People often ask us about abdominal exercises, and
we have found an easy routine of 100 abdominal exercises for you. Don’t worry,
it’s not as bad as it sounds! These are easy exercises and they don’t take as
long as you might think. You don’t need any special ab exercise equipment to do
them, either.
These 100 abdominal exercises work your upper abs,
lower abs, and oblique abs, for a complete abdominal workout.
Are you ready to get started? Here are the
exercises.
The first set of exercises work your upper abs,
without any special ab exercise equipment.
Traditional Crunch
To begin: Lie on your back on the floor with
your hands positioned behind your head.
The exercise: Curl the shoulders up and forward
until the upper back lifts off the floor. Contract the ab muscles
hard when you lift the shoulders (pretend you are trying to put a
dent in the floor with your lower back). Hold for two seconds
before slowly returning to the beginning position.
Repeat ten times. Rest, then repeat ten more
times.
Butterfly Crunch
To begin: Assume the position of a crunch, but
with your knees relaxed out to the sides. The heels of your feet
should be touching.
The exercise: Your heels should be firmly
together throughout the exercise. Perform as you would a
traditional crunch. To increase the level of difficulty, move your
feet closer toward your bottom. Hold for two seconds before slowly
returning to the beginning position.
Repeat ten times.
Curl up
To begin: Lie on your back on the floor with
knees bent and arms at your side.
The exercise: Slide your hands toward your
feet, raising your head and torso as you do so. Concentrate on
flexing your abdominal muscles as you do so. Hold for two seconds
before slowly returning to the beginning position.
Repeat ten times.
The second set of exercises work your lower
abs, without any special ab exercise equipment.
Pelvic Tilt
To begin: Like on your back with knees bent
and feet shoulder width apart.
The exercise: Push the small of your back into
the floor by pulling the lower abdominal muscles up and in. Hold
your back flat. Hold for two seconds before returning to the
beginning position.
Repeat ten times.
Knee Up
To begin: Lie on your back with your knees
bent so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your
knees are parallel to the floor. Your knees are up in the air.
The exercise: Curl your hips so that your
knees come toward your chest. Contract your abdominal muscle as
your bring your knees toward your chest. Hold for two seconds
before returning to the beginning position.
Repeat ten times.
Rest, then move on to the third and final set
of exercises. You are now more than half way through the set of 100
abdominal exercises. These exercises work your oblique abdominal
muscles.
Oblique Crunch
To begin: Assume the beginning position for a
traditional crunch. Bend your knees slightly to take the pressure
off your lower back.
The exercise: Curl to one side. Contract the
abdominal muscles. Hold for two seconds before returning to the
beginning position.
Repeat ten times. Then curl to the other
side. Repeat ten times.
Cross
To begin: Lie on your back on the floor. Place
your hands behind your head. Bend your right knee so that your foot
is flat on the floor. Bend the left knee so that your ankle rests
on the bent knee.
The exercise: Aim your right elbow towards
your left knee, tightening your abdominal muscles as you do so.
Hold for two seconds before returning to the beginning position.
Repeat ten times. Then switch to the other leg
and repeat ten times.
Congratulations! You have just done 100 abdominal
exercises, with no special ab exercise equipment. Now, I don’t want to
knock ab exercise equipment. There is some great equipment out there,
if you can afford it. If you’re serious about working out, you should
check it out. To find out what exercise equipment is available and what
equipment you like, check out our
home fitness equipment review,
or visit a gym. Many gyms will give you a free one-week or
three-day pass and they have trainers who will show you how to use the
equipment.
Feel free to write to us if you have any questions
about the 100 abdominal exercises described here or about other fitness
matters.
More than 100 abdominal exercises on our
benefits to exercise page
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