9 Bench Ab Exercises That Will Light Up Your Core

By Jenessa Connor

Weight benches are good for more than just chest presses and seated biceps curls. If you want to add some spice to your go-to abs circuit or (literally) elevate your at-home core routine, try a bench ab workout.

Brett Durney, a certified personal trainer and co-founder of Fitness Lab, explains that utilizing a bench during a core workout offers a variety of benefits. “By using a bench, you get a good level of stability and can, therefore, focus on using load to build strength," he says. “You don't have to spend time and energy focusing on balance and stability."

Working out on an elevated surface also opens you up to a broader range of motion. If your bench is adjustable, you can increase the intensity of some exercises by setting the bench at an angle. “For example, declined bench abdominal crunches are an excellent exercise," Durney says.

Ready to build your own bench ab workout? Check out the list of core exercises below to discover the best moves for you.

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1. Reverse Crunch

• Lie faceup on a flat bench with your feet lifted and knees bent 90 degrees. (Your thighs should be perpendicular to the bench, your shins parallel.)
• Lift your arms overhead and grip the underside of the bench.
• Keeping your neck neutral and upper body anchored to the bench, contract your abdominal muscles to bring your knees to your chest.
• Slowly return to the starting position.

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2. Decline Crunch

• Set an adjustable weight bench with foot catches to an angle (the greater the angle, the more challenging the exercise), and anchor your feet at the higher end of the bench so that you're lying at a decline.
• Bend your knees and place your fingertips behind your head.
• Keeping your neck neutral and lower back pressed into the bench, contract your abdominal muscles to bring your ribs closer to your hips and to raise your head and shoulders slightly.
• Slowly return to the starting position.

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3. Copenhagen Side Plank

• Lie on the ground on your side, perpendicular to a flat bench with your feet facing the bench.
• Place the inner side of your top foot on top of the bench and lift up into a side forearm plank: forearm on the floor, shoulder stacked over elbow, and hips lifted so your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Lift your bottom leg so it hovers above the ground. To modify, allow the bottom foot to rest on the ground.
• Hold for the specified amount of time, then repeat the exercise on the opposite side.

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4. Decline Mountain Climber

• Place your hands on the ground and the balls of your feet on top of a flat bench and assume a push-up position: feet together, core braced, body straight from head to heels, hands in line with and slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Lift your right foot off the bench and draw your right knee to your chest, keeping your back flat, your butt down, and the rest of your body stationary.
• Return your right foot to the starting position, and immediately repeat with the opposite leg.
• Continue alternating legs, performing equal reps on both sides.

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5. Jackknife

• Sit sideways on a flat bench. Place your hands behind your hips and grab the underside of the bench for support.
• Maintaining a neutral spine, lean back and extend your legs in front of you, lifting them off the ground.
• Contract your abdominal muscles to simultaneously draw your chest and knees up and together, creating a V shape with your torso and legs. (To increase the difficulty level, keep your legs straight.)
• Pause, then lean back as you lower and extend your legs in front of you.

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6. Leg Raise

• Lie faceup on a flat bench and allow your legs to hang off the front of the bench. Grip the sides of the bench with your hands for support.
• Draw your legs together and lift them to bench level. This is the starting position.
• Keeping your legs straight and back pressed against the bench, contract your abdominal muscles to lift your legs so that they're perpendicular to the bench.
• With control, lower your legs to the starting position.

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7. Decline Russian Twist

• Set an adjustable weight bench with foot catches to an angle (the greater the angle, the more challenging the exercises) and anchor your feet at the higher end of the bench so that you're sitting at a decline.
• Bend your knees and, keeping your spine neutral, lean back until you feel your core muscles engage. This is the starting position.
• Holding a medicine ball or dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest, rotate your torso to the right and lower the weight toward your right hip.
• Return to the starting position, then rotate to the left and lower the weight toward your left hip.
• Continue alternating sides, performing equal reps on each.

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8. Flutter Kicks

• Sit on the end of a flat bench and, maintaining a neutral spine, lean back. Grab the edges of the bench with both hands for support.
• Contract your abdominal muscles and lift both legs to bench level.
• Keep both legs straight as you alternately lift each foot in a fluttering motion.
• Complete an equal number of reps with each leg.

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9. Bicycle Crunch

• Lie face-up on a bench with your feet flat on the bench. Place your fingertips behind your head and lift your shoulder blades off the bench with your elbows pointed outward. This is the starting position.
• Maintaining a neutral neck, bring your left knee toward your chest, and rotate your torso to bring your right elbow toward your left knee as you straighten your right leg.
• Reverse the motion by rotating your torso to the right and drawing your right knee toward your chest and your left elbow toward your right knee, as you straighten your left leg.
• Continue alternating sides, performing equal reps on each.