in your hands and reach it above your head.[2]
    • One variation to the position is to start with your feet together. If you do this, you’ll swing one leg out as you reach down.[1]
    • To get an image of what this exercise will look like, imagine you are splitting wood with a heavy axe.
  2. Swing the weight down and forward across your body. Bring the weight toward your right knee.[3] This should be an explosive movement — imagine the weight is your axe and you're striking wood that is positioned in front of your right knee.
    • This movement will force you to twist your torso. Keep your abs tight as you rotate.[4]
    • Pivot the left foot and bend your knees slightly as you twist.[3] Do not use the momentum from your arms to twist — this should be a controlled movement.[5]
    • Make sure your back stays straight and your arms are fully extended as you swing downwards.
    • If you started with your feet together, step out with your right foot.[1]
  3. Bring the weight back up above your head. Resuming the starting position will work your back, glutes, and hamstrings — it's the downward motion that really blasts your abs.
  4. Repeat on the opposite side. Do the same movement to the other side, bringing the weight or medicine ball down toward your left knee.
    • If you prefer, you can repeat several times to one side, about 20, before switching to the other side. Just remember to do a consistent number of reps between each side.

Performing the Canoe Move

  1. Stand in the right position. Put your feet about shoulder width apart and make sure your knees are slightly bent. Have your toes pointed out slightly.
    • Picture yourself sitting in a canoe, as the name suggests. That can give you a better idea of the motion you’ll need to make.[6]
  2. Clasp your hands in front of your chest. Imagine you are holding a paddle. Keep your arms straight out in front of you.
    • If the exercise feels too easy with just your hands, try holding a broom or mop with weight added to the "sweeping" end. This will have you performing a sweeping motion against resistance.
  3. Bring your clasped hands down to the outside of your hip. Imagine the motion of paddling a canoe.
    • Keep your abs tight and cinched as you twist. Don't twist with your hips — they should not move. Rather, the movement should come from your core.
  4. Bring your hands back up to your chest. Return to the original position to reset and prepare for the next rep.
    • Just like going down, make sure your abs stay tight and your hips stay still.
  5. Repeat the motion on your other side. The motion should stay the same, just toward the other side of your body. This helps to work both sides of your abs.
  6. Do 10 repetitions for each side. Ten reps should be good to give your core a nice workout before moving on to the next exercise.[6]

Performing the Standing Oblique Crunch

  1. Stand correctly. Stand up straight with your heels together and your toes pointed outward. Extend one arm straight up above your head.
    • Place your free hand on your waist to help maintain balance.[7]
  2. Bring your elbow and knee together. Bring your extended arm straight down, pointing down with your elbow. As you do this, lift your knee as far upwards as you can so they meet along your midsection. Shift your weight onto your opposite leg as needed to keep your balance.
    • The squeezing on your side should focus on your abs to get your elbow and knee together. Keep your back as straight as possible to fully engage your abs.
    • If you are in the gym, you can use a cable machine to pull downward for additional resistance.[8]
  3. Bring your arm and leg back to the original position. Extend your arm back up above your head, and place your foot back flat on the ground. This is one rep.
  4. Do 10 repetitions with one hand and leg. Once you have finished, switch arms and legs, and do 10 reps on the other side. You can also switch sides for each rep, though that means readjusting your arms each time, which can be a bit tedious.

Doing a Tuck Jump

  1. Stand in the right position. Stand up straight, with your feet about shoulder width apart. Hold your arms out in front of you parallel to the ground.[2]
    • Make sure you aren’t close to anything that you might hit. Stay clear of walls, doorways, and other items that you might accidentally hit while jumping. Don't do this exercise on a cement floor.
  2. Jump up. Bend at the knees, then jump straight up in the air. Bend your knees upward as you go up.
    • As you go up, draw your knees as close to your chest as possible. This will help “crunch” your abs, which is what gives them the workout.[2]
    • You shouldn’t be jumping around or in different directions. Make sure you are staying in one place.
  3. Land properly. Make sure you are in the same place as when you started. Land with your knees slightly bent to help soften the blow. This is especially important if you are on a hard surface like wood flooring or a tough gym floor.[2]

Tips

  • Standing ab exercises don’t require any equipment, though holding something like dumbbells or kettlebells can make the exercise more efficient. If you are using weights, make sure they are appropriate for your strength. Don’t hurt yourself by using weights that are more than you can handle.
  • Do your best to keep your back straight while doing these exercises. If you bend your spine, that transfers pressure away from your abs, meaning they get less of a workout.[9]
  • You should do these exercises on a flat surface that gives you a full range of motion for your arms and legs. Make sure there aren't other items in the way of your arms and legs as you move them around.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/vertical-abs-workout-6-standing-moves-six-pack
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://dailyburn.com/life/db/ab-exercises-standing-workout/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/standing-cable-wood-chop
  4. ↑ http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/standing-cable-wood-chop
  5. ↑ http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Standing-Wood-Chop-Med-Ball-15340393
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://thebeautybean.com/fitness-2/3-standing-abs-exercises
  7. ↑ http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/banish-ab-and-back-fat/
  8. ↑ http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/abs-exercises/videos/standing-side-crunch
  9. ↑ http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/standing-abs-workout.html
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