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Exercises / Compound Intermediate

Exercise demo

V-up

The V-up is a high-intensity bodyweight ab exercise that closes the abs and hip flexors at the same time. Brilliant if your core is already strong. Risky if your lower back is cranky or your hip flexors are tight from sitting all day.

Primary muscle

Abs

Equipment

Bodyweight

Force

Pull

Mechanics

Compound

Setup

Lie on your back, legs straight, arms extended overhead in line with the ears. Lower back lightly pressed into the floor, not arched. This is your start every rep.

How to do it

  1. 1

    Brace and lift

    Exhale hard. Simultaneously raise the legs and the torso so the body folds in the middle. Reach the fingertips toward the toes.

  2. 2

    Meet in the middle

    At the top, the body forms a V with the hips as the pivot. Hold for a half second to remove momentum.

  3. 3

    Lower under control

    Take three seconds to bring the torso and legs back down. Stop just before the heels and shoulder blades touch.

  4. 4

    Reset and repeat

    No bouncing off the floor. Keep tension in the abs at the bottom and go again.

Common mistakes

  • • Yanking the head and shoulders up with the arms rather than the abs.
  • • Bouncing off the floor between reps, which loads the lower back.
  • • Letting the lower back arch off the floor at the bottom, which signals the abs have let go.
  • • Going too fast and using momentum.
  • • Doing them when fatigued; sloppy V-ups are a back tweak waiting to happen.

Variations

Tuck-up

Knees bent during the lift. Far easier on the lower back. Use this if the straight-leg version flares anything.

Alternating V-up

Lift one leg and the opposite arm, alternate sides. Less load on the back, more on the obliques.

Hanging leg raise

Same target, performed from a bar. Eliminates the lower-back compression that lying-down V-ups cause.

See the hanging leg raise page →

FAQ

Is the V-up safe for my lower back? +
Only if your trunk is already strong. The V-up loads the lumbar spine in a way that planks and dead-bugs do not. Build six months of decent trunk training before adding V-ups, and even then run them lighter than you think you need to.
How many reps? +
Two or three sets of 8 to 12 clean reps. The V-up is a quality-over-quantity lift. Five clean reps beat fifteen sloppy ones every time.
Why do I feel this in my hips more than my abs? +
The hip flexors lift the legs; the abs hold the trunk in flexion. If the abs are not braced first, the hip flexors take over. Exhale hard and pull the ribs toward the hips before the legs move.

Free tool

Plan the next set on v-up

Enter your last set, get the next working weight tuned for steady, joint-friendly progress.

Open the calculator →

Track v-up in STRNTH

STRNTH logs every set, applies progressive overload automatically and schedules deload weeks before fatigue catches up with you. Free to download.

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