Ab Exercises in the Park

Exercising outdoors in beautiful scenery can make a dreary workout more enjoyable. You don't need special machines or free weights to do abdominal exercises so exercising at the park is easy. Choose a park with a playground or athletic field so that you can use the equipment to enhance your workout. Bring a mat, though, for comfort and cleanliness and don't forget a bottle of water to stay hydrated out in the sun. The water bottle can come in handy for exercise, too.

Slide Sit-Ups

Many people at the gym will do incline sit-ups on an incline bench. You can do a similar exercise on a slide or a hillside. Find a suitable surface to perform this exercise on. Lie an exercise mat on the bottom of the slide or on a hillside to keep your backslide clean. Get on your back with your head below your hips. Extend your legs straight up the slide or hill. You can bend your knees if your back hurts. Cross your arms lightly on your chest,then quickly sit up as far as you are able. Lie back down as slowly as you can to emphasize the negative, or eccentric, phase of the exercise. This trains your abs differently than they are likely used to being trained and should give you a new challenge. Hold your full water bottle to your chest to make the exercise harder.

Jungle Gym Leg Raises

Leg raises on a jungle gym train your abs to stabilize your trunk as you lift your lower body and keep your upper body still. To perform this exercise, hang from the jungle gym with your hands facing each other on parallel bars. Raise and lower your legs at a moderate speed, not allowing momentum or gravity a chance to take the focus away from your abdominals. Three to four seconds up and the same amount of time down is plenty. Keep your legs straight. Raise one leg at a time if you cannot lift both together. Pinch your water bottle between your knees or ankles to work the inner thighs and give the abs more to lift to progress this exercise.

Superhero

The superhero standing exercise trains your abdominals, hips, thighs, shoulders and upper back. The superhero works your muscles, balance and coordination. To perform this exercise, stand on your right leg with your left knee bent in front of your abdomen. Hold your water bottle or your mat rolled up with your arms bent at shoulder level in front of you to start. You can even fill your water bottle and roll it up in your mat for more weight. Extend your left leg straight so that it is parallel to the ground and press your arms straight forward. Round your back and contract your abs at the same time you kick your leg forward and extend your arms. Next, hold your arms straight and tilt your upper body forward as you swing your leg leg behind you. If possible, make your whole body parallel to the ground, except the leg you are standing on. Return to the starting position to complete one superhero. Repeat on the other side.