The core is an essential part of your body that helps you perform certain actions such as bending, twisting, and turning. Having a strong core is also vital for maintaining good posture and preventing back pain.

One of the best ways to strengthen the core is through abdominal exercises.

Here are 30 abdominal exercises to try at the gym:.

1. Crunches

Lie on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest or behind your head. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor and curl your body upwards, squeezing your abdominal muscles.

Lower your body back down slowly.

2. Bicycle Crunches

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Lift your shoulders off the ground and bring your left elbow to your right knee, straightening your left leg. Alternate sides.

3. Leg Raises

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs straight. Slowly lift your legs up until they are at a 90-degree angle with your body. Slowly lower them back down to the starting position.

4. Russian Twists

Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground, keeping your knees bent. Twist your torso to the right and touch your right hand to the ground next to your hip.

Twist back to the center and then twist to the left, touching your left hand to the ground. Repeat.

5. Plank

Lie face down on the floor. Place your elbows and forearms underneath your chest. Prop yourself up to form a bridge using your toes and forearms. Hold this position for as long as possible.

6. Side Plank

Start in the plank position, then shift your weight to your left elbow and lift your right arm up. Balance on the side of your left foot and hold for as long as possible. Repeat on the other side.

7. Mountain Climbers

Start in the plank position. Bring your right knee in towards your chest, then switch legs by jumping and bringing your left knee in towards your chest.

8. Burpees

Start standing, then squat down and place your hands on the ground. Shoot your feet back into a push-up position, then jump your feet back up to your hands and stand up.

9. Ball Crunches

Lie on the ball with your lower back centered on the ball. Cross your arms over your chest or behind your head. Curl your body upwards, squeezing your abdominal muscles, then slowly lower back down.

10. Ball Passes

Lie on your back holding a stability ball with straight arms. Raise your legs and your upper body so that your arms are reaching over your raised legs. Pass the ball from your hands to your feet, then lower your arms and legs to the ground.

Raise them back up and pass the ball back to your hands.

11. Dead Bug

Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your knees bent over your hips. Lower your right arm and left leg to the ground simultaneously, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

12. V-Sit

Sit on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you. Lean back slightly and lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight. Reach your arms forward and hold this position for as long as possible.

13. Reverse Crunches

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands at your sides. Lift your legs off the ground, then bring your knees towards your chest and lift your hips off the ground.

Slowly lower back down to the starting position.

14. Scissor Kicks

Lie on your back with your hands under your butt. Lift your left leg off the ground, then lower it while lifting your right leg. Alternate lifting and lowering your legs.

15. Toe Touches

Lie on your back with your legs raised straight up in the air. Reach towards your toes, lifting your head and shoulders off the ground.

16. Russian Leg Twists

Hold a medicine ball in front of your chest and sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Lean back and lift your feet off the ground, keeping your knees bent.

Twist your torso to the right and touch the ball to the ground next to your hip, then twist to the left and repeat.

17. Alternating Toe Touches

Lie flat on your back with your legs straight out in front of you and your arms extended overhead. Reach up with your right hand and try to touch your left toe.

Lower back down and repeat by reaching up with your left hand and trying to touch your right toe.

18. Knee Tucks

Hold on to the handles of an ab wheel and place the wheel on the ground in front of you. Roll forward until your body is straight, then pull the wheel back towards your knees by bending them. Roll back out to the starting position and repeat.

19. Reverse Plank

Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you and your hands on the ground behind you. Press your hips up towards the ceiling so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.

20. Sit-Up to Stand

Start in the sit-up position with your arms behind your head. Sit up and extend your arms forward, then stand up.

21. Lying Leg Raise with Hip Thrust

Lie on your back with your hands under your butt. Lift your legs straight up, then lift your hips off the ground while keeping your legs straight. Lower back down to the starting position.

22. Spiderman Plank

Start in the plank position. Bring your right knee towards your right elbow, then return to the starting position and do the same on the left side.

23. Straight Leg Sit-Up

Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you and your arms over your head. Sit up slowly, reaching for your toes.

24. Heel Taps

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Keeping your heels on the ground, tap your toes back and forth.

25. Flutter Kicks

Lie on your back with your hands under your butt. Lift your legs off the ground and kick them up and down in a rapid motion.

26. Plank with Shoulder Tap

Start in the plank position. Take your left hand off the floor and tap your right shoulder, then return to the starting position. Repeat with the right hand.

27. Hanging Leg Raise

Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms extended straight. Lift your legs up until they are parallel to the ground, then lower them back down.

28. Side Oblique Crunch

Lie on your side with your legs straight and your bottom arm extended overhead. Raise your legs and shoulders, reaching your top arm towards your feet. Lower back down and repeat on the other side.

29. Cable Woodchopper

Attach a cable machine handle to the highest setting and stand perpendicular to the machine. Pull the handle downwards diagonally across your body, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

30. Kneeling Cable Crunch

Attach a rope handle to a cable machine and kneel in front of it. Hold the rope behind your head and curl your body downwards, squeezing your abdominal muscles. Return to the starting position and repeat.