The abdominal muscles are often targeted in exercise programs to get a flatter stomach. However, your abdominal muscles are also important because they maintain your core stability. According to Derek Mansfield, a physiotherapist in Sydney, Australia, these muscles help you avoid back muscle pain and strains and protect the spinal cord. Mansfield advises that sit-ups and crunches alone aren't adequate to strengthen these muscles.
Nose-to-Knee Crunch
The nose-to-knee crunch works the abdominal core, hip, buttocks and chest muscles. Place your hands on a stability ball and toes on the floor, as if you were going to do push-ups on the ball. Then draw your right knee up toward your nose. Hold for one second and repeat 10 to 15 times with each leg.
Back Extension
The back extension also uses a stability ball to exercise the core abdominal and lower-back muscles. Lie face-down with the ball under you, so that your stomach and hips are on the ball and your toes are resting on the floor. Extend your arms in front of you, as if you are trying to fly, and raise one leg about 6 inches off the floor. Hold for five seconds, relax and repeat with each leg.
Matrix
The matrix is a simple exercise recommended by Amy Dixon, an exercise physiologist in Santa Monica, California, to work the core abdominal and back muscles. While holding a 5- to 10-lb. medicine ball, kneel on a mat with your knees hip-width apart. Hold the ball against your abdomen and slowly lean as far back as comfortably possible, keeping your knees on the floor. Hold this position for three to five seconds, then relax and repeat.
Pilates
Mansfield recommends Pilates for core abdominal power workouts. Lie on your back on a floor mat and hold a pair of 5- to 10-lb. dumbbells above you. Extend your legs so that they are at a 45-degree angle to the mat. Then bring your arms and legs together by raising your legs perpendicular to the floor and lifting your shoulders up so that the weights are above your chest. Hold for about five seconds, then relax and repeat. This exercise can be done without the hand weights as well.
Side Plank
The side plank helps to strengthen core abdominal stability. Begin by laying on your side on a mat. Lift your body up on your elbow and place your other hand on your hip. Keep your body as straight as possible so that it is resting only on your elbow and lower leg. Hold this position for five to 10 seconds, then relax and repeat on both sides of your body.
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