Easy Ab Exercises You Can Do At Home

In order to strengthen the abdominal muscles, sit-ups are great. To be effective, sit-ups must pull the torso upward from a lying position toward the knees, using only the abdominal group. For best results, abdominals should be performed slowly with legs resting on a chair/bench, so that legs are bent at 90. Never push through back pain; stop immediately at even the slightest twinge in the lower back Checklist: Lie on back with knees bent Feet flat on the floor close to the buttocks, or raised up on a bench No jerking or twisting movements for beginners Breathe comfortably throughout the exercise Commence curls with the shoulders, then the upper back and finally the lower back Bring the torso up no more than 30 degrees; hold momentarily then lower the torso Clasp hands behind the neck just to support the weight of the head Dont pull on your head when doing the exercise Keep your chin off your chest, aim to keep your upper spine straight (neutral) Warm up your stomach muscles with easy stomach exercises, before you advance Finish off by stretching out the abdominals By doing some dorsal raises, this will help stretch out your abdominals To start this workout routine, first perform a warm up of 10 minutes with mild jogging & then do cardio exercises for minimum 30 minutes. Perform the above abdominal muscle exercises only after an initial warm up. Follow this routine for a couple of months & you will definitely lose belly fat & notice the building of ab muscles. Leg Raises//Lifts Lie down on your back on the floor Place your hands under the hips for supporting the body or below your buttocks so as to stabilize your back, palms must face down Without bending your legs, raise them off the floor, so as to form a 90 with the upper body Bring the legs back to the floor; take care that your legs do not touch the floor When they are about 2 inches off it, again raise them, the same way If you find this exercise too tough, then bend your knees & then do the same workout To increase the difficulty level of this workout, you could lie with your back flat on a bench, with your hips off the bench & then do the leg raises Repeat this exercise 12 times, aim for 3 sets of this exercise

Leg Drops Raise both begs toward the ceiling Breathe in & tighten your abs Exhale & slowly lower your legs until they're about 4 inches above the floor (or as low as you can go without lifting the small of your back) Pause & breathe in Breathe out as you raise your legs to the starting position Repeat 10 times

Scissor Kicks Lie down on the floor on your back Raise both legs toward the ceiling Keep them straight Lower your left leg until its about 6 inches off the floor Lift your head & shoulders off the floor Grasp the back of your right leg, gently pulling it toward you Switch legs & repeat on other side Quickly complete 10 reps with no pauses Alternate Toe-touching Lie down on your back on the floor Keep your hands crossed behind your head Without bending your legs, raise them off the floor so that they form a 90 with your upper body Raise your upper body towards your feet & at the same time, with your right hand, touch your left foot Come back to your original position & repeat the same exercise, but this time, touch your left hand with your right foot Repeat the same exercise, alternating between both the legs, 12 times Aim for 3 sets of this exercise Roll Up Lie on your back Stretch your arms & extend your legs so you form a straight line Inhale Bring your arms overhead Begin to curl your upper body off the floor Exhale when halfway up & continue rolling forward to reach your toes Inhale & reverse the move, exhaling halfway down, to return to start Repeat 10 times Sit Ups/Basic Crunches Lie down on your back Bend your knees, raise them & keep the feet flat on the ground, slightly away from the hips Bring your hands at the back of your head, keep them crossed, with your elbows out Apply pressure on your abdomen, raise your upper body towards the knees (lift your torso towards your knees) Make sure every time you are lifting yourself up, from your torso & not from your neck or shoulders, & ensure that you contract your ab muscles while lifting your torso Go as high as you can & then come back on the floor With each contraction it is important that you keep the chin off your chest Repeat this exercise 12 times Aim for 3 sets of crunches, with 12 repetitions each

Hip Lifts Raise both legs toward the ceiling & extend your arms on the floor at your sides, palms down Inhale & tighten your core muscles Curl your hips toward your ribs as you exhale, lifting your hips off the floor & reaching your feet straight up Breathe in as you slowly lower Repeat 10 times

Bicycle Exercise Crunch Lie on your exercise mat & place your fingers behind your head Lift your shoulders off the floor & bring in the knees close to the chest Make sure you are not pulling or straining your neck Straighten out the left leg, simultaneously turning the upper body towards the right side, taking the left elbow towards the right knee Now switch sides, getting the right elbow towards the left knee Perform this pedaling motion with 16 reps in 3 sets each Plank Exercise Place an exercise mat on the floor & lie on your stomach Now, lift your entire body away from the mat To support yourself, use your palms or forearms & toes Keep your body aligned with your buttocks down Tighten your abdominal muscles & breathe normally Keep your abdominal muscles tightened for as long as you can Relax & start again. Do this at least 5 times Downward-facing Dog Place an exercise mat on the floor & come down to your hands Keep your feet & palms hip-width apart, bring your head down Look through, between your legs & breathe normally Your legs & arms should be straight & facing forward Till you take 3 full breaths, you will remain in this position Release yourself, come back down, & sit for a few seconds before beginning Do this exercise 5 times

