Can't Feel My Abs Working During Workout

Why “Trying Harder” on Crunches Is a Waste of Your Time

If you can't feel my abs working during workout, it’s not because they're weak; it’s because your hip flexors are doing all the work. The fix isn't more reps or longer planks-it's a simple 2-second adjustment to your hips that forces your abs to finally turn on. You’ve probably felt it: you’re 20 reps into a set of leg raises, and the only thing burning is a deep ache in your hip sockets or strain in your lower back. Your neck is sore from crunches. Your plank feels like it's all in your shoulders. This is the most common frustration we see, and it’s the number one reason people quit training their core. They assume they just don't have the genetics or strength, but the reality is much simpler. Your body is lazy. It will always choose the easiest path. For most ab movements, the easiest path is to use the powerful psoas muscle (your primary hip flexor) to pull your legs or torso, leaving your abdominals almost completely dormant. This guide will show you how to shut off your hip flexors and force your abs to do the job they were designed for. It’s not about strength; it’s about position.

The Hidden Muscle That's Stealing All Your Ab Gains

The reason you feel ab exercises in your back and hips is because of a muscular tug-of-war that your abs are losing before you even start. The culprit is a group of muscles called the hip flexors, specifically the psoas. This muscle connects your lumbar (lower) spine to your femur (thigh bone). Its job is to pull your knee toward your chest. Sound familiar? That’s the primary motion in sit-ups, leg raises, and crunches. When you lie down, your body naturally has a small arch in the lower back. This position, called an anterior pelvic tilt, puts your hip flexors in a mechanically advantageous position. They are primed and ready to work. Your abs, on the other hand, are slightly stretched and relaxed in this position. So when you begin a crunch, your brain sends a signal to lift your torso, and the strongest, best-positioned muscle takes over: the psoas. It pulls on your spine to lift you up, your abs barely engage, and you feel strain in your lower back. Every rep you do this way reinforces the bad pattern. You're essentially training your hip flexors to get stronger while your abs stay weak. The key to fixing this isn't to do more reps, but to change the starting position entirely to take the hip flexors out of the equation.

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The 3-Move Sequence to Force Your Abs to Fire

Feeling your abs isn't a mystical mind-muscle connection reserved for elite athletes. It's a mechanical process. You just need to put your body in a position where the abs have no choice but to work. This three-step protocol will re-teach your body how to use its core. For the next 4 weeks, this is your only ab routine. Do it 3 times per week.

Step 1: Master the 2-Second Pelvic Tilt

This is the most important movement you will learn for core training. It's the on/off switch for your abs. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place one hand in the space under your lower back. Notice the arch. Now, without lifting your butt off the floor, gently press your lower back down to flatten the arch and “crush” your hand against the floor. Hold this flat-back position. That’s it. You have just performed a posterior pelvic tilt. You have turned your hip flexors off and your rectus abdominis on. This flat-back position must be held for the entire duration of every single rep of the following exercises.

Step 2: The “Can’t-Cheat” Exercises

These three movements are designed to make it nearly impossible for your hip flexors to take over, as long as you maintain the pelvic tilt from Step 1. They build the foundational strength and neural pathways you need.

1. The Dead Bug: Lie on your back and establish your posterior pelvic tilt. Bring your knees up to a 90-degree angle and your arms straight up toward the ceiling. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor, going only as low as you can *without* your lower back arching. Exhale as you lower, then inhale as you return to the start. Alternate sides. Perform 3 sets of 12 total reps (6 per side). If your back arches, you’ve gone too far.
2. The Hollow Body Hold: This is the ultimate test of core stability. Start on your back with the pelvic tilt locked in. Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the floor. For the easiest version, hug your knees to your chest. To make it harder, extend your legs out further and your arms overhead. Your goal is to find a position you can hold where your lower back remains completely flat on the floor. Start with 3 sets of 20-second holds. The moment your back arches, the set is over.
3. The Reverse Crunch: Unlike a regular crunch where hip flexors can easily assist, this move isolates the lower abs. Lie on your back, pelvic tilt engaged, with your knees bent at 90 degrees. Instead of lifting your head, use your lower abs to lift your *hips* and tailbone an inch or two off the floor. Think about rolling your pelvis toward your ribcage. Control the movement on the way down. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 controlled reps.

Step 3: Re-Introduce Old Exercises (The Right Way)

After 4 weeks of mastering the protocol above, you can return to exercises like planks and crunches. But now you have the secret weapon. Before you start a plank, get on all fours and find your posterior pelvic tilt-tuck your tailbone slightly to flatten your back. Hold that position as you extend your legs. Your plank will feel 10 times harder and you'll last half as long, which means it's working. Before a crunch, press your low back into the floor and *then* lift your shoulders. You'll feel a deep contraction instead of neck strain.

What Your First 2 Weeks of “Real” Ab Training Will Feel Like

Get ready for a reality check. Your first few workouts using these techniques will feel humbling, and that’s how you know you’re doing it right. You are moving from a mindset of “more reps” to “better reps,” and the difference is massive.

In the first week, your numbers will plummet. If you could hold a sloppy, back-arched plank for 60 seconds, you might only manage a proper 20-second hollow body hold. If you were doing 50 crunches, you might only get through 12 perfect reverse crunches before your abs give out. This is not failure; it is the first sign of success. You are finally isolating the target muscle instead of letting bigger, stronger muscles cheat the movement. You’ll feel a deep, unfamiliar soreness in your midsection 24-48 hours later. That’s the signal that you’ve finally hit the mark.

By week two or three, the pelvic tilt will start to feel more natural. You won't have to think about it as much. You'll be able to hold the hollow body for 30 seconds or complete a full set of 15 reverse crunches with perfect form. This is where the mind-muscle connection truly forms. You're no longer just going through the motions; you're controlling the contraction. By the end of the first month, this new motor pattern will be locked in, allowing you to apply the principle of core bracing to nearly every other lift you do, from squats to overhead presses, making you stronger and safer everywhere in the gym.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Role of Breathing in Ab Work

Breathing is not passive; it's an active tool for core engagement. Exhale forcefully through your mouth-like you're blowing out birthday candles-during the hardest part of the exercise (e.g., as you lift your hips in a reverse crunch). This action contracts your deep core muscles, including the transverse abdominis, creating more stability.

Feeling Abs in Your Neck and Shoulders

If you feel neck strain during crunches, you are leading with your chin and pulling on your head with your hands. To fix this, imagine you're holding an orange between your chin and chest. Keep that space consistent. Place your fingertips by your temples instead of behind your head, and focus on lifting your shoulder blades off the floor, not just your head.

Why Your Lower Back Hurts During Ab Exercises

Lower back pain during ab work is a direct signal that your back is arched and your hip flexors have taken over. Your abs are not engaged, so your spine is taking the strain. The immediate fix is to stop, reset, and perform the posterior pelvic tilt, pressing your lower back firmly into the floor before starting the next rep.

Weighted vs. Bodyweight Ab Training

Do not add weight until you can perform 20 perfect, controlled bodyweight reps of an exercise without feeling it in your back or hips. Adding weight to a faulty movement pattern only strengthens the dysfunction and increases injury risk. Master the form with your bodyweight first, then add a 5 or 10-pound plate for progressive overload.