Abs Exercises
The following exercises are organized according to the major muscle group they work—rectus abdominis or obliques. You can safely work out your abs 4–5 times per week; if you add weighted exercise to your ab routine, cut your ab workouts to 3 times a week.

Rectus Abdominis Exercises

Crunch

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1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Rest your fingertips on the back of your head. 2. Crunch up toward your knees. Lift your head, shoulders, and upper torso off the mat. Don’t crunch up more than 45° off the floor. 3. As you crunch, keep your eyes on the ceiling, your belly button drawn in, your upper back flat, and your shoulders lowered. 4. At the top of the movement, tighten your abs a bit. 5. Lower yourself back to the mat. Repeat.
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You can add extra difficulty to a crunch by performing a weighted crunch, in which you hold a weight plate across your chest or behind your head.

Reverse Crunch

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1. Lie on your back with your thighs perpendicular to the floor and your knees bent at a 90° angle. If it’s more comfortable, cross one ankle over the other. 2. Rest your fingertips flat against the floor. 3. Use your lower abs to roll your pelvis back and lift your hips an inch or two off the floor until your knees are directly over your chest. 4. Keep your head against the floor and your belly button drawn in. 5. Return to the original position. Repeat.
To make the reverse crunch more difficult, attach ankle weights to your ankles.

Dumbbell Crunch

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1. Lie on your back with your legs straight on the floor. 2. Hold a dumbbell so it hangs down between your hands. Then straighten your arms. 3. Lift your head, shoulders, and upper torso off the mat by contracting your abs. Do not move your legs. 4. Lower yourself back to the mat. Repeat.

Bicycle

[pic] 1. Lie on your back. 2. Rest your fingertips on the back of your head. 3. Bend your left knee. Extend your right leg and lift it 45° off the floor. 4. With your abs contracted and your torso against the mat, bring your right shoulder toward your left knee. 5. Then switch: bend your right knee, extend your left leg, and bring your left shoulder toward your right knee. 6. Continue to switch back and forth at a steady rate. 7. Focus your energy on your abs; don’t make the exercise about your shoulders or legs. 8. Keep the movement small, and don’t let your torso rock back and forth.

Low Plank

[pic] 1. Lie on your stomach with your arms bent and placed along your sides, your hands facing forward, and your feet together. 2. Push yourself up onto your elbows. Keep your hands apart, with your thumbs pointing toward the ceiling. 3. Make your body form a straight line. Be careful not to stick your butt in the air, sag toward the mat, or hunch your shoulders. Keep your head in line with your spine rather than letting it drop down. 4. Hold the position while continuing to breathe.
To make the low plank easier, clasp your hands together. To make it more difficult, cross one ankle over the other and switch the crossover halfway through your set.

High Plank

[pic] 1. Lie on your stomach. 2. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and push yourself up onto them. 3. Make your body form a straight line. Don’t stick your butt in the air, let it sag toward the mat, or hunch your shoulders. Keep your head in line with your spine. 4. Hold the position while continuing to breathe.
As with the low plank, cross one ankle over the other to make the exercise more difficult.

Ball Crunch

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1. Lie on your back on a Swiss ball (a large, inflatable exercise ball) with your feet on the floor. 2. Rest your fingertips on the back of your head. 3. Crunch up, lifting your head and shoulders off the ball. 4. At the top of the movement, try to tighten your abs a little more. 5. Return to the starting position. 6. Repeat.

Ball Pike

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1. Rest your stomach on a Swiss ball. Walk yourself forward so that your knees are on the ball and your hands are on the floor beneath your shoulders. Your body should form a straight line parallel to the floor. 2. Tighten your abs and try to fold over at your hips. Continue folding until your ankles are against the ball and you are in a pike position. 3. Return to the starting position. Repeat.

Captain’s Chair (Leg Lift)

[pic] 1. Stand up on the chair and grasp the hand grips. 2. Contract your abs and lift your knees, keeping your back flat against the pad. 3. Hold the position. 4. Return to the starting position. Repeat.

Oblique Exercises

Oblique Crunch

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1. Lie on your back with your knees bent. 2. Extend your right arm along the floor so that it’s at a 90° angle to your torso. 3. Rest the fingertips of your left hand on the back of your head. 4. Crunch up at an angle, bringing your left shoulder toward your right knee. 5. Keep the movement small. Focus on working your abs rather than moving your shoulders and elbow. 6. Return to the starting position. Keep repeating the movement on the same side. 7. When you’ve completed your set, switch sides: crunch up, bringing your right shoulder toward your left knee.

Side Crunch

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1. Lie on your back with your knees bent. 2. Keeping your torso straight and your knees as close together as possible, swing your legs to the left. Rest your bottom leg on the mat. 3. Crunch up, bringing your head, shoulders, and upper torso off the mat. Move straight up (as if you’re doing a basic crunch) rather than turning toward your legs. 4. Return to the starting position. 5. Repeat until you’ve completed the set. 6. Swing your legs to the right and then do another set.

Side Plank

[pic] 1. Lie on one side, with your bottom hand directly under your shoulder and your front foot just in front of your back foot. 2. Push yourself up so that you’re resting on your hand and foot. 3. Bring your top arm up toward the ceiling. Your body should form a “T” shape. 4. Keep your abs contracted and don’t let your bottom hip sag toward the floor. 5. Hold the position for as long as you can.
To make the side plank easier, rest your hand on your hip rather than raise it in the air. To make it more difficult, stack one foot on top of the other.

Moving Low Side Plank

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1. Lie on your side with one arm directly under your shoulder, fingers pointing forward. Rest your other arm on your side. 2. Stack one foot on top of the other. 3. Tighten your abs and lift yourself up so that you’re resting on your lower arm and foot. Make your body into a straight line. 4. Hold the pose for a count of three and then lower down until you almost touch the mat. Repeat. 5. After you’ve completed the set, switch sides.