Mat Exercises For Abs: Strengthen Your Core Anywhere

Mat exercises for abs offer a simple yet effective way to build a strong core without gym equipment. Whether working out at home, in a studio, or while traveling, these exercises will help you develop stronger, more defined abs, obliques, and lower-back muscles.

What Are Some Effective Mat Exercises For Abs?

The best mat exercises for abs can target your core without needing gym equipment, so you can perform them anywhere you have room for a mat. 

These exercises will target the abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back to strengthen the muscles while improving stability and posture (1).

Floor Mat Exercises

Crunches

Crunches primarily target the rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscles, while also engaging the obliques and the transverse abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscle (2).

1. Lie on your back on the yoga mat, knees bent, feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands behind your head, but don’t pull on your neck. You can also cross your hands over your chest if it’s more comfortable.
3. Engage your core, tighten the abdominal muscles, and slowly curl your shoulders toward your knees.
4. Hold the contraction briefly before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position.

Bicycle Crunches

Bicycle crunches are an excellent full-core exercise that targets the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis. They use twisting and leg movements to increase intensity, making them more difficult than a standard crunch (2).

1. Lie flat on your back on the mat with your hands behind your head and your elbows wide.
2. Lift your feet off the ground and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle.
3. Tighten your abs to bring your left elbow toward your right knee while extending your right leg straight.
4. Return to the starting position, and repeat with the other elbow and leg.
5. Continue alternating sides with a controlled, steady rhythm in a pedaling motion.

Leg Raises

Leg raises are calisthenics primarily targeting the lower abs while working the hip flexors and core stabilizers. They help improve core strength, which will result in better stability, and they can also help improve flexibility (3).

1. Lie flat on your mat with your legs extended and your arms at your sides.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your legs off the ground while preventing your back from arching.
3. Keep your legs straight and raise them until they’re perpendicular to the floor.
4. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position in a controlled manner.

Planks

Planks are an incredibly popular core exercise that’s easy to learn and perfect for beginners. Planks help strengthen the abs, shoulders, chest, upper back, glutes, and legs (4).

1. Lie face down on the mat and place your forearms on the mat directly under your shoulders.
2. Push your body off the ground to form a straight line from your head to your feet, with your forearms and toes supporting the weight.
3. Engage your core by inhaling deeply through your chest and then exhaling through your stomach. The breath out can help tighten the abs further.
4. Keep your body straight for as long as possible, and avoid sagging your hips or raising them too high.
5. Focus on controlled breathing and keeping your core tight.

Oblique Twists

Oblique twists are ideal for strengthening the obliques while engaging the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis. The twisting movement helps develop rotational strength, power, and stability (5).

1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat.
2. Lean back slightly to create a V-shape with your upper body and thighs to engage your core.
3. Clasp your hands in front of your chest and rotate your torso to the right, bringing your hands toward the floor beside your hip.
4. Return to the center with a controlled movement, then repeat, twisting to the left.

Read more: Apron Belly Exercises: The Natural Way To Get Rid Of A Hanging Belly

Do Mat Exercises Help Build Core Strength?

Mat exercises are efficient for building core strength as they allow you to target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. They also require more stability and control than machines, which can help enhance muscle activation (6).

Can You Get Defined Abs With Just Mat Exercises?

Mat exercises will help tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles, but if you want a defined six-pack, you’ll also need to focus on achieving a low body fat percentage. 

As with any exercise, mat exercises won’t directly burn belly fat. 

Spot reduction of fat is not possible. Fat loss occurs when you create a calorie deficit by combining healthy eating habits and moving throughout the day. 

The goal is to burn more calories than you’re consuming, and once your body fat percentage decreases, your abdominals will become more visible (7).

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How Can Beginners Start Mat Exercises For Abs?

Beginners looking to get started with mat exercises for abs should focus on simple yet effective movements and proper form.

• Start with shorter sessions lasting 10-15 minutes to build endurance.
• Focus on some of the core’s major movements – holds, rotations, and lengthening. 

A hold would be a plank, a rotation would be an oblique twist, and a lengthening exercise could be leg raises. 

These will work together to help further develop the core muscles.

• Gradually increase the difficulty by increasing the length of your workouts.

Adding weights or resistance bands can also help increase the difficulty (8).

Read more: 6 Ab Exercises You Can Do On The Pull-Up Bar

How Often Should You Do Mat Exercises For Abs?

You should perform your mat exercises 3-5 times weekly for the best results. 

This frequency will allow you to work the muscle groups so they get stronger while allowing plenty of recovery time, which is when the muscles repair and grow (9).

Advanced athletes can add more workouts each week, but listening to your body to avoid overtraining can be counterproductive and even lead to injury.

What Are The Most Effective Mat Exercises For Abs?

If you’re looking for the best mat exercises for abs at home, you can try the following:

• Planks
• Leg raises
• Toe touches
• Reverse crunches

As you become stronger and have more endurance, you can include more difficult exercises, such as:

• Mountain climbers
• Bicycle crunches
• Farmer’s carry
• Side planks (7).

Exercises for abs with weights can involve using dumbbells or kettlebells for something like a farmer’s carry or a plank row. However, the core muscles generally respond well to lighter loads, and increasing the weight too early can lead to injury.  

Mat Exercises For Abs With Weights

Adding weights to your mat-based workout can be an option for creating progressive overload, which is essential for adding muscle and increasing strength. 

These will all be advanced exercises; perfecting these movements without weights is crucial before adding external loads. 

You can achieve progressive overload through other ways besides adding additional weight, such as increasing the intensity or duration of the workout.

• Weighted Oblique Twists

Hold a dumbbell or a medicine ball as you rotate side to side while performing the exercise.

• Weighted Sit-Ups to Press

Hold a weight plate at chest level while performing a sit-up. At the top, press the weight overhead and then return it to chest level. 

• Plank Rows

Hold dumbbells and perform a high plank with alternating rows.

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Chair Exercises for Abs

• Seated Knee Lifts

While sitting in a chair and holding the sides for stability, lift your knees toward your chest.

• Seated Leg Extensions

Engage your lower abs by straightening your legs outward while seated.

• Chair Plank

Hold onto the seat of a sturdy chair while in a high plank position.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are mat exercises enough for strong abs?

Mat exercises can build strong abs, but you should incorporate resistance training, cardio, and a healthy diet for a well-developed core and visible six-pack abs.

• Can beginners do mat ab workouts?

Mat exercises for abs beginners-level are possible because there are several low-impact exercises you can do that will help strengthen your body and prepare it for more difficult movements.

• Do mat exercises burn belly fat?

Mat exercises for belly fat don’t exist, but there are mat exercises to strengthen your core.

They can also help you burn calories, but to see a difference in belly fat, you must commit to a healthy diet with a calorie deficit, cardio, and strength training (10).

• How long should a mat ab workout be?

A mat ab workout should last 10-20 minutes, depending on your skill level. 

As a beginner, you should limit your time on the mat to 5 -15 minutes, increasing the amount of time as you become more capable (11).

• What wall Pilates equipment do I need?

Wall Pilates has the advantage of not requiring a lot of equipment, but you can add a few upgrades to enhance your workout:

• Resistance bands are great for adding difficulty to leg and arm workouts.
• A Pilates ball can help with core activation and posture alignment.
• A foam roller is excellent for stretching and balance exercises.
• A Pilates ring can help add resistance to your leg and arm workouts.

The Bottom Line

Mat exercises for abs provide an accessible and efficient way to strengthen your core, improve your stability, and enhance your overall fitness. With movements such as crunches, planks, leg raises, and carries, you can effectively target all areas of your abdominal muscles without needing expensive equipment.