How to do a V-Up
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
Workouts with V-Up
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
V-Up is a bodyweight core exercise that targets the abdominals and hip flexors. The movement involves lying on your back, then simultaneously raising your legs and upper body to meet in a 'V' position. This exercise is more challenging than standard sit-ups or leg raises due to the increased range of motion and need for coordination, making it excellent for building core strength and stability.
- Start in a lying down position with legs and arms fully extended to form a straight line with your entire body.
- Exhale to raise both legs and torso simultaneously and bring your hands near your feet.
- Keep back in a straight line throughout the exercise.
- Inhale to return back to the starting position by lowering the legs and torso in a controlled manner.
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Alternatives & Variations to V-Up
1. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 133 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
2. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 128 TIMESCrunches are one of the most common exercises out there. It’s an easy to perform, bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. Crunches are very similar to Sit Ups, however, instead of raising your upper body all the way into a near sitting position, you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to build core strength.
3. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 81 TIMESAb Crunch Machine is a variation of Crunches performed with a machine. Unlike standard Crunches, the use of a machine gives you more control over your resistance. In addition, the machine will restrict your range of motion allowing you to focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Ab Crunch Machine
4. V-Sit
19.1 mSCORESWAPPED 80 TIMESV-Sit is a bodyweight core exercise that primarily targets your abdominals and hip flexors. This exercise involves balancing on your glutes with your legs and upper body raised, forming a 'V' shape. Maintaining this position requires significant core strength and stability, making it a highly effective exercise for building core endurance and control. It's a great addition to any core workout for increasing both stability and muscle endurance.
5. Plank
92.8 mSCORESWAPPED 67 TIMESPlanks are one of the most common core exercises out there. This is a bodyweight exercise that is performed for time rather than reps. Planks don’t require any movement, instead they force you to place yourself in a position that requires you to engage your core, and maintain that muscle activation for the duration of the exercise. This is a great way to help build strength and stability in a way that will translate to a variety of other exercises, and your daily life.
6. Toe Touchers
75.9 mSCORESWAPPED 62 TIMESToe Touchers are a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the abdominals. This movement involves lying on your back and extending your legs straight up, then reaching towards your toes with your hands. This exercise focuses on contracting the abdominal muscles to bring the torso towards the legs, increasing core strength and improving flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back.
7. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 62 TIMESSit Up is one of the most common exercises out there. It’s a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. Sit Ups are very similar to Crunches, however, rather than raising just your shoulder blades off the ground, you raise your entire upper body. This gives you a bit more range of motion than Crunches, however you’ll start to lose some tension in your core at the top of the movement.
8. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 61 TIMESBicycle Crunch is a more difficult version of a standard crunch. Instead of raising your torso off the ground for each rep, you keep your torso off the ground, and your core engaged. By cycling your legs, you add more instability to the movement, which leads to better core activation.