If you want to train like a Navy SEAL without joining the military, you can do ab exercises at home or the gym just like SEALs do. Navy SEALs perform approximately 50 to 100 repetitions of ab exercises in their workouts, but that doesn't mean you should start out that way. Start with 10 repetitions twice a day at most and work up, as advised by former Navy SEAL Stew Smith on Military.com.
10-second Crunch
The 10-second crunch is a challenging beginner ab exercise. The upper abs are the main part of the abdomen strengthened by this exercise. To perform a 10-second crunch, lie on your back with your knees bent and then round your back as you raise your head and chest toward your legs. Hold your shoulder blades off the floor for 10 seconds per rep. Abdominal exercises are most effective when performed at a slow speed.
Flutter Kicks
Flutter kicks strengthen the lower abs. To perform this exercise, lie face up with your hands beneath your lower back and lift your shoulder blades and legs off the floor. Kick your legs straight up and down without touching the ground or lowering your shoulders. An alternative to 100 quick flutter kicks is to take four seconds to do complete each kick and only perform 10 repetitions.
Side Crunches
The side crunches strengthen the obliques. The oblique muscles include the internal and external obliques that cross like "X"s on the sides of the abdomen. These muscles flex the spine sideways, rotate the spine and bend the spine works, called spinal flexion. To perform this exercise, lie sideways with your legs straight or bent and your top hand behind your head, elbow bent. Crunch sideways toward your top outer thigh and then return to the floor. Repeat on the other side.
Double Crunch
The double crunch is an advanced exercise that works the upper and lower abs together. Since the obliques assist with spinal flexion, they also activate during this exercise. Lie face up on the floor with the knees bent and the hands behind the head to perform a double crunch. Bring the top and bottom halves of your body toward each other off the floor as if to kiss your knees, then lie back down. This exercise is contraindicated for people with a lower back injury. Pulling on the neck may aggravate a neck injury so relax the neck into the hands.
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