Getting toned, strong abs is a goal for many people looking to get fit and achieve a lean physique. While diet and nutrition play a big role in revealing your abs, targeted ab exercises and abdominal workouts are essential for strengthening and developing the muscles in your core. When it comes to abs exercises, a common question is: how many calories can you burn by doing an abs workout? The number of calories burned varies based on the specific exercises, duration and intensity of your ab routine. By understanding the average calorie burn for common ab exercises, you can put together effective workouts to maximize fat burning and results.
Calories burned from abs exercises
The number of calories burned during an abs workout depends on multiple factors:
- Your body weight – Heavier individuals burn more calories for the same exercise.
- Exercise intensity – More intense ab exercises burn more calories in less time.
- Duration – Longer workouts result in increased calorie burn.
- Rest periods – Less rest between sets and exercises burns more calories.
- Ab exercise type – Complex moves like hanging leg raises burn more than basic crunches.
According to Harvard Health, a 155 pound person will burn approximately the following calories during 30 minutes of continuous ab exercise:
| Exercise | Calories burned (for 155lb person) |
|---|---|
| Basic crunch | 50 calories |
| Bicycle crunch | 80 calories |
| Reverse crunch | 65 calories |
| V-up | 75 calories |
| Plank | 60 calories |
| Hanging leg raise | 100 calories |
As you can see, more challenging bodyweight moves like hanging leg raises can burn up to 100 calories in a 30 minute workout. Whereas basic crunches only burn around 50 calories in the same duration.
Calorie burn for popular ab exercises
Here is a more detailed overview of the approximate calories burned per exercise, based on a 30 minute ab workout:
Crunches
Crunches work the upper abs by lifting your shoulder blades off the ground. They don’t require equipment and can be done almost anywhere.
- Basic crunch: 50 calories
- Reverse crunch: 65 calories
- Crossed-arm crunch: 55 calories
- Straight leg crunch: 60 calories
- Oblique crunch: 55 calories
- Bicycle crunch: 80 calories
- Crunch with legs raised: 65 calories
Planks
Planks build core stability by activating deep abdominal muscles to hold your body in a straight line. They train endurance rather than muscle size.
- Front plank: 60 calories
- Side plank: 65 calories
- Reverse plank: 70 calories
Leg raises
Leg raises target the lower abs by lifting your legs vertically while keeping your upper body stationary. Suspension trainers or dip bars allow you to perform hanging variations.
- Lying leg raise: 80 calories
- Hanging knee raise: 90 calories
- Hanging leg raise: 100 calories
- Windshield wipers: 95 calories
V-ups
V-ups simultaneously lift your upper body and legs, creating an intense contraction through your core. They challenge both coordination and abdominal strength.
- Basic V-up: 75 calories
- Russian twist into V-up: 90 calories
- V-up with med ball toss: 85 calories
Sit-ups
The classic sit-up flexes your abs concentrically to lift your torso off the ground. There are many variations that increase difficulty.
- Basic sit-up: 70 calories
- Cross body sit-up: 75 calories
- Weighted sit-up: 90 calories
- Decline sit-up: 80 calories
High calorie ab exercises
Some ab exercises burn more calories because they involve larger muscle groups or dynamic full body movements.
Exercise ball ab workouts
Unstable surface training on an exercise ball recruits extra stabilizer muscles to balance, increasing calorie burn.
- Pike roll outs: 110 calories
- Body saw: 95 calories
- Around the worlds: 80 calories
- Ball pikes: 100 calories
Medicine ball workouts
The added weight of medicine balls ramps up resistance for more calorie expenditure.
- Medicine ball V-ups: 105 calories
- Power slams: 130 calories
- Medicine ball crunches: 80 calories
- Rotational throws: 100 calories
Full body movements
Compound exercises that recruit multiple large muscle groups burn the most calories per rep.
- Burpees: 120 calories
- Mountain climbers: 130 calories
- Jumping jacks: 115 calories
- High knees: 105 calories
Calories burned from 30 minute HIIT ab workouts
High intensity interval training (HIIT) boosts calorie burn by alternating maximum effort intervals with short rest periods.
Here are some sample high intensity ab circuits with estimates of total calories burned in 30 minutes:
Beginner HIIT ab workout
- Jumping jacks x 20 seconds
- Rest x 10 seconds
- Crunches x 20 repetitions
- Rest x 10 seconds
- Plank x 20 seconds
- Rest x 10 seconds
Repeat circuit 4-5 times. Approximately 120 calories burned in 30 minutes.
Intermediate HIIT ab workout
- Mountain climbers x 30 seconds
- Rest x 15 seconds
- V-ups x 10 repetitions
- Rest x 15 seconds
- Bicycle crunches x 20 repetitions
- Rest x 15 seconds
Repeat circuit 3-4 times. Approximately 150 calories burned in 30 minutes.
Advanced HIIT ab workout
- Burpees x 30 seconds
- Rest x 20 seconds
- Hanging leg raises x 10 repetitions
- Rest x 20 seconds
- Plank jacks x 20 seconds
- Rest x 20 seconds
Repeat circuit 2-3 times. Approximately 180 calories burned in 30 minutes.
Calorie calculator for abs exercises
To estimate the calories burned from your specific ab routine, you can use this simple calorie calculator:
Calories Burned = Duration (minutes) x MET x Weight (kg) / 200
MET values (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) are as follows:
- Crunches: MET 3.8
- Sit-ups: MET 4.8
- Leg raises: MET 5.5
- Planks: MET 5.0
- Bicycle crunches: MET 5.5
- V-ups: MET 4.5
For example, to calculate calories burned from 20 minutes of planks for a 170 pound (77kg) person:
Duration: 20 minutes
MET: 5.0
Weight: 77kg
Calories Burned = 20 x 5.0 x 77 / 200 = 77 calories
Benefits of ab workouts
While ab exercises have a place in any well-rounded fitness program, core training alone is not enough to get ripped six pack abs if your nutrition is not on point. However, regular ab workouts provide many benefits beyond just burning calories:
- Build stronger, more defined abdominal muscles
- Improve posture and spinal stability
- Reduce risk of lower back injuries and pain
- Enhance athletic performance for sports
- Support functional strength for daily activities
- Complement compound lifts like squats and deadlifts
Nutrition for 6 pack abs
Visible 6 pack abs are ultimately achieved in the kitchen through proper nutrition. Ab exercises help strengthen and develop the muscles, but low body fat is necessary to reveal defined abdominal muscles. Follow these diet tips to lose abdominal fat:
- Maintain a moderate calorie deficit
- Prioritize protein in each meal
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
- Increase healthy fats; decrease saturated fats
- Reduce sugar, refined carbs and processed foods
- Stay hydrated with water and limit alcohol
Combining regular ab workouts with a solid nutrition plan is the fastest way to get ripped six pack abs and a stronger, leaner core!
