10 Seated Ab Exercises To Improve Strength & Stability

The appeal of strong, defined abs goes beyond simply having a six-pack. Don’t get us wrong—it feels and looks great when rocking a toned core at the gym and beyond. However, working on your abs also helps build up your core, which, in turn, increases overall upper-body strength. We’ve rounded up 10 of the best seated ab exercises to improve strength and stability.

Maintaining and building ab/core strength provides many benefits, especially as you age. It helps with everyday tasks, like household chores, gardening, lifting, standing, and even sitting at your desk. In addition, core strength is imperative when it comes to enjoying your favorite hobbies and sports, such as tennis, pickleball, golf, running, biking, and swimming.

It’s important to perform resistance training exercises with free weights and your body weight to build strength, but seated ab exercises are also great additions to your routine. “The biggest benefit of seated ab exercises is that they [can] make ab training more accessible for people who would otherwise struggle [training] their abs effectively at home,” explains Domenic Angelino, CPT with International Personal Trainer Academy (IPTA). “Seated ab exercises also require minimal equipment since you just need a chair to sit in and your body itself.”

The below list features a combination of regular and isometric exercises. Isometric exercises involve holding a static position for a specified amount of time. “Isometric ab exercises will be more helpful for improving your overall stability,” says Angelino. “However, more dynamic ab exercises will be better at improving your overall ab strength. So, it’s generally helpful to incorporate a mix of both in your routine if your intention is to enhance both core strength and stability.”

1. Seated Leg Raises (3 sets, 10 reps)

1. Sit tall in a chair, gripping onto the sides for balance.
2. Extend your legs in front of you, keeping your feet on the floor.
3. Lift your legs, keeping them straight until they’re about hip level.
4. Lower your legs back to the start position.

The #1 Standing Ab Workout for a Visibly Toned Six-Pack

2. Seated Leg Raise Hold (3 sets of 8 five-second holds)

1. Sit tall in a chair, gripping onto the sides for balance.
2. Extend your legs in front of you with your feet touching the floor.
3. Lift your legs, keeping them straight until they’re about hip level.
4. Hold this position for 5 seconds, engaging your abs.
5. Lower your legs back to the start position.

How to Get Six-Pack Abs After 50

3. Seated Crunch (3 sets of 12 reps)

1. Begin seated in a chair with your glutes firmly planted and feet slightly raised off the floor.
2. Lean back into your chair and crunch forward as far as you can.
3. Lean back to the start position.

4. Seated Knee to Elbows Crunch (3 sets of 8 reps)

1. Lean back in a chair with your glutes firmly planted and feet raised just a bit off the floor.
2. Crunch forward, and lift one knee up to your abs. Twist your torso simultaneously so that your opposite elbow rotates toward the raised knee.
3. Touch your elbow to your knee.
4. Return to the start position, and repeat on the opposite side.

5. Seated Twisting Crunch Hold (3 sets of 8 five-second holds)

1. Lean back in a chair with your glutes firmly planted and feet raised just a bit off the floor.
2. Crunch forward and rotate your torso to one side of your body.
3. Hold the rotated crunch position for 5 seconds.
4. Return to the start position, and repeat on the other side.

6. Seated Oblique Twist (3 sets of 15 reps)

1. Lean back in a chair with your glutes firmly planted and feet raised just a bit off the floor.
2. Hold a light dumbbell or weight plate with both hands at chest height.
3. Lift your upper back slightly off the chair and rotate your torso as far as possible to one side. Keep the weight in front of your chest.
4. Return to the start position, and repeat on the other side.

7. Seated Butterfly Kicks (3 sets of 15 reps)

1. Sit tall in a chair, gripping onto the sides for balance.
2. Extend your legs in front of you to hip level.
3. Lift one leg as you lower the other.
4. Continue alternating between lifting and lowering until your legs travel about 15 degrees.
5. Repeat for all reps.

A Yoga Instructor’s Top 7 Moves for Stronger Abs

8. Seated Ab Cycling (3 sets of 10 reps)

1. Sit tall in a chair, gripping onto the sides for balance.
2. Extend your legs in front of you to hip level.
3. Bring one knee in toward your abs while keeping the other extended.
4. Kick your leg forward to the start position.
5. Repeat on the other side and continue to alternate.

9. Seated Side-to-Side Leg Sweeps (3 sets of 8 reps)

1. Sit tall in a chair, gripping onto the sides for balance.
2. Extend your legs in front of you to hip level.
3. Sweep both legs to one side of your body, making sure to keep them together. Go as far as possible while keeping your torso facing forward and your glutes on the chair.
4. Sweep your legs back to the start position and repeat on the other side.

10. Seated Side-to-Side Leg Sweep Holds (3 sets of 8 five-second holds)

1. Sit tall in a chair, gripping onto the sides for balance.
2. Extend your legs in front of you to hip level.
3. Sweep both legs to one side of your body, making sure to keep them together. Go as far as possible while keeping your torso facing forward and your glutes on the chair.
4. Hold this position for 5 seconds.
5. Sweep your legs back to the start position and repeat on the other side.

Alexa Mellardo