Any garden-variety fitness club will have a bevy of ab exercises machines, from ab crunchers to resistance balls. While you might not have the same advantages in your home, that doesn't mean you should skimp on your ab workout if you can't get to the gym. Objects from around your home can be used as props for your ab workout to add resistance and weight for better results. Whether you need to tone your lower abs or you're working on your obliques, check your personal belongings before spending money on gym memberships or faddish equipment.
Chair
As long as you have a hard chair in your home, you have the opportunity for an ab workout. Chair exercises also can be done at the office to keep your abs firm and tight. Try lying on the floor, placing your calves on the seat of a chair in front of you, while doing crunches. The added difficulty from your heightened legs can help target your lower abs. Or, sit in the chair with your hands gripping the sides and your bottom slid to the edge. Slowly raise your knees to your chest for a count of three and lower for a count of three. Repeat each exercise 12 to 15 times.
Towels or Magazines
Depending on the type of floor you have, using items to cover your hands so that you can slide your hands across the floor can take the place of pricier ab rollers. If you have carpeted floors, use glossy magazines. If you have hardwood or laminate, use towels or cotton shirts. Stand three feet in front of a wall and cover your hands with the item. Bend down to the floor and use the items to allow your hands to slide to the wall without moving your feet. If the exercise seems too easy, move farther from the wall. When you reach the wall, shimmy back to the starting position and repeat 12 to 15 times.
Bungee Cord
A bungee cord makes an excellent stand-in for a resistance band. Try a rowing exercise by using a small bungee cord, about 1 to 3 feet in length. Sit on a mat with your knees bent in front of you. Slowly recline your back and raise your feet off of the ground until you're in boat pose: balancing your body on your bottom with your back reclined and your arms straight in front of you. Hold the cord taut like a paddle in your hands as you simulate a rowing movement on your left side. Repeat on the ride side to target your obliques. Repeat 12 to 15 times on each side.
Books
A large, heavily bound book can add extra resistance to more traditional ab exercises. Lie on your back on an exercise mat with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Holding a book in both hands, extend your arms over your head. Inhale and initiate a crunch. Keep your arms straight and bring the book overhead to touch your knees as you crunch. Release and come back to start, repeating 12 to 15 times.
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