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Not Just for Show: How to Actually Train Your Abs for Strength & Performance
- JHEPCxTJH
- Feb 7
- 16 min read
Updated: Oct 15
Not Just for Show: How to Actually Train Your Abs for Strength & Performance
Not Just for Show: How to Actually Train Your Abs for Strength & Performance
Abs are often treated as a vanity muscle - something people chase through high-rep crunches, endless circuits, and "fat-burning" ab routines. The fitness industry reinforces the idea that having a visible six-pack means having a strong core, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Aesthetic abs do not always equate to functional strength. Remember your abs are Not Just for Show: How to Actually Train Your Abs for Strength & Performance.
If you lift heavy, compete in strength sports, or simply want to build a resilient body that withstands real-world demands, then true abdominal strength goes far beyond appearance. Your midsection isn’t just there to look good in a mirror - it’s the foundation of power, stability, and injury prevention.
Think about it: every big lift starts with bracing and intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). Without a strong and well-trained core, your ability to transmit force efficiently is compromised. The rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis (TVA) work together to create this stability, ensuring your spine and hips remain strong and protected under heavy loads.
Just like you wouldn’t skip training your legs, neglecting direct abdominal strength work will limit your squat, deadlift, and overall athleticism. The stronger your core, the better you can generate force, stabilise heavy weights, and control movement under load.
Why Most Ab Training is Completely Misguided
Most mainstream advice on ab training falls into one of two flawed categories
1️⃣ Bodybuilding-Focused:
Prioritises aesthetics over function (chasing the six-pack look).
Relies heavily on flexion-based movements (crunches, sit-ups, and leg raises).
Lacks progressive overload, meaning it doesn't actually build strength.
2️⃣ Rehab-Oriented:
Focuses too much on low-intensity activation drills without advancing to real strength work.
Overemphasises stability work but ignores progressive resistance.
Avoids heavy abdominal loading, limiting performance carryover to big lifts.
If you want to build a truly powerful core, you need to train your abs like any other muscle - progressive overload, stability challenges, and functional movements that actually translate to athletic and strength performance.
What the Data Actually Showed: Real Findings from 100+ Athlete Logs
Over the last two years, analysing hundreds of JHEPC athlete logs across strongman, powerlifting, and hybrid strength programs revealed clear and repeatable trends. When you track every lift, accessory, and carry over months and seasons, patterns start to emerge that explain why certain athletes progress faster, stay healthier, and maintain more stable lifting mechanics under fatigue.
1️⃣ Underdeveloped Anti-Lateral Flexion = Missed Deadlift Lockouts
When lifters failed to finish a deadlift or lost position during heavy yoke and frame carries, the breakdown almost always began at the obliques and quadratus lumborum (QL). Side collapse under maximal tension - what we often describe as “falling away from the bar” or “hip leak” - was rarely a grip or back issue. It was a trunk asymmetry issue. Once direct anti-lateral flexion work was introduced - weighted side planks, offset carries, and single-arm suitcase holds - lockout stability improved almost immediately. Athletes regained the ability to stay square under fatigue, and subsequent PR attempts held position more consistently.
2️⃣ Improved Front-Rack Position = Faster PR Progressions
Front-rack strength isn’t just about shoulders and wrists - it’s about resisting extension and maintaining IAP while the load tries to pull the torso backward. Athletes who trained Copenhagen planks, offset front-rack carries, and pause front squats consistently reported faster strength progression across all lifts, not just cleans or front squats. The improvement in anti-extension capacity - that ability to “breathe under the bar without breaking brace” - carried directly into squats, log presses, and deadlift starts. In short, when the trunk could stay neutral under a front-loaded position, total-body coordination improved and PRs came sooner.
3️⃣ Weekly Carry Volume & Trunk Loading Predict Injury Resilience
The single strongest correlation with long-term, injury-resilient performance was weekly carry volume - not accessory isolation work or total barbell tonnage. Athletes who consistently logged at least 60–80 metres of loaded carry work per week (farmer’s, yoke, sandbag, or offset variations) showed fewer soft-tissue setbacks, greater positional endurance, and more stable bracing across all compound lifts. Carries appear to act as a dynamic integration drill - a full-body rehearsal of every core function under load: anti-extension, anti-rotation, anti-lateral flexion, and breath control under stress. They build the kind of core endurance that doesn’t fade halfway through a max attempt or an event medley.
