Habit Tracker / Fitness challenges
30-day ab challenge
Crunches, leg raises and a plank, a few minutes a day, rest every seventh day. Print the calendar below, or track it in the app.
MyGems ·
Most ab challenges repeat one exercise hundreds of times. This one uses three short moves instead, because the core does more than one job: crunches curl the spine, leg raises work the lower abs and hip flexors, and the plank trains your midsection to hold still. Together they take five to ten minutes. Every day the numbers go up a little, and every seventh day is a rest day.
The 30-day ab challenge calendar
Name: ______________________ Start date: ____________
- Day 1
- 10 crunches
- 6 leg raises
- 15 sec
- Day 2
- 12 crunches
- 6 leg raises
- 15 sec
- Day 3
- 14 crunches
- 8 leg raises
- 20 sec
- Day 4
- 16 crunches
- 8 leg raises
- 20 sec
- Day 5
- 16 crunches
- 10 leg raises
- 25 sec
- Day 6
- 18 crunches
- 10 leg raises
- 25 sec
- Day 7
Rest
- Day 8
- 20 crunches
- 10 leg raises
- 25 sec
- Day 9
- 22 crunches
- 12 leg raises
- 30 sec
- Day 10
- 24 crunches
- 12 leg raises
- 30 sec
- Day 11
- 26 crunches
- 12 leg raises
- 30 sec
- Day 12
- 26 crunches
- 14 leg raises
- 35 sec
- Day 13
- 28 crunches
- 14 leg raises
- 35 sec
- Day 14
Rest
- Day 15
- 30 crunches
- 16 leg raises
- 40 sec
- Day 16
- 32 crunches
- 16 leg raises
- 40 sec
- Day 17
- 34 crunches
- 16 leg raises
- 40 sec
- Day 18
- 36 crunches
- 18 leg raises
- 45 sec
- Day 19
- 36 crunches
- 18 leg raises
- 45 sec
- Day 20
- 38 crunches
- 18 leg raises
- 45 sec
- Day 21
Rest
- Day 22
- 40 crunches
- 20 leg raises
- 50 sec
- Day 23
- 42 crunches
- 20 leg raises
- 50 sec
- Day 24
- 44 crunches
- 22 leg raises
- 55 sec
- Day 25
- 46 crunches
- 22 leg raises
- 55 sec
- Day 26
- 46 crunches
- 22 leg raises
- 55 sec
- Day 27
- 48 crunches
- 24 leg raises
- 1 min
- Day 28
Rest
- Day 29
- 50 crunches
- 24 leg raises
- 1 min
- Day 30
Test: max
Day 30 is a test: hold one plank for as long as you can with good form, then compare it with the 15 seconds you started with.
30dayschallenge.app/challenges/30-day-ab-challenge/
How to use this plan
- The number on each day is a daily total. Split it into as many sets as you need.
- Days 7, 14, 21 and 28 are rest days. Walking or stretching is fine; skip the challenge move.
- If a day felt too hard, repeat it tomorrow instead of moving up. Finishing a day late is better than quitting.
- Tick the box on each day you finish, on paper or in the app, so you can see the month fill up.
How to do the three moves
- Crunches: lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Hands lightly by your ears, not pulling your head. Curl your shoulders off the floor by tightening your stomach, then lower slowly.
- Lying leg raises: lie flat with your hands under your lower back or by your sides. Keeping your legs straight (or slightly bent), lift them until they point at the ceiling, then lower them slowly without letting your lower back arch off the floor.
- Forearm plank: rest on your forearms and toes with elbows under your shoulders. Make a straight line from head to heels — no sagging hips, no raised bottom — and breathe normally.
Slow beats fast for every move here. If your lower back lifts during leg raises, bend your knees or stop the legs higher above the floor.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Do leg raises with bent knees, hold the plank on your knees, or halve every number in the calendar.
- Harder: Add a three-second pause at the top of each crunch and leg raise, or add 15 seconds to every plank.
Track the challenge on your phone
Paper on the fridge works. So does your phone, which you look at more often. In Habit Tracker: 30Day Challenge, add the challenge as a habit and check it off each day from the Home Screen widget; the app shows your streak and a 30-day grid that fills in as you go, and can remind you at a time you choose. It works offline and needs no account.
The free version covers a daily challenge like this one. Pro adds weekday and times-per-week schedules, so planned rest days never break your streak.
Frequently asked questions
Will a 30-day ab challenge give me a flat stomach?
Not on its own. Ab exercises make the muscles stronger, but whether they show depends mostly on body fat, which comes down to overall activity, food and sleep. A stronger core still helps posture, lifting and most other exercise.
Can I train abs every day?
At these numbers most healthy adults can, and the plan includes a rest day every week. If your stomach or back is still sore the next day, repeat the previous day's numbers instead of moving up.
What if I can't hold the plank for the full time?
Hold it for as long as you keep a straight line, rest a few seconds and finish the remaining time in a second hold. The total matters more than doing it in one go.
Is this ab challenge safe after pregnancy or with back pain?
Check with a doctor or physiotherapist first. Crunches and leg raises are not the right starting point for everyone, especially with a diastasis recti or a back problem.
This plan is general fitness information, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, have a heart or joint condition, or have not exercised in a long time, check with a doctor before starting.