Keeping your abdominal muscles in tip-top shape isn't always easy. It requires a lot of repetitions of tedious exercises. However, you can liven up your workout by incorporating varied ab exercises into your routine that are fun to perform and just as effective as sit-ups.
Yoga Ball Crunch
Sit on a yoga ball and roll forward until your head and neck are resting on the ball. With hands behind your head and feet planted firmly on the ground, roll your body up, curving your spine as you flex your abdominal muscles. Recline into the starting position. Repeat.
Straight-Legged Round About
Lie on the ground with your arms at your sides and your legs straight in the air and pressed together. Lift your hips off the floor and swing your legs in a circular motion. Repeat this exercise in both directions.
Folding Sit Up
Lie on the floor with your legs straight out and arms straight out from your body at a 90-degree angle. Lift your legs off the floor and stretch toward your toes with your arms. Hold this bent position before returning to the reclined position. Repeat.
Reverse Crunch
While lying on the floor, your head and shoulders off the ground just a bit, place your hands behind your head and place your knees at ninety degrees and your feet just off the floor. Lift your knees toward your face by contracting your abdominal muscles. Try not to move your upper body at all. Lower your knees back to the starting position then repeat.
Weighted Side Crunch
With knees bent and feet on the ground, lie down and hold a weight in both hands at your right shoulder. Then, do a side crunch to the left, keeping the weight at your shoulder. Repeat, then switch sides.
Bicycle Crunch
While lying on the ground, bend your knees 90 degrees so your shins make a tabletop, parallel with the floor. With hands behind your head, pretend you're riding a bicycle, pumping your legs out and around. As each leg stretches out, twist your torso to the opposite knee. Repeat several times.
Side Crunch
While lying on your back and feet flat on the floor with knees bent, raise your shoulders off the floor and twist to the left before straightening your body. After lowering to the floor, repeat, only this time, twist to the right. Repeat several times for each side.
Hip Lift
With your body flat on the ground and legs positioned straight in the air, place your hands under your tailbone for support. Then, lift your hips off the floor, raising your legs slightly. Lower back to the starting position then repeat.
Chest Lift
While lying on the floor face down, place your arms next your hips, palms facing up toward the ceiling. Tense your abdominal and gluteal muscles before lifting your chest up and your arms away from the floor as though you were flying. Hold the lifted position before returning to the starting position with control. Repeat.
The Crunch
Lie on the ground with feet on the floor and knees bent. Place your hands behind your ears and lift your shoulders off the ground, feeling the tension in your abdomen. Don't jut your head forward, instead keep looking forward and slightly up. Return to the starting position before repeating several times.
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