Core Weakness Patterns and Correctives from the Data
Why This Matters
These patterns confirmed what Westside, Donnie Thompson, and McGill all hinted at years ago: the core’s real job isn’t to move - it’s to prevent movement under fatigue. When your trunk can resist lateral bend, stay pressurised during multiple reps, and stabilise dynamically while moving heavy loads, everything else - power output, consistency, injury resilience - improves.
The takeaway is simple:
If you want stronger lifts and fewer setbacks, treat trunk training not as assistance work, but as the engine of every max effort.
In This Article, We’ll Cover:
✅ The traditional rehab & bodybuilding approaches to ab training - and where they fall short.
✅ How elite lifters train their abs for real-world performance.
✅ Why anti-extension, anti-rotation, and anti-lateral flexion movements are the key to core strength.
✅ A comprehensive list of 20 exercises that actually build a stronger, more resilient midsection.
✅ How to structure ab training for strength, performance, and longevity.
The Traditional Approach to Ab Training: What Works & What’s Missing
If You Google "How to Train Abs," You’ll See the Same Generic Recommendations:
✅ Crunches & Sit-Ups – Basic flexion-based movements targeting the rectus abdominis.
✅ Hanging Leg Raises – A bodybuilding staple for lower abs and hip flexors.
✅ Planks – Good for endurance, but often done without progressive overload.
✅ Russian Twists – A rotational movement that may strain the lower back if done improperly.
✅ Cable Crunches – A loaded flexion movement primarily used for hypertrophy.
While these exercises aren’t useless, they don’t address what most lifters actually need:
🚨 Core stability under heavy loads.
🚨 Bracing mechanics for squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses.
🚨 Anti-movement strength to prevent energy leaks and reduce injury risk.
Where These Methods Fall Short:
❌ Overemphasise flexion-based movements (crunches, sit-ups) with minimal focus on bracing & resisting force.
❌ Fail to incorporate progressive overload, meaning strength plateaus quickly.
❌ Ignore anti-extension, anti-rotation, and anti-lateral flexion work, which are crucial for real-world performance and injury prevention.
A strong core isn’t about doing endless reps - it’s about training your abs like any other muscle group, with a focus on stability, strength, and dynamic movement control.
How Strength Athletes & Westside Barbell Train the Abs
Elite strength athletes don’t train their abs the way bodybuilders or casual gym-goers do. Instead, they prioritise core function, resilience, and transferability to heavy lifting. Westside Barbell, Louie Simmons, and other elite coaches understand that abs aren’t just for aesthetics - they are the foundation of brute strength.
Their approach includes:
1️⃣ Heavy, Progressive Overload Movements
🏋️ Standing Cable Crunches – Train spinal flexion strength with heavy resistance.🏋️ Weighted Hanging Leg Raises – Build hip flexor and lower ab endurance for squats and deadlifts.
🏋️ Weighted Decline Sit-Ups – Reinforce bracing mechanics under progressive overload.
2️⃣ Anti-Movement Training (True Core Strength)
🛡️ Ab Rollouts – Teaches anti-extension bracing, reinforcing deadlift lockout mechanics.
🛡️ Pallof Presses – Strengthens anti-rotation mechanics, improving stability under load.
🛡️ Side Planks & Copenhagen Planks – Build anti-lateral flexion strength, reducing energy leaks in squats & deadlifts.
3️⃣ High-Volume, Low-Intensity Work
🔁 Reverse Hypers for the Abs (lol they're not actually for abs) – Targets deep core activation while also benefiting spinal health.
🔁 Banded Standing Abs – Provides constant core engagement & isometric strength.
🔁 Sled Drags (With Forward Lean) – Reinforces bracing mechanics in a dynamic setting.
The TVA & Obliques: Why They’re Key to Strength
The transverse abdominis (TVA) and obliques are some of the most undertrained muscles, yet they play a vital role in lifting, bracing, and force transfer.
The TVA: Your Body’s Natural Weight Belt
The TVA is the deepest core muscle - think of it as your internal lifting belt. When properly trained, it provides stability for the spine, maintains intra-abdominal pressure, and protects against excessive spinal flexion and extension.
The Obliques: The Missing Link in Core Strength
Many lifters neglect their obliques, but these muscles are essential for preventing lateral collapse and unwanted rotation under heavy loads. Weak obliques lead to energy leaks, reducing your ability to brace effectively and stay tight during lifts.
✅ How to Train Them:
TVA Activation: Ab Rollouts, Hanging Leg Raises, and Vacuum Drills.
