10 Best Abs Stretches

Working out, especially strength training, is REALLY good for every aspect of your health. Regular workouts will make you stronger, build more attractive muscles, injury-proof your body, burn fat, maintain optimal body weight, and boost immunity.

It’s safe to say that exercise is big medicine!

However, while all exercises are primarily beneficial, some can have a small but negative effect on some aspects of muscle function. Specifically, we’re talking about activities that keep your muscles in a shortened position, such as crunches on the floor and cable crunches.

Exercises like this will undoubtedly strengthen your muscles but can also lead to something called adaptive shortening. Because they involve a short range of motion, these exercises can cause your muscles to tighten up and lose some of their natural elasticity.

Tight muscles pull your joints into a flexed position and can affect your posture. Also, tight muscles are often more prone to injury when rapidly stretched. Tight abs can seriously affect the profile of your stomach, making it bow outward even if you are very lean, which is not a good look. 

Prolonged sitting can have a similar effect, as you spend hours with your spine flexed and your abs shortened. Combine this effect with lots of crunches and other partial range abs exercises, and it’s a miracle that we can stand upright!

Thankfully, the abs and surrounding muscles are actually quite easy to stretch. In this article, we reveal the best stretches for this often tight muscle group. 

Abs Anatomy

Abs is short for rectus abdominis, one of the muscles that make up your midsection. However, when most people are talking about their abs, they’re actually referring to their entire core, which is a group of muscles.

The rectus abdominis rarely works alone, and, if tight, it will have tight neighbors. Therefore, it makes sense to cover the anatomy of the entire midsection and stretch all the muscles of the core.

The main abs or core muscles are:

Rectus abdominis– located on the front of your abdomen, this muscle is responsible for flexion and lateral flexion of the spine. The rectus abdominis is your six-pack muscle, although you’ll only be able to see it if you are very lean. The rectus abdominis runs the entire length of the abdomen, from the lower ribs and sternum to the lower part of the pelvis.

A tight rectus abdominis will pull you forward into a flexed position, making it look like you are sitting down even when standing.

The obliques – positioned on either side of the rectus abdominis, the obliques are responsible for the rotation and lateral flexion of the spine. These muscles are basically your waist. There are internal obliques and external obliques, but these muscles work together, so separating them is not usually necessary. Because most people do very little twisting, the obliques are often tight.

Transverse abdominis – encircling your waist like a corset or weightlifting belt, the transverse abdominis is responsible for maintaining lumbar stability by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. The TVA doesn’t really get tight, and you can’t stretch it. However, it is an essential muscle for core strength.

Erector spinae – running up either side of your back, the erector spinae extends your spine or, more commonly, holds your spine in extension. Prolonged sitting can leave this muscle stretched and weakened. As such, you probably won’t need to stretch it to increase flexibility, but brief stretches can help reduce painful muscle tension. 

Hip flexors – while the hip flexors are NOT an abdominal muscle, they often work with the abs and are usually tight. Tight hip flexors pull your hips into a flexed position which can affect your posture. The main hip flexor muscles are the rectus femoris, iliacus, and psoas major.

10 Best Abs Stretches

Got tight abs? Use the following exercises to reduce muscle tension and increase flexibility and range of motion.

1. Modified Cobra Stretch

The modified cobra stretch is a simplified version of the yoga cobra pose. This exercise extends your spine to stretch your rectus abdominis. It’s also an excellent way to mobilize your lower back and open your chest. The more you straighten your arms, the more intense this exercise becomes, so adjust your range of motion accordingly.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your front on an exercise mat. Place your hands palms down on the floor beneath your shoulders.
2. Keeping your legs and hips on the floor, gently extend your arms and lift your upper body off the floor. Lift your chest and chin upward to really stretch your abs.
3. Push yourself up as far as you can without lifting your hips.
4. You can also rest on bent elbows if you wish to hold this position for longer.

2. Full Body Supine Stretch

This simple stretch is relaxing and puts your entire body into gentle extension. You may even feel taller after doing it! Do this stretch on the floor or in bed. Avoid pointing your toes to aggressively as doing so may give you a painful calf cramp.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight and feet together.
2. Raise your arms above your head, so your biceps are next to your ears. Press your fingertips along the floor to extend your shoulders.
3. Simultaneously point your toes and make your body as long as possible. Arch your lower back slightly to emphasize the stretch in your abs.

3. Dead Hang Stretch

The dead hang uses gravity to decompress your spine, stretch your shoulders, and extend your abs. This is a good exercise to do between sets of squats or overhead presses, or any time you want to stretch your upper back, lower back, shoulders, and abs at the same time.

How to do it:

1. Find somewhere suitable to hang. You should be able to touch the bar without jumping. Use a step or a bench to ensure you can comfortably reach the bar. Also, ensure that your feet are clear of the floor once you are hanging from the bar.
2. Hold the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
3. With your arms straight, hang from the bar with your body straight and your feet off the floor. Do not fully relax your shoulders. Instead, keep them active by pulling them slightly down and back. Do not hold your breath.
4. Remain motionless – no swinging or twisting – for the duration of your set. When you are done, step rather than jump down as jumping will shock load your spine, negating some of the decompressing benefits of this exercise.

