Melanie Hoffmann, Editor-in-Chief

October 9, 2025, 11:01 am | Read time: 5 minutes

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Elbow-To-Knee Crunch

Who says crunches can only be done on the floor? They can also be performed standing up, but they’re a bit more challenging this way–and not just because in the “Elbow-To-Knee Crunch,” we use our legs in addition to our upper body.

The name of the exercise already reveals a lot about how it works: An elbow is moved toward a knee in a crunch motion. Specifically, we bend the upper body forward like in a crunch toward the legs, lift the right knee, and simultaneously try to bring the left elbow diagonally to the right knee. Then it’s the other side’s turn. Sounds simple enough! But as you perform it, you’ll notice: The seemingly simple standing ab exercise is quite demanding.

Because it’s performed standing and involves the upper body as well as an arm and a leg, it requires core stability just to maintain balance. Once that’s achieved, it’s important to consciously engage the abs and ensure they lead the crunch. It’s all too easy to perform the crunch motion too quickly or with too much momentum without conscious muscle tension. While the movement itself is correct, it’s not even half as effective this way. No wonder: The core isn’t working at full strength, meaning you probably won’t feel your abs even after ten repetitions. So, it all comes down to the aforementioned Mind-Muscle Connection, which I explain in more detail in this article.

So: Pull your shoulders back and down, then relax them, push your chest out, and pull your belly button inward for stability and maximum core muscle tension. From this form, now perform the crunch with the upper body in a controlled manner and move the arm and leg diagonally toward each other.

Hand-To-Foot Crunch

This exercise again requires the previously described starting position and muscle tension. Once more, we perform a crunch motion with the upper body. A tip: Try to imagine how you would normally perform these exercises lying on the mat. Then try to mentally press your lower back into the floor. Depending on how well you already master the Mind-Muscle Connection, you might notice how your core stabilizes, your abs tighten, and your hips and back engage. That’s exactly what we want to achieve.

During the crunch motion, we now lift one leg straight up and try to reach as close to the foot as possible with the arm on the same side. Don’t use momentum, but rather control and core tension.

Also interesting: Sit-ups vs. Crunches–what’s the difference?

Standing Twist

To engage the oblique muscles as well, the Standing Twist is an ideal exercise for a standing ab workout. Stand upright, with all muscles tense. Now stretch your arms straight up over your head and clasp your hands. From this position, slowly and controlled, move your clasped hands in a rotational motion–keeping your abs tense the entire time–from the top left diagonally down to the right hip. Tip: Try to move the clasped hands past the hip and slightly backward to get the most out of the exercise. But make sure to move your arms slowly and not with momentum to avoid injury. Then perform the exercise on the other side.

Side Crunch in the Squat

For this ab exercise, we first get into a wide squat. Pay attention to your form here as well: Knees outward, pelvis slightly tilted forward, and abs engaged, with the upper body upright. From this position, slowly move the upper body alternately to the right and left toward the hip, performing a side crunch.

More on the topic

Training For a Strong Core: Standing Workout with Dumbbells

Tips From Fitness Experts Strengthen Your Core: 6 Pro Exercises for Core Power

Twist in the Squat

Are your legs shaking a bit already? How nice that another core exercise in the squat awaits you. You already know the basic movement, the twist with the upper body. It works here just like in the Standing Twist. The only difference is that you perform it in the squat instead of standing.

Why You Should Do Ab Exercises Standing More Often

Maybe you’ve seen people doing standing ab exercises at the gym or while scrolling online and thought: That looks easy! Can it really be effective for building strong abs?

I’d bet that if you perform the described exercises with control and correct technique, perhaps as part of a circuit training with three rounds of ten repetitions each or 45 seconds each (with a one-minute break between exercises), you’ll soon think differently.

Because the fact that the exercises are performed standing instead of lying on the floor presents a challenge in itself. The stable ground we lie on and into which we can easily press our body with the help of gravity is missing. Suddenly, the need for balance arises, and this is only possible with focus and muscle tension. All of this is, in turn, the prerequisite for being able to perform the ab-training exercise elements correctly and effectively at all.

This means: Standing ab exercises are ideal for getting a defined core, but they can do even more–namely train coordination and balance as well as the Mind-Muscle Connection.