Exercises for Your Abs

These exercises for your abs incorporate dynamic moves that involve multiple muscles and help work the abs in a more functional way. By involving more muscles, you'll burn more calories during your workout, which is a plus if you're trying to reduce body fat and trim your middle. The following exercises offer a variety of moves, from beginning to advanced, using a variety of tools to build core strength.

How to Work Your Abs


•  You can effectively work your abs with 3 non-consecutive workouts a week

•  Do 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps of each exercise. If that's too easy, make sure you're doing each exercise correctly and using perfect form. You can add a dumbbell or plate to crunches to add difficulty.
 
Ball Crunch


Lie with the ball resting under the mid/lower back and place hands behind the head or across the chest. Contract your abs to lift your the torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips. As you curl up, keep the ball stable.



Crunch & Reach

Begin with body straight over the ball, light weight extended behind you (not shown). Contract the abs to lift and bring the weight over the head, crunching up and twisting to the right, contracting the right side of waist. Repeat for all reps and then switch sides.


Modified Plank

Begin by placing elbows on the floor and resting body on the knees. Pull the abs tight to hold your body in a straight line from head to knees without sagging in the middle, eyes looking naturally forward. Hold this position for as long as you can, relax and repeat 3 or more times.

Knee Tucks

Start in plank position on the ball, with the ball under the shins/ankles. Roll the ball towards you with your feet, tightening the abs into a crunch.


Woodchops

Attach one end of a resistance band to something sturdy and wrap the band around your hand a few times for the right tension. Grasp the band in both hands and begin in a lunge position, reaching down with the arms Keeping the arms straight the entire time, rotate and lift the body towards the other side while sweeping the arms on a diagonal. Return to start and repeat before moving onto the other side.


Hip Extension on the Ball

Lie on the floor with feet heels propped on ball. Keeping abs tight, slowly lift your hips off the floor (squeezing the buttocks) until body is in a straight line. Hold for a few seconds and lower


Ball Taps

Sit on the ball with strong abs and straight spine, hands behind the head. Contract your abs and lift the right foot, tapping it on a medicine ball in front of you. Lower and repeat with the other foot, alternating sides. Use your abs to keep your balance.

Total Body Circuit

This total body circuit workout targets every muscle in your body with dynamic compound exercises as well as muscle-specific moves. This short, powerful workout is perfect for when you're short on time and want to get the most out of your workout. You'll perform each exercise, one after the other, for one complete circuit for a short, efficient workout.



Precautions

See your doctor if you have any illnesses, injuries or other medical conditions.

Equipment Needed
Exercise ball, various weighted dumbbells, a step or bench

• Warm up with 5-10 minutes of cardio

• Perform the exercises as shown, one after the other with short rests in between as needed

• For a longer workout, complete 2-3 circuits

• Modify according to your fitness level and avoid any exercises that cause pain or discomfort

Squat, Curl and Press

Hold medium weights and stand on the right foot, left foot behind you. Squat down, touching the weights to the floor. Curl the weights up in a biceps curl and then press the weights overhead as you push to a standing position. Lower the weights and repeat for 16 reps on each side.

Sumo Squats

Hold a heavy weight or kettlebell and take the feet wide, toes out at about a 45-degree angle. Bend the knees and lower into a squat as low as you comfortably can, keeping the knees in line with the toes. Push into the heels to stand and repeat for 15 reps.

Power Curl

Hold heavy weights with feet hip-distance apart. Swing the weights back slightly as you squat, powering the weights up into a hammer curl while squatting, touching the elbows to the knees if you can. Stand up while keeping the weights up and slowly lower the weights back down. Repeat for 16 reps.

One Arm Arnold Press

Hold a moderate weight or kettlebell in the left hand and lower into a squat while taking the right arm out for balance. Keep the torso upright, the abs braced and make sure the knees are behind the toes. Keeping this position, begin with the palm facing in and push the weight up as you rotate the palm out. Take the arm back down, rotating the hand so that the palm faces in. Repeat for 12 reps on each side.

