Forget sit-ups — these fitness trainers ranked 22 abs exercises and this is the top bodyweight move to build a stronger core

Man performing a hollow body hold core exercise.

There are a lot of effective abs exercises out there, and doing any kind of training is always a good thing, as long as it’s not putting you at risk of injury. However, some exercises are better than others, and if you’re looking for the most effective move for strengthening your abs in particular, then the hollow body crunch has a very good claim.

That’s certainly the opinion of the team of fitness trainers at Calisthenicmovement, a group of calisthenics experts who ranked 22 popular abs exercises into five tiers ranging from D for worst to S for best. The hollow body crunch was the only move that achieved S rank, thanks to its effectiveness in targeting the upper and lower abs.