There are a lot of effective abs exercises out there, and doing any kind of training is always a good thing, as long as it’s not putting you at risk of injury. However, some exercises are better than others, and if you’re looking for the most effective move for strengthening your abs in particular, then the hollow body crunch has a very good claim.
That’s certainly the opinion of the team of fitness trainers at Calisthenicmovement, a group of calisthenics experts who ranked 22 popular abs exercises into five tiers ranging from D for worst to S for best. The hollow body crunch was the only move that achieved S rank, thanks to its effectiveness in targeting the upper and lower abs.
Meanwhile sit-ups were ranked in the lowest tier, along with the front lever, planche and bird dog exercises. For each move the factors in their ranking were how effective they were in engaging the abs, and how accessible they are — moves that were reliant on having a lot of strength in other muscles like your arms or legs were marked down, as were exercises that require a lot of mobility.
You can see the full rankings for all 22 moves below, and for most of them the only equipment you need is one of the best yoga mats. Note that the Calisthenicmovement trainers are clear that you can train your core and abs with compound moves, rather than just relying on the isolation abs exercises in the video.
Watch Calisthenicmovement’s abs exercises ranked
Almost all of the most popular abs exercises feature in the tier list, with classics like the plank, Russian twist and dead bug achieving a respectable B ranking, while the reverse crunch and side plank made the A tier. For the most part, the moves at the bottom of the rankings required a lot of strength in other muscles, like the human flag, or mobility, like the V-sit-up.
You can still build stronger abs using these moves of course, they were just rated as less accessible and effective than the moves in the higher tears, with the hollow-body crunch taking top spot overall for several reasons.
Is the hollow body crunch the most effective abs exercise?
The hollow body crunch achieved its S-tier status primarily because it targets both the upper and lower abs so effectively. You have to lift your shoulders off the floor and tilt your pelvis towards you, creating the maximum contraction in your rectus abdominis muscles — your ‘six pack’ abs.
It was also rated highly by Calisthenicsmovement because the hollow-body crunch doesn’t require strength in other muscles to do it effectively, or a lot of mobility. It’s also a move that you can adapt to your fitness level — extend your legs and arms further to make it harder, or tuck your knees towards your chest to make it easier.
The crunch is a variation on the hollow body hold, which is an isometric move where you hold the extended position for a set time, or just for as long as possible. Both are tough and effective abs exercises for sure.
You can do the hollow body crunch anywhere you can lie down comfortably, and it doesn’t take long for the move to exhaust your abs. Add it to your next workout to ensure your abs are getting some effective attention, but remember to also include an obliques-focused move like the side plank, since the hollow body crunch targets the central upper and lower abs.
Should you avoid sit-ups?
Despite being probably the most famous abs exercise of all, sit-ups placed in the bottom tier in this ranking. Calisthenicsmovement gave them this ranking based on the fact they actually focus more on your hip flexors than your abs and can lead to back pain because of the force placed on your lower back in particular.
Sit-ups can still be an effective move to include in your workouts, but you have to do them with good form — focus on engaging the abs during the movement and don’t rush. Your aim is to maximize the time under tension for your abs, not power through a load of reps that mostly work your hips.
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