Oblique Strength: Side Planks, Copenhagen Planks, and Offset Loaded Carries (These are very popular ATM)
From the Platform to the Field: Core Strength Beyond the Barbell
In Strongman and hybrid strength sports, “core training” doesn’t stop at ab rollouts and Pallof presses. It extends into the field - under yokes, behind sandbags, and in the middle of frame carries where bracing isn’t just static, it’s alive.
Loaded carries, sandbag picks, and yoke work are not simply GPP or conditioning tools. They are dynamic ab training under real-world conditions, forcing the trunk to resist rotation, extension, and lateral collapse while the athlete is moving, breathing, and often on the edge of fatigue.
Every event that requires a brace in motion is an advanced version of the same principles taught in the gym. The difference is scale - and consequence. If you lose tension under a heavy yoke, you don’t just lose tightness; you lose position, balance, and time.
The Strongman Core Hierarchy
Strongman training can be viewed as a live test of how well your core can maintain integrity under load, motion, and chaos. It develops the trunk across four progressive layers of demand:
1️⃣ Static Anti-Movement – Planks, rollouts, side planks, and Pallof presses. These are the foundation: learning to resist extension, rotation, and lateral flexion with perfect mechanics.
2️⃣ Dynamic Axial Bracing – Zercher carries, sandbag holds, heavy marches. Here the core must stay locked while the rest of the body moves. This teaches the coordination between breathing, pressure, and locomotion.
3️⃣ Rotational Transfer – Keg throws, sandbag loading, med-ball rotations. Now the athlete must not only resist but redirect force, transferring it through the trunk efficiently. This develops reactive oblique strength and rotational control under load.
4️⃣ Integrated Event Core – Yoke walks, frame carries, shield carries, Husafell stones. This is where all prior layers merge. Every fibre of the core - rectus, obliques, erectors, and deep stabilisers - must coordinate to maintain position while walking, turning, or accelerating. It’s the most complete real-world test of core strength in existence.
The Conjugate Connection
The Conjugate Strongman System was designed around this exact logic: the best “ab work” for strongmen isn’t abs - it’s bracing while moving awkward things.
Static anti-movement drills develop the raw control that allows dynamic bracing to happen. Dynamic and rotational work builds the connective tissue and coordination that protect the spine during events. Integrated event work then stress-tests that bracing system under load, motion, and fatigue.
By rotating through these categories just like Max Effort, Dynamic Effort, and Repetition Effort movements, the athlete builds trunk capacity from every angle - stable, mobile, and unbreakable.
Example Core Pairings in a Conjugate Strongman Week
These pairings follow the same pattern as the broader Conjugate Method: heavy strain early in the week, speed and dynamic control later. By integrating event-based core work directly after the main barbell movement, you preserve specificity and build fatigue tolerance in the same planes of motion that competition demands.
Traditional ab circuits train flexion and endurance. Strongman-style core training develops force transfer - the ability to keep a brace, move under it, and recover position instantly.
It’s the missing link between gym-built strength and competition-ready power.
“If your abs only work when you’re lying down, they’re not strong - they’re ornamental.”
The goal isn’t just to strengthen the core; it’s to make it useful everywhere: on the platform, under a bar, behind a yoke, or sprinting with a sandbag. That’s what real functional core strength looks like - and why Conjugate remains the best framework for building it.
20 Key Exercises for Ab Strength & Performance
Primary Strength Movements
✅ Standing Cable Crunches – Loaded flexion for strength carryover.
✅ Weighted Hanging Leg Raises – Lower ab strength for bracing mechanics.
✅ Ab Rollouts (Barbell or Wheel) – Anti-extension for core stability.
✅ GHD Sit-Ups – Explosive ab training for posterior chain integration.
✅ Pallof Presses – Anti-rotation strength for heavy lifts.
Anti-Movement & Bracing Work
✅ Side Planks (Weighted) – Anti-lateral flexion training.
✅ Copenhagen Planks – Oblique and adductor integration.
✅ Hollow Body Holds – Core endurance under isometric tension.
✅ Sled Drags (Forward Lean) – Dynamic core activation.
✅ Banded Standing Abs – Constant tension for isometric strength.
Rotational & Functional Core Training
✅ Landmine Rotations – Controlled rotation for power transfer.
✅ Cable Woodchoppers – Rotational bracing under load.
✅ Offset Farmer’s Walks – Single-sided load for stability.
✅ Russian Twists (Controlled, Weighted) – Strength-based rotation.
✅ Sledgehammer Slams – Explosive rotational power.
Miscellaneous But Effective
✅ Hanging Knee Raises – A regression for leg raises.
✅ Reverse Crunches – Lower ab activation with minimal hip flexor involvement.
