The Abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. The deep abdominal muscles, together with muscles in the back, make up your 'core' muscles and help keep your body stable and balanced, and protects your spine.
Workouts
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis.
How to do it:
Lie on your back with your
knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head
so your thumbs are behind your ears. Don’t lace your fingers together. Hold your elbows out
to the sides but rounded slightly in. Tilt your chin slightly, leaving a few inches of space
between your chin and your chest. Gently pull your abdominals inward. Curl up and forward so
that your head, neck, and shoulder blades lift off the floor. Hold for a moment at the top of
the movement and then lower slowly back down.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis.
How to do it:
Lie on your back, legs straight and together.
Keep your legs straight and lift them all the way up to the ceiling until your butt comes off the floor.
Slowly lower your legs back down till they’re just above the floor. Hold for a moment.
Raise your legs back up. Repeat.
Target Muscles: Obliques.
How to do it:
Lie down with your legs bent at the knees.
Elevate your upper body so that it creates a V shape with your thighs. Twist your torso to the right,
and then reverse the motion, twisting it to the left.
Target Muscles: Obliques and Rectus abdominis.
How to do it:
While holding a medicine ball with
both hands, lie flat on your back with legs straight and arms extended past your head. Tighten
abs and bring your legs and arms up to form a V. Try to touch the ball with your feet. Hold for
one count and return to the starting position before repeating the move.
Target Muscles: Obliques and Rectus abdominis.
How to do it:
Lie on your side with your right leg on
top of your left. Put your right hand behind your head, elbow flared out, and the other on the floor
in front of you for balance. Contract your obliques to bring your right leg and elbow together, then
slowly lower.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis.
How to do it:
Get into a push up position,
with your elbows under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart. Bend your elbows and
rest your weight on your forearms and on your toes, keeping your body in a straight line.
Hold for as long as possible.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques.
How to do it:
Lay down on a mat or a towel on a flat surface.
Draw your legs in by bending your knees to 90 degrees. Place your hands by your ears and take your elbows out wide.
From this start position, draw your belly button down towards the floor to engage your core, then contract your stomach
muscles (abs) to raise up to a sitting position.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques.
How to do it:
Lie on your back with your arms by your side.
Take a big inhale, and then on your exhale, engage your core and lift both your torso and legs straight off
the ground and reach for your toes. You body will resemble a V. Lower back down with control, keeping your
core tight and your legs straight.
Target Muscles: Abdominals.
How to do it:
Put both hands and knees on the floor.
Place your right foot near your right hand and extend your left leg behind you.
In one smooth motion, switch your legs, keeping your arms in the same position.
Switch your legs back and forth twice, such that your right leg is again close to your right hand.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis and tranverse abdominis.
How to do it:
Begin lying on your back with your legs
up in the air, perpendicular to the floor. Keep your arms down along your side with your palms facing
down. Squeeze your lower abs and raise your butt and lower back off the floor with quick pulses. Try
not to rely on momentum, but focus on only using your lower abs.
Target Muscles: Transversus abdominis and internal obliques.
How to do it:
Start in a side-plank position either
balancing on your hand or your forearm. Keep your body in one straight line from your feet to your
shoulders. Raise your top arm up toward the ceiling. Next, bend your top knee and top arm so that
your knee meets your elbow halfway. You should really feel this in your obliques. Lower your leg
down and return your arm to the start. Continue with all reps on one side before switching to the other.
Target Muscles: Transversus abdominis
How to do it:
Lie on your back with your hands by your sides
or place them underneath your glutes.
Lift your legs and alternate crossing your feet on top of each other. Repeat until set is complete.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis and obliques.
How to do it:
Start lying flat on your back, legs fully extended, and both hands behind the head.
Begin by pressing your lower back into the ground. This will eliminate any arch in the low back and help engage your core before starting any movement.
From here, bring both hands behind the head and raise the shoulders off the floor.
Next bring your right knee toward your chest and simultaneously rotate your shoulders to bring the left elbow to toward the right knee.
Make sure to keep the leg that isn’t bending fully extended and low to the floor to get the best engagement.
After touching the right knee to the left elbow, rotate your shoulder and bring the left knee to the right elbow. Perform these movements slowly and controlled for the best core-burning results.
Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominals, and obliques.
How to do it:
Lie on your back in the same
starting position as a reverse crunch. Instead of lifting your backside off the floor, stay
grounded throughout the exercise. Bring your hands behind your head and inhale to prep yourself.
Exhale and crunch up without letting your chin drop into your chest. As you lower down, inhale
and get ready for the next rep.
Target Muscles: abdominal walls.
How to do it:
Start seated with your knees
bent out in front of you. Lean back slightly so your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the
floor and your shins are parallel to the floor. Keep your abs engaged as you straighten your
legs and simultaneously bring your arms out to the side. Bring your arms and legs back in to
the starting position. Continue pulsing like this as you hold your core steady.
