Calisthenics abs workout: 3 Workouts For Washboard Abs & A Strong Core

If you are looking for a good calisthenics abs workout you are in the right place.

In this article I will give your three workouts you can use to build a nice looking six-pack. Furthermore, the core exercises you will be training will prepare your core stability for advanced calisthenics skills if that is something you'd like to pursue. So you get the best of both worlds: form and function.

I will also teach you the difference between abs and core and why training only your abs can harm your performance.

In the workouts to come, we will not only focus on strengthening our abs but the entirety of our core. The workouts are split in three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Choose the one that best suits your strength, and work until you can do all of them.

Level 1 - Beginner

Level 2 - Intermediate

Level 3 - Advanced

In all three workouts you will find a mixture of dynamic and static exercises.

The dynamic exercises will move your muscles through a specific range of motion, breaking down the muscle fibers so they can be built up stronger and bigger.

The static exercises work will help you build stability throughout the body.

An ideal calisthenics abs workout has both static and dynamic exercises, so that there will be a transferability between abs training and potential skills training.

Even the best exercises are worthless unless you do them correctly.

In this section, you will learn how to do each one of the exercises correctly, so that you can maximize the results you get with any of these calisthenics abs workouts.

If you want to check a particular exercise, just press on its name below:

Hanging knee raises

The hanging knee raise is one of the foundational abs exercises in calisthenics.

This exercise will work your rectus abdominis, which is your six-pack muscle, while also working your hip flexor muscles.

To correctly do the hanging knee raise:

Superman

You may be wondering why a lower back exercise for a calisthenics abs workout.

In reality, this is a core workout, which will strengthen your entire mid-region of your body. And for lower back strengthening, the superman is one of the best exercises - especially for a beginner.

To correctly do the superman:

Side plank lifts

Most variations of the plank will bring nice results.

In this instance, the side plank lifts will help with both your core stability, as well as building bigger oblique muscles.

To correctly do the side plank lifts:

Plank

The plank is an anti-extension exercise, meaning that you will be tightening the muscles of your core to prevent your lower back from extending.

The efficiency of the plank, as far as stability is concerned, made it one of the most popular exercises.

To correctly do the plank:

V-ups

In this video you can see how to do a V-up and how to make it easier if the full variation is too difficult for you.

The V-up is one of the best dynamic core exercises, especially if you do it with a hollow body.

To correctly do a V-up:

Hollow body hold

The hollow body hold is without a doubt one of the most important core exercises in calisthenics.

Countless calisthenics skills, like the front lever, planche, handstand, dragon flag, etc. are dependent on a strong hollow body hold.

If you can master only one exercise from this calisthenics abs workout article, it should be this one.

To correctly do the hollow body hold:

Hanging oblique raises

The hanging oblique raise is one of the best exercises for your obliques. Whether you are doing calisthenics or not, you should be doing this exercise for optimal muscle building results.

Aside from the obliques, the hanging oblique raise will also develop your grip strength.

To correctly do the hanging oblique raise:

Reverse hyperextension

Even though not an abs exercise, but rather a calisthenics legs exercise, the reverse hyperextension should be an integral part of your training if you want to achieve calisthenics skills mastery.

This exercise will work the hip extensors, which are the glutes.

However, it will also work the erector spinae muscles, which are part of the core.

To correctly do reverse hyperextensions:

Side plank

As opposed to side plank lifts, this exercise is static. Therefore, it will mostly work the anti-rotation stability element of your core.

To make the side plank easier, do it on your hand with the arm fully extended.

To make it more difficult, do it on your forearm.

To correctly do side planks:

Toes to bar

This is the peak of the leg lifts journey.

The toes to bar exercise will work your abs, hip flexors, and even a bit of your scapula depression and retraction strength. For this reason, it is a fundamental exercise for any calisthenics abs workout.

To correctly do toes to bar:

Extended plank

The extended plank is the most advanced form of plank you can do.

The form cues and mistakes to avoid are the same as in the plank. However, this time you will have your arms extended overhead, to increase the lever and make your core work that much harder.

To correctly do the extended plank:

The difference between abs and core is quite significant.

The core is the center of our body, and comprises the abs, obliques, the muscles surrounding the scapula, and the muscles surrounding the mid and lower back. Basically, the abs are just a part of the core.

Having a strong core is essential if you want a healthy back, good posture, balance and stability, and calisthenics proficiency. Among others.

The effects of a strong core on calisthenics

In the calisthenics abs workout above I have also included a few core strengthening exercises.

These exercises will not only work the six-pack, but also multiple muscles of the core, with the purpose of preparing your body for the stability necessary in certain calisthenics skills and weighted calisthenics.

Now let’s see a couple of examples.

1. Handstand

The optimal way of doing a handstand is with a posterior pelvic tilt.

This position, which is the hollow body position, will make sure that your shoulders and hips are stacked on top of each other. This in turn prevents lower back pain caused by the banana handstand.

2. Front lever

In a front lever, your body has to be parallel to the ground, and there should be a straight line going from your ankles, to your knees, hips, and shoulders.

This is not possible unless you have a strong core, because you will lose tension in the body and your hips will sag.

3. Planche

Similar to the front lever, in the planche you have to have a straight line going from your shoulders to your ankles.

It is now easy to see why strengthening your core is crucial to calisthenics success.

Let’s have a look at the most common questions in regards to calisthenics abs workouts and core training.

Can calisthenics get you abs?

One of the biggest misinformation is that a certain style of training will or will not get you abs.

Yes, calisthenics can get you abs, as long as you follow the right nutritional plan. As long as you are in a caloric deficit to uncover your abs, or in caloric maintenance if they are already showing, calisthenics will get you abs.

And this is one of the most important caveats. Almost any style of training will get you abs, but only if your nutrition is taken care of.

Do I need to train abs if I do calisthenics?

It depends on your goals.

You have to train your abs if you do calisthenics, as long as you want to increase the size of your abdominal muscles. This will make them visible even with a higher body fat percentage. You should also train your abs if the skills you want to attain can benefit from your calisthenics abs workout, just like the front lever benefits from the dragon flag.

However, if none of these is your goal, you don’t have to.

Your core muscles will get a workout when you are doing push-ups, pull-ups, and other exercises, because they activate as stabilizer muscles.

Are calisthenics better for the core?

Better than what, weights? Not necessarily.

With calisthenics you get a lot of core activation when you are doing the basic exercises, like the pull-up, push-up, and dip. However, if you want to know if calisthenics is better for core than weights, then the answer is no. Heavy squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and others will require way more core stabilization than a pull-up.

If you want to learn more, in my article about calisthenics vs weights, I compare the two styles of training side by side.

Usually, most exercises will yield better results if you add weight.

Are calisthenics better for the core?

Aside from a calisthenics abs workout, you also need a good calisthenics diet for your abs to show.

Once you start working out and watching over your nutrition, it takes anywhere from two to six months to get abs with calisthenics.

The faster you get started, the faster you get the results.

In this article, I have given three routines for three different levels of strength.

I have also made the distinction between abs and core, and told you how training your core can have good benefits in your journey.

Now all you have to do is pick one calisthenics abs workout above, and get started.

Over to you.