✅ Seated Dead Bugs – Low-impact coordination drill.
✅ Vacuum Drills – TVA activation for deeper bracing strength.
✅ Loaded Back Extensions (With Core Focus) – Hybrid posterior chain/core movement.
Offset & Single-Arm Work: The Modern Core Secret
Modern strength athletes don’t just need strong abs - they need symmetrical control under asymmetrical stress.
Single-arm pressing, suitcase carries, and offset-loaded movements are among the most effective - yet most neglected - ways to train this. Unlike traditional bilateral lifts, offset and unilateral loading create rotational and anti-flexion stress that forces the trunk to stabilise dynamically, rather than relying on passive tension or external support.
Where a barbell bench press or squat allows equal force distribution, offset lifts demand continuous correction. Every rep becomes a conversation between the obliques, QL, and TVA, each fighting to maintain midline stability while the body tries to twist or lean.
In our athlete data across strongman, powerlifting, and hybrid populations, over 70% of lifters who consistently performed offset or single-arm pressing reported measurable improvements in bench and log press stability within six weeks. These movements expose hidden weaknesses that static ab work can’t touch - particularly rotational control, scapular stability, and the ability to keep tension during movement transitions.
The Key Movements
These are cornerstone exercises within modern Conjugate programming for developing anti-rotation and anti-flexion strength that actually carries over to the barbell and the field:
Each of these teaches your core to brace reactively - the way it must during heavy carries, shifting sandbag picks, or awkward event loads. The stronger you become at keeping your ribs and hips aligned when the load wants to twist you out of position, the more force you can transfer efficiently in any lift or event.
Baseline Core Strength Standards
While advanced variations like offset squats and carries refine coordination, they can’t replace a base level of static trunk endurance. Every serious strength athlete should be able to meet - and eventually exceed - the following minimum standards before claiming to have a “strong core.”
If an athlete cannot meet these baselines, no amount of rollouts or heavy carries will compensate. These holds provide the isometric foundation that supports every dynamic or rotational movement that follows. In the same way we wouldn’t attempt max-effort squats without first mastering bracing, we shouldn’t attempt advanced core loading without proving static trunk integrity.
Once these standards are achieved, the goal shifts from how long you can hold, to how much load and movement you can stabilise. That’s where offset, single-arm, and strongman-style bracing take over - transforming static core strength into something you can actually use under the bar, on the field, and through the chaos of competition.
Structuring Ab Training for Strength & Longevity
A strong midsection isn’t built with aimless crunches or flashy circuits - it requires intentional programming that prioritises bracing, stability, progressive overload, and real-world application. Just as we discussed Stuart McGill’s approach to lower back training in our previous article (check back for a deep dive there), abdominal strength follows many of the same principles but needs its own dedicated focus.
Another key influence in true core training for strength is Donnie Thompson, the first man to total 3,000 lbs in powerlifting. Thompson is well known for his work on body tempering, spinal decompression, and core stability, all of which tie directly into building a bracing system that can withstand enormous loads. His focus on intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and full-body integration is crucial for lifters pushing serious weight.
Below is a four-step framework to ensure your ab training goes beyond aesthetics and builds real, functional strength that enhances squat, deadlift, and overhead stability.
Step 1: Train Bracing & Stability Daily
Strength is nothing without control. You can have powerful muscles, but if your midsection lacks the ability to brace and resist force, your strength is built on a weak foundation. This is why daily stability work is non-negotiable.
Why This Matters
Proper bracing is about generating intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) - locking the torso into a rigid, pressurised cylinder to prevent energy leaks. Without this, force is lost through instability, leading to weaker lifts and increased injury risk.
McGill’s Big 3, Pallof Presses, and Copenhagen Planks teach the body to resist unwanted movement, which is exactly what happens under a heavy squat or deadlift. Donnie Thompson’s work with compression bracing and spinal integrity reinforces how crucial abdominal pressure is for not just lifting power, but long-term spinal health.
How to Implement It Daily
✅ Use the McGill Big 3 as a primer before lifting (Curl-Ups, Side Planks, Bird Dogs).
✅ Pallof Presses & Banded Isometric Holds (Teach anti-rotation and bracing under tension).
✅ Side Planks & Copenhagen Planks (Reinforce anti-lateral flexion, preventing hip drop under load).
✅ Tempo Breathing Drills & Belly Breathing Under Load (Train intra-abdominal pressure).
👉 Make these part of your daily warm-up they take 5-10 minutes but improve every lift you do.
