How To Do V-Ups (Tips & Sample Workouts!)

V-ups are a powerful core body exercise that requires you to lift the weight of both your arms and legs by using your abdominal muscles.

Use v-ups as a challenging way to practice core strength with fewer reps and less time than a traditional plank. The extra balance and coordination needed are a bonus for your body, too!

V-Up Exercise Instructions

Here’s how to do v-ups correctly:

1. Lie on your back and extend your arms behind your head. Keep your feet together and your toes pointed.
2. Keep your legs straight and lift them up as you simultaneously raise your upper body off the floor. Keep your core tight as you reach for your toes with your hands. Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.
3. Remember to relax your hip flexors during this exercise so they don’t take over, and of course, remember to focus on good posture!

V-Up Benefits

There are many reasons you should incorporate v-ups into your workouts! Here are just a few:

Stronger Core Muscles

Your core, particularly your transverse abdominus, is the powerhouse of your entire body. Without a strong core, you are opening yourself up to poor athletic form, back pain, and general injury.

V-ups are an excellent way to train your transverse abdominus to pull in correctly and keep you strong in the middle. This is exactly why I use it in my lower ab workout designed for women!

Improved Balance

V-ups is an exercise that promotes balance and stability. Balance and stability are crucial for overall body strength and learning how to utilize the strength of the middle of your body is so important!

Low Back Health

With over 80% of the population in the United States reporting some type of lower back pain in their life, finding a move to help prevent such problems is key. V-ups is a move that teaches your transverse abdominus to contract, which ultimately protects your lower back and helps prevent pain and injury.

Easy Ways to Incorporate V-Ups Into Your Workouts

V-ups are a great exercise to practice any time on their own. However, you could also incorporate them into other workouts to mix them up.

Here are some ideas to make that happen:

Workout #1: Core Strength Workout with V-UPs

V-ups is one of many amazing exercises you will find in the following ab workout. These exercises are designed to tackle that “muffin top” area of your belly by working your core!

• Oblique Burner (20 total, alternating side to side)
• V-ups (10 total)
• Cross Body Planks (20 total, alternating side to side)
• Ab Reverse Curl (15 total)
• Hip Dips (20 total, alternating side to side)
• Bicycle (20 total, alternating side to side)

Workout #2: Full-Body Strength Workout with V-Ups

This workout uses both body weight and dumbbells for a great workout that covers all of your muscles.

Grab a medium pair of dumbbells and move from one exercise directly to the next. Repeat the entire circuit 2 times!

• Push-Ups (12 reps)
• Plank Jacks (12 reps)
• Bicep Curl Lunge (12 reps)
• Tricep Overhead Extensions (12 reps)
• Squat Thruster (12 reps)
• Shoulder Front Raise (12 reps)
• Cross Behind Lunge Lateral Raise (12 reps)
• Straight Arm Press Back (12 reps)
• Reverse Grip Double Arm Row (12 reps)
• V-ups (20 Reps alternating right to left)

Workout #3: Circuit Workout with V-Ups

Circuit training is an excellent way to use the most of your time for exercise because you move directly from one exercise to the next, with little to no break in between. Complete this entire circuit performing one exercise after the next. Rest for 1 minute at the end then repeat the sequence a second time.

• Side lunges (30 seconds)
• High knee run (30 seconds)
• Push–ups (30 seconds)
• Jumping jacks (30 seconds)
• Plié squats (30 seconds)
• Bear crawl (30 seconds)
• V-ups (30 seconds)

Rest 1 minute. Repeat. Stretch.