13 of the best standing ab exercises

You read that title correctly: standing ab exercises.

You probably never thought of working your core while standing, but you should. Your core muscles aren’t just the ones you see while standing in front of the mirror. Your abs, oblique muscles, and the muscles that stabilize and support your spine all make up your core.

The experts at Greatist interviewed Rachel Nicks, a trainer at Boutique Fitness Xperience in New York City, New York for the best standing ab moves that target your entire core. Nicks recommends good form over a lot of reps. Pick two or three moves from the list and add them to a cardio or strength routine. Do the move for the designated number of reps or time and do two rounds total.

Before you begin:

• You will need a set of dumbbells and a medicine ball. We recommend using our CanDo® dumbbells or a CanDo® medicine ball.

The exercises:

1. March with a twist – think of this move as slow high knees with an added twist. Stand with your feet hip width apart, shoulders down, arms overhead, and your core braced. Bring your right elbow to your left knee as you twist through your waist, then return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side. Focus on using your core, not your quads, to lift your knee and squeeze your obliques throughout. Continue to alternate sides for 60 seconds.
2. Wide side crunch – stand with your feet wider than hip width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Turn your toes outward and lower into a wide squat by squeezing your glutes, bending your knees, and keeping your hips in line with your torso. Try not to stick your bottom out too far. Raise your arms so your elbows are bent at 90 degrees, engage your core, and bend to the right trying to tap your elbow to your thigh. Do 10 reps on each side and then alternate sides for 20 reps.
3. Standing stabilization – stand with your feet hip width apart holding the medicine ball or dumbbell in both hands, and extend your arms in front of your chest. Keep your arms straight and your shoulders pressed down, rotating your upper body to the right and then return to the center. Do 10 reps on the right, 10 on the left, and alternate sides for 10 reps.
4. Reverse chop – hold the medicine ball with both hands at chest height and stand with your feet hip width apart. Lower the ball to the outside of your right foot, allowing your knees to naturally bend and your feet to pivot. Bring the ball across your torso and overhead to the left feeling your core engage. Increasing your speed will create more of a challenge. Do 10 reps then switch to the other side.
5. Standing side bends with dumbbells at side – hold a heavy dumbbell in one hand. Stand with your feet hip width apart and bend from the waist to the right. Engage your core to pull your torso upright. Do the right side for only 60 seconds and the left side for 60 seconds. Alternate sides for 60 seconds.
6. Standing side bends with dumbbells overhead – starting in the same position as the previous move, hold a heavy weight in both hands overhead with your arms extended. Bend at the waist to the right, keeping your arms straight. Use your core to pull your torso back to the center. Do the right side for 60 seconds and then on the left for 60 seconds.
7. Standing side crunch – stand with your feet a few inches wider than hip width apart with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms in the goalpost position. Engage your core and bring your left elbow your left thigh by bending at the waist and performing a side crunch. Rather than moving your elbow down to your thigh, try to keep your arms and shoulders in the same place so you’re forced to use your oblique muscles to perform the move. Do the left side for 60 seconds, then the right side for 60 seconds, and finally alternate sides for 60 seconds.
8. Standing crossover toe touches – stand with your feet wider than hip width apart and with your arms extended so you’re in a T position. Engage your core, rotate your torso to the left, and tap your right hand to the outside of your left foot. Do the left side only for 60 seconds and then the right side only for 60 seconds. Then alternate sides for 60 seconds.
9. Single-leg sprint – stand in a low lunge with your left knee bent, your right leg straight behind you, and your arms extended overhead. Hinge forward slightly from the hip so your chest is over your left thigh. Use your core to lift your right knee toward your chest and allow your arms to come in at the sides. Replace the leg on the ground and quickly drive forward again. Do 20 reps then switch sides.
10. Chair pose twist – start in a modified chair pose by placing your feet hip width apart, engaging your core, sending your hips back, bending your knees, a placing your hands behind your head. Rotate your upper body to the right side, hooking your left elbow to the outside of your right knee. Don’t allow your hips to twist to the right. Imagine you are bringing your left ribcage to the right hip bone. Rotate to the other side to complete 1 rep and 20 reps.
11. Side leg raise with side bend – stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. With your core engaged, bend from the waist to the right and simultaneously allow your right foot to rise off the floor, maintaining a straight arm and leg. Engage your oblique muscles to feel a side crunch. As you return to the starting position, tap your right foot to the ground and immediately begin the next rep. try not to put any weight on the right foot. Do the right side for only 60 seconds and the left side for only 60 seconds. Then alternate sides for 60 seconds.
12. Standing twist – start with your feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent, a dumbbell in each hand, and arms in a goalpost position. Rotate to the right, keeping your hips level and only using your upper body to twist. Next, rotate to the other side. Maintain an open chest and level shoulders throughout. Rotate from side-to-side for 60 seconds.
13. Overhead circles – stand with your feet hip width apart and hold a medicine ball with both hands straight overhead. Use the ball to draw a large circle on the ceiling. Engage your core and keep your hips level and straight. Do 30 seconds in one direction and then switch directions for another 30 seconds.

Click here for the original article on Greatist.