standing exercises for abs: 7 Best Standing Exercises for Abs and a Stronger Core

Standing exercises for abs are a terrific way to engage the muscles of your entire core, from your back to your hips. They're also a great way to avoid the dreaded crunches.

These standing exercises for abs improve your core strength since they need you to actively engage your abs in order to stay upright and stable. In this way, standing ab exercises test your abs as well as your balance.

You may burn more calories in less time by doing standing exercises for abs to build a stronger core. These standing core exercises create a functional way to improve your posture while challenging your balance and stability.

Your core extends from your "six-pack" abs and your obliques (which hug the sides of your trunk) to the muscles that stabilize and support your spine.

Getting started with standing exercises for abs

To work your abs, you might not always want to do crunches or planks or even use gym equipment. Thankfully, you don't have to. You can also work your core while standing and trying out different variations of standing ab exercises.

There are a variety of strategies to strengthen and define your core, particularly your abs, but they all need time and effort.

Check out this list of standing ab exercises for a stronger core:

1) Reverse dumbbell chop

Reverse dumbbell chop. (Image via Freepik)

The reverse dumbbell chop works on your lats, glute muscles, and shoulders in addition to your abdominals and obliques. This makes it one of the great standing ab exercises to be included in your workout routine for a stronger core.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the reverse dumbbell chop correctly:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
Slightly squat down and turn your torso to the left. Place your hands on the outside of your left thigh.
Stand up and lift the dumbbell up and across your body, carefully swinging the weight diagonally across your torso while keeping your arms outstretched. As you straighten your legs, it should be above your right shoulder.
To get back to where you started, reverse the movement.
Rep 10 times on each side, then swap sides.

2) Reverse lunge with a twist

Lunges with a twist. (Image via Pinterest)

More core involvement can be achieved by twisting your lunges. You can do this maneuver with or without weights, depending on your preference.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the reverse lunge with a twist correctly:

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms down at your sides or out in front of you, gripping a dumbbell.
Allow your torso and arms to twist over your left thigh as you step back into a reverse lunge with your right leg.
Return to the beginning and repeat with the left leg.

3) Windmill rotations

Windmill rotations. (Image via Freepik) indmill rotations. (Image via Freepik)

While performing windmill exercise, your rectus abdominis, oblique abdominal muscles, glute muscles, and hamstrings are stretched. This results in your shoulder, glute, and core strength improving. All of this makes windmill rotations one of the best exercises for a stronger core.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the windmill rotation correctly:

Begin by standing as wide as possible with your feet pointing in front. With a dumbbell in each hand, extend your arms straight down in front of you.
Bend both knees to 90 degrees and look up, sweeping your right arm forward and straight overhead.
Return to your original starting position.
Alter sides for a total of 10 reps on each side.

4) Standing core stabilizer

Standing core stabilization. (Image via Freepik)

This is one of the best standing ab exercises that target your rhomboids, deltoids, glute muscles, abductors, quads, and adductors.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the standing core stabilizer correctly:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Hold a medicine ball (or dumbbell) in both hands in front of your chest with your arms extended.
Maintain a straight line of sight with your arms and turn your upper body to the right.
Return to the starting point.
Do 10 reps on the right side and 10 reps on the left side.

5) Chest opener

The chest opener is one of the best standing ab exercises for a stronger core. During a chest opener, you will feel a stretch in your chest while activating your core.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the chest opener correctly:

Stand with your arms down at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart.
Inhale deeply and clasp your hands behind your back.
Begin to lean backward into your body as you exhale, feeling your chest open to the room.

6) Standing cat-cow pose

Standing cat-cow pose. (Image via Pinterest)

With a standing version of this classic cat-cow yoga technique, you can really feel the stretch in your abs, thus strengthening the core.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the standing cat-cow pose correctly:

Put your hands on your knees and bend at the waist.
Inhale and arch your back while lowering your head.
Allow your back to descend into your thighs as you exhale and turn your face upward.

7) Rainbow slams

Rainbow slams are great to include in your list of exercises for a stronger core. While increasing core strength, this exercise also works on your hamstrings, shoulders, and triceps.

Here are the steps you can follow to do the rainbow slam correctly:

With a medicine ball in both hands, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Raise the medicine ball above your head and hold it there. Make sure your arms are fully extended above your head.
Turn left as soon as possible. Slamming the medicine ball down to the side of your left front foot while pivoting to your back foot. As you slam the ball, bend your knees and lower yourself.
As you stand up, pick up the medicine ball and rapidly raise it back overhead.
Slam the ball down after pivoting to the other side.
Rep 10 times more.

Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh