Get Six-pack Abs At Home With The Best Single Ab Exercise! 

"Do you have abs that are too big? Is that a problem for you? Probably not. Get on this and do it." - that's just honest and straightforward direction..luv it! Luv it! Thank you for the vids!

The Best Single Ab Exercise At Home: CLOSE THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR.

This is the first time I hear this exercise called candlestick. The hardest variation is called dragon flag. One of my favorite. Bruce Lee was big fan of it if I remember well. Awesome video! Awesome progression!

Dude thank you so much for doing this video. I was having such a hard time getting sore from crunches and couldn’t really do hanging leg raises that well, but as soon as I tried these I felt it after the first set.

This channel has really increased my enjoyment of exercise. I finally am starting to understand some of the science of muscle growth and am starting to see some interesting results.

Thanks Dr Mike! Back into fitness at ~30 after a long break. Summer 2024 prep started about a month ago. Squeezed most of the juice from crunches already, so I've been looking to add in something a bit more challenging. This exercise is great. Felt a burn up and down the entire muscle, which crunches don't accomplish. Your point about the highest loading occurring at the point when the muscle is stretched the most is (obviously) spot on. Felt amazing. Thanks again Dr. Mike.

Best fitness channel on RU-vid. Period.

Thanks for just giving us the movement progressions and science behind this exercise! The videos you make where you raise your eyebrows and make fun of people have a place but I appreciate just raw info! Thanks!

Awesome video Mike! Loved the dumbbell leg video as well, waiting for the rest of the DB only series!

Thank you so much,I'm glad I've found you,I'm on my 9th week training,and have felt pain everywhere else except my core, I've tried this technique but not consistently,but today is a new day,will give you an update .

CONGRATS ON 700K SUBSCRIBERS, so happy that more and more people can get to know you guys and your amazing information

Dr. Mike, your channel is really coming through for me. Great format with demonstrating the exercise and getting expert explanations with it. Thanks!

I used to do the expert version all the time. Just got back into lifting after decades off, so it's been a minute. Right now, squats and deadlifts give me my core workout, but I will have to see if I can still do these next time I am at the gym. So glad I found this channel!

I check youtube in the middle of dragonfly sets and this is what I get

One of the best fitness channels out there!!! Thanks and God bless!

The first day I had these programmed in the rp app. These killed me the next 3 days. My core has never bene that sore. Ever since this has been a staple for me!

I do the intermediate version on the concentric to full vertical like the pro version, and then I "try" to do a pro eccentric. It feels the natural progression for me, because the true candlestick (or dragonfly raises, as I've known them) are just too hard. But it is crazy how you can make progress with these. So rewarding.

Your workout insights are amazing. I've changed my tempo/increased range-range/speed on negatives. Seeing amazing results.

Oh, just as I was recommended this exercise for abs due to hip issues, RP gives a proper guide for it. Great.

This style of video is awesome ! Don’t get me wrong, the jokes are fun, the rants are fun, but this is MONEY!

I do the expert version just fine, but I think that's because I have 5lbs chicken legs that I neglected for years. Now I'm working on a leg-focused program and I think the candlestick will get harder in time with added mass!

Great video... I just found your channel. There is a ton to learn here. I'm slowly absorbing it.

Great video, I been looking to up my ab game. this is perfect.

I actually saw the "abs are made in the kitchen" statement make people in the gym completely disregard ab exercises altogether. Now I'm the only person in our gym with actual thick abs cause I was doing these last couple of years. Going slow is the key! I also like - and would recommend trying out - doing loaded half-bosu ball crunches.

Been doing the beginer version of this for years as my go to for abs. Cool to know it's the best. I'll be 60 November!

Awesome format for the technique videos.

Great video!! More like this PLEASE!!!

Always with the spot on info and science based explanations, thanks Doc!

I always took this to be a reverse crunch, either way, man oh man does this burn my core to a crisp, love it

This is awesome! Thanks dr Mike!

Tried yesterday and it felt tremendous, especially when doing slow. Thanks a lot!

Bruce Lee’s dragon flag 🦾

Did this once in the workout park just to see how it feels, never had more soreness on my abs. Amazing exercise!

