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Ab Exercise

STOP! Don't do another crunch ab exercise. You have alternatives :)

Abs are the most sought after body part. We want beautiful abs with no fat on top! While many of us stick to basic crunches and sit-ups, I am going to show you something new. Something refreshing. Get rid of those crunches and sit-ups forever. They are only effective if done properly and that is not an easy task.

Below are some ab exercises that I love to do. I find them to be effective and fun. Oh yeah... they don't HURT my neck either!

Take your time as you learn each ab exercise. Using the chart below, abs are defined as three main muscles. They are called: internal oblique, external oblique and rectus abdominus.

What's Your Favorite Ab Exercise?

Plank Pose

Start- Start in an upper push-up position. Your hands are directly under you shoulders and your feet are together. Keep your back as flat as possible. Your head and neck are in line with your spine (you should be looking at the ground).

Go For It- Stay in this position as long as possible. Just count those seconds!

Tips and Techniques-

- Remember to breathe!

- Pull your belly button into your spine.

- If you feel this ab exercise in your lower back, lift your derriere up into the air a bit.

- When you cannot hold on for another second, come down to all fours (hands and knees). Then recline back so you are sitting on your heels. Then bend from your hips so that your head is resting on the ground. This is a called Child's Pose.

- Plank Pose and Child's Pose are two of many yoga poses that I use in my trainings.

- This is my favorite ab exercise of all time. It works the inner most ab muscle called your transverse abdominus. That muscle is responsible for holding in our stomach (giving the appearance of a flat stomach), and supporting our spine.


Leg Lowering

Start- Begin by laying on your back. Place your hands wherever they are comfortable. Lift your legs straight into the air.

Go For It- Very slowly begin to lower your legs so that they are almost touching the ground. Pause for one second and begin to lift back to start.

Tips and Techniques-

- Inhale as you lower your legs to the ground. Exhale as you lift them back to the sky.

- Pull your belly button into your spine.

- If you feel you need some lower back support, place your hands in the small of your lower back.

- You should feel this ab exercise in your lower abs.


Reverse Crunch

Start- Begin by laying on your back. Place your hands wherever they are comfortable. Bend your knees and bring your feet off the floor. Push the small of your lower back into the ground.

Go For It- Lift your bottom off the floor by bringing your knees back towards your chest. Once they reach your chest, go back to the starting position in a controlled manor.

Tips and Techniques-

- Exhale as your lift knees back towards chest. Inhale as you lower back to start.

- Pull your belly button into your spine.

- Try to only use your lower abs to lift your bottom off the floor. Using momentum or your arms is not going to give you the stomach results you are looking for.

- You should feel this ab exercise in your lower abs.


Bicycle

Start- Begin by laying on your back. Place your hands wherever they are comfortable. Bend your knees to a 90 degree angle.

Go For It- Very slowly straighten your right leg up to the sky and lower it almost to the ground. Bring it back to start. Now slowly take your left leg straight up and slowly lower it to the floor. Take it back in to start.

Tips and Techniques-

- Inhale and Exhale as you feel most comfortable. Just breathe in this ab exercise.

- Pull your belly button into your spine.

- If you feel you need some lower back support, place your hands in the small of your lower back.

- You should feel this ab exercise in your lower abs.

- It is extremely important to do this exercise slow and controlled. Many people move through it faster than the speed of light. If you want results, go slow and controlled.

- Only take the right leg up, down, and back in. The left leg stays bent in a 90 degree position. Then do your left leg. Take it up, down, and back in as your right leg stays in place.


Ball Crunch

Start- Have a seat on the stability ball. Place your knees over your ankles, and separate your knees so that they are hip width apart.

Go For It- Begin to lean the upper body back. Stop at a 45 degree angle. Pause for a second and return to start.

Tips and Techniques-

- Inhale as you lower back. Exhale as you move back to start.

- Putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth will help with any neck strain.

- The closer your feet are to one another the harder this exercise is.

- You can do this ab exercise many ways. Try leaning back and holding there for 10 seconds. Yowser!


Ball Oblique Crunch

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and leaning back until your lower back is supported by the ball. Your knees should be hip width apart and directly over your ankles. Hands can be where you feel most comfortable.

Go For It- Begin to lift the upper body. However, instead of lifting straight up, we want to lift up and to the right. Pause here for a second and return back to start.

Tips and Techniques-

- Exhale as your lift up. Inhale as you lower back to start.

- Pull your belly button into your spine.

- Putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth will help with any neck strain.

- Remember to do an equal amount of sets and reps on the opposite side.


180 Ball Crunch

Start- Begin by sitting on a stability ball and leaning back until your entire body is supported by the ball. Let the head relax too. Hands can be where you feel most comfortable.

Go For It- Begin to lift the upper body to an almost-sitting position. Pause here for a second and return back to start.

Tips and Techniques-

- Exhale as your lift up. Inhale as you lower back to start.

- Pull your belly button into your spine.

- Putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth will help with any neck strain.

- The further your feet are apart from one another, the easier this ab exercise becomes.


Ball Rock

Start- Begin by laying on your back. Place a stability ball between your palms and the tops of your feet.

Go For It- Begin to rock back and forward.

Tips and Techniques-

- BREATHE.

- Putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth will help with any neck strain.

- This is NOT an ab exercise for beginners.

Great abdominals are possible with regular exercise, cardio and proper nutrition. Use the above ab exercises to create your favorite routine. Remember to switch your ab exercise regularly.



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