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Build your workout
Set the zone to “obliques” or “core” and the equipment to “none” or “dumbbell” for the most standing moves. Each exercise has a looping animation, so you can follow it from a few steps away from your phone.
Who a standing abs workout is for
A standing session is useful when the floor isn’t an option:
- you find getting down and up from the floor uncomfortable;
- you’re in an office, a hotel room or a shared space without a mat;
- your wrists don’t like planks;
- you want a short core break between long periods of sitting.
It also counts. The NHS recommends strengthening activities on at least two days a week that work all the major muscle groups, including the abdomen (NHS, reviewed 22 May 2024), and standing core work is one way to cover the abdomen part.
The 10-minute standing abs workout (no equipment)
Two rounds. Work 40 seconds, rest 20 seconds. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and keep a slight bend in your knees throughout.
| Exercise | Work | Rest | How to do it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing knee raise | 40 s | 20 s | Hands behind your head, lift one knee to hip height and curl your ribs down to meet it; alternate |
| Standing oblique crunch, left | 40 s | 20 s | Left hand behind head, bring the left elbow and left knee together at your side |
| Standing oblique crunch, right | 40 s | 20 s | Same on the right |
| Standing cross crunch | 40 s | 20 s | Right elbow to left knee, then left elbow to right knee, turning the shoulders |
| Stomach vacuum | 40 s | 20 s | Breathe out fully, draw your belly button in towards your spine, hold 10 to 15 s, breathe and repeat |
Two rounds take 10 minutes. On the second round, slow every rep down to two seconds up and two seconds down.
With one dumbbell (15 minutes)
A dumbbell turns standing work into real strength work for the obliques. Two minutes of marching on the spot to warm up, then two rounds at 40 seconds of work and 20 of rest.
| Exercise | Work | Rest | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing knee raise | 40 s | 20 s | Curl the ribs down, don’t just lift the leg |
| Dumbbell side bend, left | 40 s | 20 s | Weight in the left hand, bend sideways, return using the right side of your waist |
| Dumbbell side bend, right | 40 s | 20 s | Same on the other side |
| Dumbbell woodchop | 40 s | 20 s | Diagonal from one hip to the opposite shoulder, pivot the back foot |
| Standing cross crunch | 40 s | 20 s | Slow and controlled |
| Stomach vacuum | 40 s | 20 s | Normal breathing between holds |
Pick a weight you can control for the full 40 seconds. If your hips sway in the side bend, it’s too heavy.
At the gym
Two cable exercises add load while staying on your feet:
| Exercise | What it trains | Sets and reps |
|---|---|---|
| Pallof press | Resisting rotation (obliques, deep core) | 3 × 10 per side |
| Cable woodchop | Rotation (obliques) | 3 × 10 to 12 per side |
For the Pallof press, stand side-on to the cable at chest height, hold the handle at your chest and press it straight out without letting your body turn. More gym ideas: workout at the gym for abs.
Standing vs floor ab exercises
Standing moves are a solid base, but you’ll eventually want more resistance. In a 2001 San Diego State University study of 13 ab exercises in 30 adults, the two moves that activated the abs most were the bicycle crunch, done lying down, and the captain’s chair knee raise, done on a frame with your forearms on pads (ACE, 14 May 2001). No standing move was in that test.
| Standing workout | Floor workout | |
|---|---|---|
| Space | 1 square metre, no mat | Mat-sized floor space |
| Getting down and up | Not needed | Needed between exercises |
| Strongest moves for the obliques | Side bend and woodchop (with a weight) | Side plank, Russian twist, bicycle crunch |
| How to add load | Dumbbell or cable | Harder version, slower reps, dumbbell |
A good compromise: do this standing workout on busy or sore days, and a floor session such as the exercise workouts for abs programme when you can.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the leg in knee raises. Lift slowly and curl the ribs down to meet the knee.
- Twisting from the hips in cross crunches. The shoulders turn; the hips face forward.
- Holding your breath during the stomach vacuum too long. Stop if you feel light-headed.
- Using a dumbbell in each hand for side bends. One hand only, or the weights cancel each other out.
Will standing ab exercises flatten your stomach?
Standing ab exercises strengthen the muscles but don’t remove the fat over them, and neither do floor exercises. A 2011 six-week trial found that ab exercises five days a week didn’t significantly change belly fat or waist size (Vispute et al., 2011). A flatter stomach comes from overall activity and food, with ab training alongside.
Our free scan tells you where you start: one photo, a score out of 100, a lower-belly sub-score, a body-fat range and a 7-day routine. The photo is deleted after the analysis.
The paid programme follows you for 8 to 12 weeks, with weekly scans and a plan that shifts when you miss a day. Prices are shown upfront.
Workout and first scan free. Full program: £24.99, paid once. Pricing
Related pages
- Abs workout exercises at home: quiet floor routines for small spaces.
- Fitness abs workout: sessions to slot into your training week.
- Ab workouts: the full guide.
This page is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if anything hurts, and speak to your GP first if you have a back problem, a hernia, high blood pressure, or are pregnant or have recently given birth.
Frequently asked questions
Are standing abs effective?
They train the abs and obliques without lying down, which helps when floor work is uncomfortable or impractical. We did not find a study comparing them with floor exercises, so we do not rank them.
Can you do standing abs every day?
Guidelines set a minimum of two strengthening days a week. We plan 2 to 3 sessions with rest days between them, and we found no source showing that daily sessions work better.
Will standing ab exercises flatten my stomach?
They strengthen the muscles, but they will not remove belly fat on their own: see the 2011 Vispute trial above.
Can I do a standing abs workout without equipment?
Yes. The 10-minute routine needs nothing; the dumbbell and gym versions are optional.
Written by the Abdocoach team. General information, not medical advice.
Sources
- NHS, Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64, reviewed 22 May 2024, read 29 October 2026.
- American Council on Exercise, study of 13 abdominal exercises, 14 May 2001.
- Vispute SS et al., The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2011.