Love it! Introducing these to my clients programs 🙌

This is my go-to exercise for Abs, I also ad a twist when I raise my hips upwards to activate obliques. Most underrated exercise for midsection

I'll try adding this to my routine! Thanks!

Completely agree! Dragon flags (I/E the hardest variant) took my ab development to a whole new level.

so good to see my favorite ab exercise in such a video. I recognized that hanging leg raises were the best for me. Now at home I dont have a bar to hang from, so I can do it on the floor. Its doable even without something solid behind you, just push against the ground near your hips!

Dr. Mike, I tried these the other day, and oh man did it fry my abs. One simple and super effective exercise. Love it! Thank you Sir.

This is awesome. Thanks do much for this one

This is so great, thank you so much! Would it be possible for you to do a “best exercise” for both the obliques and the transverse abdominis as well?

I like the "Have you ever seen anyone with too big [insert whichever muscle]? " argument because you can use it for any muscle and it will always sound like a valid reason to get the muscle bigger.

you're great at what you do Mike, keep it up

Works perfectly, thanks for posting 🙏 I was looking for for exactly this, one exercise to do it all. Did sets of 20 for 3, abs sufficiently sore day 1 and day 2 in all the right places 💪👍

I do these every day but on the floor with hands placed near the thighs, I also don’t allow my feet to touch the floor. This has improved my hanging leg raise incredibly, and my abs

I’ve been looking for a new abs exercise and the universe has delivered. Thanks dr Mike. Edit Nov23: I’ve been doing these for the past meso and I’m up to intermediates for 4 sets of 15 on Tue and Fri. But… I’ve been touching my feet to the floor on the eccentric and it has been kicking my ass. I was thinking of adding some ankle weights - any thoughts on that? The proper advanced version still seems too hard, having tried it. Thoughts?

Absolutely outstanding work

Good to know I've been incorporating the #1 ab exercise into my workouts for the past 20 years

There's another version that I do, it's between the second and third techniques, you start by lifting up your lower body with the second technique and then do the eccentric part with the the third technique, very hard but doable, Give it a try!

This is a great exercise! I've never heard it called a "candlestick" though. I've been calling it a "reverse crunch." This exercise has about the same effects as doing hanging leg raises. But for me this one is much better. Lifting or "curling" your hips is smoother with this exercise than with the leg raises. I do 3 sets of 15 reps, with the "medium" variation you show. I get a rush of pain when I sit up after each set! For another challenge, you could do it on an incline bench. Thanks for the video. Definitely a great exercise.

How is it that I’ve watched a million research backed legit fitness videos but I always learn from yours so much more?!

Thank you so much Dr. Mike. Is there any video on obliques on the channel?

I've been doing a version of this on an incline bench for a couple of years, and slowly increasing the reps. Although I could probably go slower on the descent. It's good to know that one of my favourite ab exercises is as effective as it feels. Hopefully I can reveal the evidence when I start cutting.

I do the intermediate version but squeezing a medicine ball between the knees. Progressed from 6 to 30 pounds.

A kettle bell is a good grip for that when doing it at home on the floor. I always liked the candlestick so good to learn it can be adapted to an abs exercise like that!

I did a very similar movement to the modified, I am glad to see I was on the right track. I'm gonna try these hopefully I get good at the technique.

I've ALWAYS hated training abs, its by far the least interesting muscle to work for me (personally) going to give this one a go, thank you!

This exercise looks amazing, but I would assume this one could be a bit problematic for people with lower back herniated disk. Or, with correct technique, that should not be a problem?

Hey Mike, love your stuff. Could you make some couching sounds that we could listen too, while we work out. “Go, one, slow, slow, go again” every time I see you doing that in a video I wish I had it. Love the content!!

I'm always searching for another move to add onto my tummy routine, and this is it... Thanksman!👍

Bruce lee used to do this exercise its called dragon flag by many callisthenic athletes awesome exercise !

Never really liked the hard version (ie. dragon flag) because it's so difficult to keep it from being mostly about the lats. Found it much better to do these like it's a reverse crunch. Here's my take: 1. Same set up but only your upper back is on the bench 2. Keep your upper back static. You do not roll up onto your shoulders, you use your arms only to keep yourself in place 3. Legs bent, roll your hips up and down as you would in a reverse crunch. Having your hips off the bench gives room for a large ROM 4. Important: the goal isn't to get your legs above you (with static upper back this would be impossible anyway), the goal is to only move as much as the crunching motion allows This gives a WAY better feel for the actual crunching motion done by the abs while the lats aren't really contributing to the movement. You can get a great stretch at the bottom and the difficulty is controlled simply by changing how bent your legs are. Make these as difficult as you can while remaining fully in control of the crunching action. Again: everything else static, move only by crunching.