Reverse Crunches Lie down on the floor on your back & place your hands either besides your thighs or behind your head Straighten your legs to keep your body flat Now, gently bend your knees, so that, they bend to form a right angle Keep your legs joined while bending the knees Bring your knees close to your chest by tightening your abs & lifting the hip region Exhale & bring your knees closer to the chest Hold for a second, inhale & bring your legs back to starting position Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions every other day Side Crunches/Bends Hold a dumbbell in your right hand Keep your feet shoulder width apart Bend sideways on your right hand side, so that the dumbbell lowers down to the knees Return to the original position & repeat the same exercise with the dumbbell in the left hand & bend on the left hand side Perform 25 reps of this side bending Half Curl Lie down on the floor with your knees bent & hands on thighs Contract your abdominal muscles & curl your body in the upward direction Curl in the upward direction, until fingertips reach your knees Go back into your original position & start up with the next curl Keep your head upwards & do not tuck your chin in the chest Perform 15 reps & increase the count every week

Alternate Knee-In Sit on the floor with your legs completely straight in front of you Support your upper body with your forearms completely rested on the floor Tighten your ab muscles & bring a bend in your left knee Try to bring the left knee close to your left shoulder Straighten the left leg & repeat the same with other leg Do 10 repetitions for each side Raised Leg Crunches Lie flat on your back Keep your legs raised, perpendicular to the ground Do the normal crunches Do this exercise in 3 sets of 15 reps

Side Plank Lie on your right side with the right arm on your waist, with the forearm resting on the mat Raise your pelvis from the floor Hold it in a straight-line plank position The hips should not be allowed to sag toward the floor Hold this position for 20 seconds Work up to one minute holds for 2 to 3 repetitions To increase the challenge, raise the top foot

Hands to Knees This is great for the side abs & to narrow down your waist Rest your hands on your thighs Slowly slide your hands along your leg, up towards your knees Control the movement on the way down The slower you work, the harder the exercise Keep your chin off your chest If your neck aches, support your head with one hand Concentrate on controlled smaller movement Feel your abs contracting rather than using momentum to force into the movement Aim for 15+ lifts, repeat 2 times Bridging Exercise Lie with your knees bent & feet flat on the floor, arms by your side with palms down Tighten your abs, flatten your back Press down into your feet & raise your hips off the floor Squeeze buttocks tight then straighten out one leg Bring leg back up to bent-knee position, then switch legs Slowly lower your back to the floor, keeping your hips tight Aim for 3 sets of 12 reps+ Roman Twist You need to go a little bit blower with this one as compared to the basic crunches Lay in the same position that you would for the basic crunches Raise your shoulders as you would for the basic crunches Before going down, twist your torso from one side to another one time Go back down Start off with around 50 & then graduate

Alternating Supine Leg Walks Lie flat on your back Place your hands under your buttocks to stabilize your back Raise your legs as you did while performing leg lifts When your legs are perpendicular to your body, it is the initial position Contract your abs & lower one leg so that your foot is a few inches off the ground Hold this position for a 2-3 seconds & raise it back to initial position Alternate your leg & perform same movement Perform 20 reps & relax You must perform 3 sets of this workout to achieve the best results Boat Pose Place an exercise mat on the floor & sit straight on it with your legs extended Lift your feet off the floor, bend your knees, & bring your hands on either side Concentrate on your abdominal muscles & breathe normally Relax your shoulders, back straight, head relaxed, & eyes forward Release the pose & sit cross-legged for a few seconds before beginning Do this exercise 5 times

Roman Twist You need to go a little bit blower with this one as compared to the basic crunches Lay in the same position that you would for the basic crunches Raise your shoulders as you would for the basic crunches Before going down, twist your torso from one side to another one time Go back down Start off with around 50 & then graduate

Vertical Leg Crunches Lie on the floor & extend the legs straight up with knees crossed Place your hands behind the head for support, but avoid pulling on the neck Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet Keep the legs in a fixed position & imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement Lower & repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps

V Crunches Lie flat on a mat Keep your legs close to each other with your hands at your sides with palms facing down Be in a position so that your head & shoulder are placed 2 inches above the floor & your feet are also 2 inches above the floor Raise yourself in this position, bending your knees to form 90 angle Try to bring them near your chest Hold the position for 2 seconds & slowly return to the initial position & repeat Perform 15 reps & 3 sets

Knees to Chest Lie flat on the floor, keeping your lower back & head in contact with the flower Use your arms to push yourself down Lift both feet off the floor, keeping your ankles & knees together throughout the movement, whilst keeping your lower back pulled in to the floor Inhale & smoothly pull your knees towards your chest Avoid letting the legs come up or go out to far, as this can cause injury to the lower back Squeezing a soft ball between your knees during the movement can make the exercise harder Focus on keeping your abs contracted throughout, especially on the outward phase, where your feet should not touch the floor Aim for 12-20 reps full movement, repeated twice after 20 seconds rest Torso Twists Sit with your backbone stretched & upright (or sit cross-legged on the ground) Hold the edge of a desk with your fingers & thumbs Keep your feet flat against the ground (adjust your chairs height so that your feet do not dangle loosely, they should be firmly set on the floor) Suck your stomach in & use your core as the axis to swivel the chair from left to right & vice versa Stretch your arms out in front of you, with your fingertips touching Imagine yourself to be the rotating tub of a washing machine Breathe in With your hips square & abs tight, breathe out as you slowly rotate your upper body about 45 to the right Return to the center & repeat on your left side Do at least 4-5 sets of 20 rotations (1 rotation equaling 1 left-right-left set)