12 Ways to Work Out Your Abs at Home
Getting great abs can doesn't have to involve a personal trainer, grueling long workouts, and extremely low calorie diets. Whether you’re a fitness buff or a beginner, keeping your abs strong is critical to correct your posture, and to ensure that you’re working out correctly. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of 12 ways to work your abs at home.
1. Plank on Elbows and Toes
- Lie face down as if you’re going to do a pushup, your hands flat on the floor.
- Instead of lifting yourself onto your palms, leave your forearms flat against the floor and lift up onto your toes and forearms.
- Your back should be in a straight line; tighten your abs, pulling your belly in so that your buttocks don’t break the lines of your body.
- Hold this position.
2. Full vertical crunch
- Lie on your back and lift your legs straight up towards the ceiling.
- Put your hands behind your head and tighten your abs to lift your shoulders from the floor, and pull your toes toward you, making a “U” with your body. Then lower, and repeat.
3. Traditional (Basic) Abdominal Crunch
- Lie down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Put your hands behind your head and lift your head slightly from the mat, while tensing your abs so that the arch in your back flattens against the floor.
- Hold, lower, then repeat.
4. Crunch with Heel Push
- Lie down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Put your hands behind your head and lift your head slightly from the mat, while tensing your abs so that the arch in your back flattens against the floor.
- While in this position, keep your back tight against the floor, and push down with your heels, so that your buttocks lift, ever so slightly from the mat.
- Hold, lower, then repeat.
5. Reverse crunch
- Lie down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Put your hands behind your head and pull in your knees until they’re at a ninety-degree angle.
- Tighten your abs to lift your hips from the floor, at the same time stretching your legs straight out towards the ceiling.
- Lower, then repeat.
6. Long-arm crunch
- Lie flat on your back.
- Clasp your hands and reach straight behind you, so that your arms are in a straight line with your body.
- Tighten your abs, lifting your shoulders from the floor.
- Lower and repeat.
7. Vertical leg crunch
- Lie flat on your back.
- Straighten your legs towards the ceiling, then cross them at the knee.
- Tighten your abs to lift your shoulders from the floor.
- Lower and repeat.
8. Crunch on exercise ball
- Lean against the exercise ball so that it fits into the curve of your back.
- Place your hands behind your head.
- Tighten your abs to lift your upper body from the ball; do not allow the ball to roll beneath you.
- Lower and repeat.
9. Bicycle exercise
- Lie flat on your back, with your hands behind your head.
- Simultaneously pull in your knees towards your chest, while lifting your shoulders from the ground.
- Pull your right elbow in to touch your left knee, while straightening the right leg so that it hovers above the floor.
- Change sides, bringing the left elbow in to the right knee, straightening the left leg.
- Change sides and repeat.
10. Single-Leg Opposite-Arm Reach
- Stand with knees bent and feet apart.
- Raise left knee so that it’s at a ninety-degree angle.
- Without setting left leg down, bend forward, slowly extending your right arm before you and your left leg straight out behind you.
- Hold, then return to initial posture.
- Lower and repeat for the desired number of repetitions; then, change sides.
11. One-Legged Hop
- Stand with knees bent and feet apart.
- Raise left knee so that it’s at a ninety-degree angle.
- Hop forward with right foot, landing on left foot, with right knee raised at a ninety-degree angle.
- Hold, then repeat for the desired number of repetitions; then, change sides.
12. Opposite Arm and Leg Raise
- Get down on all fours.
- Straighten your right arm and your left leg simultaneously; hold.
- Lower, then switch sides. Repeat.