This is the video that got me to subscribe. I guess I know what I will be trying in the gym tomorrow.

It's crazy I've been doing this shit on my bench for years as a rest between presses but never really focused on the resistance down unless I was trying not to tear bench up lol. Thanks for the idea.

I used to be able to do about eight of the hard variation when I was in really good shape, but I stopped doing them because they put a lot of pressure on my neck. I thought they were called dragon flags.

Hey Dr Mike, isn't the third variant exclusively working the abs isometrically? I though the curling up was done by the lats as a semi pullover and the abs only keep the legs in line with the rest of the body. I thought the second version would be better given the dynamic movement

I love you Mike!!!!❤❤ and I love this exercise

I'll give it a go. Thanks. I found when doing leg pullovers, it's important to flex the abs before each rep, or it works your hip flexors as much as the abs.

I dont have a workout bench at home, what do I do?

first, mike roast me!

Nice job - great video.

Thank you!

Someone shaved the gorilla.

Develop, yes, strengthen, no lol carries

Exactly what i was lookin for

Great, I’ve been doing this from day one - newbie 1 month at the gym 💪

Perfect timing, I needed a swap for knee raises and tried out the modified candlestick intermediate version this morning. Felt crazy good, especially at the bottom few inches. Thanks for a new favorite!

Oh man I am currently working on hollow body and man this exercise is the best for abs but feel much more better on partial currently. For sure I will be working on it. Thanks

Thanks Dr. Mike.

This is a great ab exercise, one of my favorites. Cool to see Nick Shaw on your video. I was in the Top 5 with him at the NPC Universe when he won his pro card.

Insane ! I got the intermediate version but at the end of movement I'm completly vertical like the true candlestick and that without training my abs for years. I'm shocked. But I think that I might fall in love with this exercise. Thanks for sharing :D

You can level up even more with a small plate on your feet with a tie down strap. Or, you can raise the incline. It is amazing how much harder this is with an incline added.

Hell yeh! Great vid

I find that a modification somewhere between the beginner and intermediate is really nice as well. You bend your knees and bring your legs up, straighten them up into the air, and then (like in the intermediate) keep your legs straight on the descent. My lower back has been killing me lately and bringing my legs straight up on the ascending movement irritates it, but for some reason lowering them back doesn’t and it still allows me to fry my abs more than the beginner version does for me.

The lighting is, well...LIT! Production values FTW.

i never knew that what it’s called. Saw it in Rocky IV. Been doing the easy version for awhile. Might need to correct my form to this! Thx!

great video!

Really felt the abs burning coming down slowly with this

I actually started doing these recently as an alternative to normal crunches. Oddly enough I struggle with those because I have a bad back and for some reason these seem to work better for me. With this in mind I will continue to do them.

Dude this gave me abs for the first time in my life. Thanks so much Mike the Bike!

*Thanks for the video!

Thank you so much for the video! I tried these in the gym this afternoon, and four hours later I can still feel a warm glow coming from my abs :D I was doing hanging leg raises but I'm going to replace them with candlesticks.

That looks gnarly. I like it!

I like this one. Another favorite is scooting your butt down so it partially hangs off and doing leg raises with your lower body cantilevered. This allows greater depth, stretch, and therefore even more emphasis on the eccentric

Thanks for this, I might be able to train abs again!

Been doing the beginner version for ages, called it reverse crunch. Try letting your tailbone be just off the bench, adds an awesome stretch under load that'll kill your soul.

the self validation i receieved after this vid, i've been doing this for months

I thought this was just reverse ab crunches but a higher intensity version. Ive been doing this actually and the burn is real. Been doing the intermediate variations Thanks for the tips and guides

Wow, haven’t felt my abs like that before , thabks❤❤❤

Used to do these back in the day. Rocky did them. I also did incline situps with 45 lb plate for full sets.