360 Plank

Hold medium weights and lunge to the left (right leg is straight) taking the weight in the left hand down to the floor. You should be in a runner's lunge with the right arm pulled up into a row. Put the right weight down as you straighten the left leg into a plank. Now pull the right weight up again into a row as you step forward with the right leg. Stand up, facing the back of the room and repeat the series again with your left lunge, plank row and stand. Complete 4 circles in each direction.

Stiff-Legged Deadlift and Bent-Knee Deadlift Combo


Hold weights in front of the thighs and tip from the hips, keeping the back straight and shoulders back as you lower into a deadlift. At the bottom of the movement with the weights near shins or toes, bend the knees, continuing to keep the back straight and the hips back. Push into the glutes to stand up and repeat, starting with the stiff-legged deadlift and switching to a bent-knee deadlift. Repeat for 15 reps.

One-Armed Row

Place left foot on a step and support the body with the left hand as you hold a heavy weight in the right hand. Squeeze the back to pull the elbow up in a rowing motion until it is level with the torso. Lower and repeat for 15, then switch sides.

Pushups

Perform 3 sets of 16 pushups on the ball or on the floor.

Reverse Turning Lunge

Begin the move facing forward, holding weights in each hand, if desired. Turn to the left at a diagonal, pivoting on the right foot while stepping forward with the left foot into a lunge. Take the weights towards the floor, keeping the abs engaged to protect the back. Your right leg should be straight. Push back up, turning so that you face forward again. Do the same thing on the other side, lunging with the right foot forward. Push back to start and repeat, alternating sides for 15 reps.

Lunge

Stand in a split stance, with feet about 3 feet apart. Hold weights in each hand and bend the knees. Lower the back knee toward the floor, keeping the front heel down and the knee directly over the center of the foot. Keep the torso straight and abs in as you push through the front heel and back to starting position. Repeat all reps on one side before switching sides. 15 reps.

Y-Chest Press

Lie on a bench and hold medium-heavy weights with elbows bent. Straighten the arms and press the weights up and out at an angle into a y-shape. Bring the weights together over the chest, lower back down and repeat for 15 reps.

Close Grip Bench Presses and Skull Crushers

Lie down and hold a medium barbell with hands shoulder-width apart, palms face out. Bend the elbows, keeping them close to the body, and lower them to just below the torso, bringing the bar to a hover over the ribcage. Contract the triceps to push the weights up and then bend the elbows and lower the weight down towards the head, stopping when the elbows are at 90 degrees. Push the weight back up and repeat the close grip press and skull crusher for 12 reps.

Recipes

Greek Veggies Salad

This salad is easy, attractive, and a wonderful combination of flavors. For best results make a day ahead and let chill overnight."

Ingredients


1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can small pitted black olives, drained

1 (6 ounce) package tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled

1 (16 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing

Directions

1.In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, olives and cheese. Add enough dressing to coat, toss and refrigerate overnight.

Nutritional Information


Amount Per Serving Calories: 315
Total Fat: 27.2g
Cholesterol: 19mg

Recipe Yield 8 servings

Carbohydrate Warnings!

• Some people mistakenly add more refined high-carbohydrate foods to their diet when they try to increase their fiber. Misinformed, they purchase foods like spinach noodles, thinking these are whole foods. Wrong. Pasta needs to be made from whole grains to be a whole-food source. White flour with added green vegetables, like most green pasta, doesn't count.Read the label. It should state the grains are "whole".
• The emphasis is on unprocessed. Cereals, even high- fiber ones, high fiber breakfast bars, and other commercially advertised products are stillprocessed. They are better than refined grains, but not as good as consuming plain whole grains.
• Commercial high-fiber products often contain excess sugars (from fruit, dates, honey, fructose, etc.) .This puts a sugar burden on the body and the intestinal lining.
• It has been estimated that one-third of the population needs to eat a healthy balance between high-carbohydrate food sources and adequate proteins. This is becauuse certain people are genetically predisposed to oversecrete the sugar-lowering hormone insulin when they consume large or even moderate amounts of carbohydrates, even those from grains, fruits, and juices, as well as from refined sugars.
• The tendancy to secrete excess insulin has been labeled Syndrome X. You are at risk for Syndrome X if your parents or grandparents were diabetic, had heart disease, elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, or carried extra weight around the waist for much of their lives.