See Active Blog For Ab Workout Video (Beginners)
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When you start strengthening your abdominal muscles, you are basically strengthening a group of muscles which many health and fitness experts refer to as the core of your body. If you stop and think about it, your stomach muscles are used throughout the day in many ways that even you may not realize. This group of muscles assists when it comes to breathing and they help you maintain a healthy posture. Almost every movement that you make throughout the day involves these muscles. So it just makes sense to strengthen them through a series of ab exercises, doesn’t it?
Crunch
This sit-up is extremely effective for toning and strengthening the abdominal muscles. At first your range of motion may be small but increasing your abdominal strength will increase your range of motion over time.
1. Lie on your back with your feet on the ground and your knees bent at a 90° angle. Put your hands behind your head so that your elbows are just outside your field of vision.
2. Tilt your hips up towards your head so that your tailbone comes up off the ground and your lower back presses firmly down on the mat.
3. Slowly pull your head and shoulders off of the ground towards your thighs without letting your lower back lift up from the mat.
4. Slowly drop your shoulders back to the mat; do not let your head rest on the ground until all repetitions are complete.
Russian twist
The Russian Twist is an excellent core workout that targets the abdominal’s, obliques, and lower lumbar through a turning motion at the torso. Because of the nature of the motion, it is an excellent strength training tool for boxers, golfers, baseball players, or anyone looking to get 6 pack abs or a rock solid core. Once you master this easier version, move onto the next for a more thorough challenge and to engage the lower abdominals, as well.
1. Sit with your knees bent, heels resting on the floor.
2. Tilt your torso back slightly so that your abs become engaged, and arch your chest up towards the ceiling to flatten your back and straighten your spine.
3. Hold your arms out in front of your chest and twist at your torso, rotating your shoulders as far left and right as you can. Turning left and right is one repetition.
Flutter Kick
1. Lie on your back with your arms out by your sides and extend both legs up over your hips as straight as you can.
2. Drop your left leg straight down towards the ground as far as you can control without touching the ground.
3. Quickly raise your left leg back up while simultaneously lowering your right leg towards the ground. Alternate back and forth, continuing the motion for a set number of repetitions or a set time period. Up and down on each leg is one repetition.
Crunch, Crisscross
1.Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Contract abdominals to go into a quarter or half situp.
2. Extend your right leg straight out and let it hover 2 to 4 inches off the ground; tuck your left leg in so that the left knee is at a 90° angle and directly above the hip joint.
3. Crunch upward and twist your right elbow in towards your left knee. Get as close as you can without letting your knee come in past your hip joint.
4. Switch leg positions; extend your left leg straight out while simultaneously bringing your right knee in over your hip joint. This time, crunch your left elbow up towards the right knee.
5. Alternate back and forth for a set number of repetitions or a set time period. Pulling in towards each knee makes one repetition
Pilates Side Hip Raise
like most Pilates exercises, a great core workout. It targets all of the muscles around your midsection and helps to tone, strengthen, and slim your waist. This move specifically targets the obliques and outer thighs, providing an easy and effective way to tone thighs and abs simultaneously. This is a great addition to any core routine or home workout program.
1. Start by lying propped up on your left side with your left hand directly under your shoulder. Bend your left knee to a 90°; you should have a straight line form knee to shoulder. Extend your right leg completely to form a straight line from shoulder to ankle.
2. Inhale and contract your core muscles, putting all of your weight on your left knee and hand.
3. Slowly exhale as you push into your hand and knee to lift your hip up as high as you can, at the same time lifting your right arm in an arching motion from your abdomen to over your head. Then inhale as you slowly let your arm and hip drop down within an inch of the ground.
4. Perform the motion for a set number of repetitions, switch sides and repeat on the opposite side.
Pilates Hundreds
Pilates programs lead to a slender, toned body shape. The Pilates Hundreds are a great abs exercise that can be modified to be as challenging or easy as your fitness level requires.
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90° and feet on the ground. Place your arms by your sides, palms down.
2. Tilt your hips up ward and contract your abs to push your lower back down firmly into the mat. Slowly lift one leg at a time with your knee still at a 90° but so that your knee is now directly above your hip joint. At the same time, pull your shoulders down by reaching towards your feet with your hands.
3. Inhale slowly, then exhale as you roll your upper body up off of the mat, continuing to reach downward with your hands. Continue to contract your abdominals muscles to keep your shoulders up, and tilt your hips upward as if trying to pull your tailbone off the mat.
4. Pump your arms up and down roughly the distance from hip to knee with a quick choppy motion. Pump your arms 5 times, inhaling each time with small breaths so that by the 5th pumping motion your lungs are completely full. Pump your arms another 5 times; this time exhaling each time until your lungs are finally empty on the 5th arm pump.
5. Each breathing cycle will have 5 breaths in, and 5 breaths out for a total of 10 arm pumps per cycle. Repeat for 10 breathing cycles for a total of 100 individual arm pumps.
Plank With feet Elevated
This is a stability exercise that trains your entire core, including your abdominal, lower-back, and hip muscles. This variation is more difficult than the standard plank. That’s because elevating your feet increases the difficulty of the exercise since you have to support more of your body weight.
1. With your feet on a bench, start to get into a pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of on your hands. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders.
2. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
3. Brace your core by contracting your abs as if you were about to be punched in the gut.
4. Squeeze your glutes.
5. Hold this position while breathing deeply.
Plank Exercise
This is a stability exercise that trains your entire core, including your abdominal, lower-back, and hip muscles.
1. Start to get into a pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of on your hands. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders.
2. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
3. Brace your core by contracting your abs as if you were about to be punched in the gut.
4. Squeeze your glutes.
5. Hold this position while breathing deeply.
Mountain Climbers
Step 1 Starting Position: Come to a hands and knees position on the floor with your toes pointed toward the floor. Your hands should be slightly ahead of your shoulders and your fingers pointing forward. Bring your left foot forward and place it on the floor under your chest. Your knee and hip are bent and your thigh is in toward your chest. Lift your right knee off the ground, making your right leg straight and strong. Your right toes are tucked under, heel up. Brace your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine. Pull your shoulder blades down and back.
Step 2 Keeping your hands firmly on the ground, your abdominals engaged and shoulders strong, jump to switch leg positions. Both feet leave the ground as your drive your right knee forward and reach your left leg back. Now your left leg is fully extended behind you and your right knee and hip are bent with your right foot on the floor.
Step 3 Exercise Variation: If you have limited range of motion in the hips, place hands on a step or platform. Keep your weight evenly distributed on both legs. Do not shift all your weight forward into your front foot.