4. Stability Ball Abs Stretch

This exercise allows you to extend your spine passively to stretch your abs and decompress your spine. The ball provides a comfortable support, so you should be able to maintain your position for several minutes. The larger the ball for more forgiving the angle will be. Using a small ball tends to involve a more extreme back arch.

How to do it:

1. Sit on your stability ball with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Walk your feet forward and lean backward until the ball fills the natural curve of your lower back.
3. Extend your arms overhead to gently stretch your abs.
4. You can increase the intensity of the stretch by extending your legs and draping your entire body across the ball.

5. Bent Leg Twist Stretch

The bent leg twist stretch works your obliques, lower back, and rectus abdominis. It’s an excellent antidote to long periods of sitting and can help free up your entire midsection.

How to do it:

1. Lie on the floor with one leg bent and one leg straight. Place your opposite hand on your bent knee. Extend your other arm out at shoulder height.
2. Using your arm for extra rotation, pull your knee across your body and down toward the floor. Try to keep your shoulders flat on the floor.
3. Hold for the required duration and then swap sides.

6. Kneeling Backward Abdominal Stretch

This exercise provides a deep stretch for your abs and hip flexors. For comfort, make sure you kneel on a mat, otherwise, you could end up with sore knees. You may also feel this stretch in your quads, especially rectus femoris which crosses your knee and hip joints.

How to do it:

1. Adopt a tall kneeling position with your thighs vertical.
2. Place your hands on your lower back.
3. Push your hips forward and lean back, looking gently toward the ceiling. Lift your chest to get a good stretch in the front of your body.
4. You can also do this exercise by reaching back and placing your hands on your ankles. This increases the range of motion and also provides some added support. However, it is a much deeper stretch.

7. Seated Oblique Twist Stretch

Despite its name, this exercise stretches your abs, lower back, AND obliques. Because it’s done seated, it’s a great way to stretch your abs and mobilize your spine while you’re at your desk. Do it every hour or so to minimize the damaging effect of prolonged sitting.

How to do it:

1. Plant your feet firmly on the floor and sit up straight. Extend your neck and pull your shoulders down and back, so you’re in good posture.
2. Cross your arms over your chest.
3. Keeping your hips stationary, rotate your upper body gently to the left and to the right. Turn as far as you can without causing pain.
4. You can also do this exercise while standing.

8. Cat/Cow Stretch

Cat/cow is another yoga pose that stretches your abs and mobilizes your spine. This movement provides a gentle stretch, making it the ideal warm-up before more intense stretches like the cobra. If your lower back is stiff, you’re sure to feel better after a few rounds of cat/cows!

How to do it:

1. Kneel on all fours with your shoulders directly over your hands and your hips over your knees. Lengthen your neck and look down at the floor. Your spine should be neutral, i.e., slightly arched.
2. Lower your head, tuck your hips under, and lift the center of your spine up toward the ceiling, so you look like an angry cat arching its back. Imagine there is an invisible thread pulling your back upward.
3. Next, raise your head, tilt your hips backward, and lower your abdomen down toward the floor.
4. Alternate smoothly between these two positions 8-10 times.

9. Seated Lateral Trunk Stretch

The seated lateral flexion stretch targets your rectus abdominis, obliques, and erector spinae muscles. It’s a useful alternative to and compliment for most seated twisting stretches. Because it’s performed seated, it’s a good option for stretching at your desk. However, you can also do it standing if that’s more convenient.

How to do it:

1. Plant your feet firmly on the floor and sit up straight. Extend your neck and pull your shoulders down and back, so you’re in good posture.
2. Raise one arm above your head and lean away from that side to stretch your abs, obliques, and lats.
3. Hold for a few seconds, lower your arm, and then repeat on the opposite side.

10. Spiderman Rotational Lunge Stretch

This exercise stretches and mobilizes your abs, lower back, obliques, chest, shoulders, and hips all at the same time. While it is a demanding exercise, it could also be the only stretch you need to do for your entire body!

How to do it:

1. Adopt the push-up position with your arms and legs straight, core braced.
2. Step your left foot up and outside your left hand. Bend your rear leg and rest your knee lightly on the floor or keep it straight if your flexibility allows.
3. Lift your left arm up and out toward the ceiling and rotate your upper body. Reach around as far as you can so your arms form a T-shape.
4. Return your hand to the floor and step back into the push-up position.
5. Step in with your right leg and raise your right arm.
6. Alternate smoothly between these two positions for 4-6 slow, easy reps.

Abs Stretches – Wrapping Up

Prolonged sitting and lots of short-range core strengthening exercises can leave your abs feeling short and tight. Tight abs can adversely affect your posture and spinal mobility. Thankfully, the abs are relatively easy to stretch, and there are plenty of exercises you can do to restore lost flexibility.

Use any of these ten best abs stretches to break up long periods of sitting or ease the tension in your abs after your next core workout.

Ease gently into your chosen stretch and hold for 20-30 seconds. Do 1-3 sets depending on how tight your abs feel. If your abs are really tight, consider stretching them several times a day.