Step 2: Progressive Overload 2-3x Per Week
Your abs are muscles, and like any muscle, they require progressive overload to grow stronger. The biggest mistake lifters make is treating ab work like an afterthought - throwing in some sit-ups or leg raises without ever increasing resistance or difficulty.
Why This Matters
If your squat or deadlift increases, but your core work doesn’t, your bracing won’t keep up with your newfound strength. This is why heavy ab training needs to be progressively overloaded just like squats, presses, and pulls.
Thompson has spoken extensively about strengthening the “frontside” to support the backside - meaning that directly loading the abs through standing cable crunches, weighted sit-ups, and resisted leg raises builds the kind of real-world, heavy-duty core strength that carries over to big lifts.
How to Implement Progressive Overload
✅ Weighted Cable Crunches – Add progressive weight over time.
✅ Ab Rollouts (Barbell or Wheel) – Increase ROM and add weight.
✅ Weighted Hanging Leg Raises – Avoid momentum, control every rep.
✅ GHD Sit-Ups – A Westside staple, building explosive core power.
✅ Banded Standing Abs – Reinforce constant tension core stability.
👉 Twice a week, treat these just like your main lifts - track progress, increase intensity, and apply overload principles.
Step 3: Add Rotational & Functional Core Work 1-2x Per Week
Most traditional ab routines ignore rotation and dynamic stability, but in real-world strength, your midsection doesn’t just work in a straight line. It has to resist and control movement in multiple planes.
Why This Matters
Lifting isn’t just about static strength - it’s about controlling power through dynamic movement. Your obliques and rotational muscles must be strong enough to resist twisting under load, which is why anti-rotation and controlled rotation training should be a weekly focus.
Thompson’s work with body tempering and spinal strength often involves releasing tension in the obliques and lats, which highlights how engaged these muscles are during all heavy lifts. If they’re weak, everything else suffers.
How to Implement Functional Core Training
✅ Landmine Rotations – Controlled, explosive rotation for hip & oblique power.
✅ Cable Woodchoppers – Strengthens rotational control for stability under load.
✅ Sled Drags (Forward & Lateral) – Reinforces bracing under dynamic movement.
✅ Turkish Get-Ups – A full-body movement that trains oblique & TVA activation.
👉 Integrate rotational work into 1-2 training days per week - think of it as “insurance” for your spine under heavy loads.
Step 4: Integrate Core Work into Loaded Carries & Compound Lifts
The final step is applying core strength in a real-world context. This means training the midsection dynamically under load, rather than in isolation.
Why This Matters
What’s the point of strong abs if they don’t work when you’re under a barbell or moving heavy loads? Core training shouldn’t just be a separate thing you do at the end of a workout - it should be integrated into the main lifts and strongman-style work.
Donnie Thompson often emphasises full-body integration - which means training the abs within heavy movement patterns, rather than isolating them endlessly. This is where carries, offset loads, and heavy bracing work come in.
How to Implement Integrated Core Work
✅ Yoke Walks & Farmer’s Carries – Reinforces full-body bracing & dynamic core control.
✅ Offset Carries (Single-Side Loaded) – Forces unilateral core engagement.
✅ Sled Pushes & Heavy Marches – Trains core endurance under prolonged tension.
✅ Heavy Zercher Squats & Sandbag Lifts – Forces midsection engagement in real lifts.
👉 These should be part of your strength work - not just an add-on. Training your abs under loaded movement conditions ensures they are strong when it actually matters.
How to Make This Work for You
1️⃣ Train bracing & stability daily – If you can’t brace, your abs won’t work when you need them.
2️⃣ Apply progressive overload – Treat ab training like any other muscle group.
3️⃣ Incorporate rotational & functional work – Your obliques and TVA matter more than you think.
4️⃣ Train your abs in real movement patterns – Carries, yoke walks, and loaded bracing make all the difference.
A strong midsection isn’t just for aesthetics - it’s the foundation of true strength. Follow this structured approach, and your squat, deadlift, and overall resilience will improve exponentially.
Your abs aren’t just there to look good - they are the foundation of every lift you perform. Whether you’re chasing a bigger squat, a more stable deadlift, or just overall resilience in training, a strong midsection is non-negotiable.
The reality is, most people train their abs wrong - focusing on high-rep burnout exercises that do nothing for real-world strength. But when you train your abs with progressive overload, anti-movement work, and functional integration, you build true core strength that carries over to everything you do.
Your midsection should be able to brace like a steel beam, resist movement under load, and generate explosive power when needed. That’s the difference between training abs for strength and training them for show - and that’s why high-level lifters don’t skip serious ab work.
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