An abdominal exercise program provides the most satisfactory results when you gradually progress from beginner to advanced exercises. Beginner abdominal exercises teach you how to activate your deeper core muscles while using proper form and postural alignment. Advanced abdominal workouts impose a balance challenge or increase the range of motion of the exercise.
Cat
The difference between an ineffective and an effective abdominal exercise depends on your ability to let your deep abdominal muscles control your spinal movements. The cat exercise teaches you how to use deep core contraction to facilitate spinal flexion. Kneel on your hands and knees, and inhale. Exhale, and imagine that you can get your navel to touch your spinal column. Tilt your pelvis and round your upper back, until your torso resembles a very angry cat. Inhale and return to the starting position.
Stability Ball Knee Tuck
The movement initiation of the stability ball knee tuck bears some similarity to the start of the cat exercise, but the knee tuck imposes a dynamic balance challenge. Lie prone on the stability ball, and walk your hands forward, until your body is in a pushup position and your shins sit on top of the ball's surface. Prepare with an inhalation, then exhale and tilt your pelvis so that your pubic bone moves toward your navel. Bend your knees, drawing them toward your chest. Inhale, release your tailbone to a neutral position and straighten your legs.
Oblique Curls
The oblique curl is a seemingly simple exercise that is often subject to a multitude of execution errors. This easy version of the exercise teaches proper form. Assume a supine position with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head for neck support, but do not interlace them. Interlaced fingers tempt you to jerk your neck into position, which overworks your neck and underworks your obliques. Inhale and feel your left hip sink into the floor. Exhale, and lift your head and shoulders so that your right shoulder moves toward your left hip. Simultaneously lift your left knee from the floor. Inhale and pause in the position for one second. Exhale and imprint your lower back into the floor to return to the starting position.
Bicycle Maneuver
The bicycle maneuver takes the oblique curl to a more advanced level. During this exercise, both of your legs remain lifted from the floor, one leg bends, as the other leg straightens, and your head and shoulders remain lifted until the completion of the exercise. Use the alignment techniques you mastered in the basic oblique curl to ensure meticulous form. Lie supine with your hands behind your head, and your legs lifted and extended. Lift your head and shoulder, bend your right knee and rotate your upper body toward it. Press your back into the floor, transition past center and rotate your torso to the left, simultaneously bending your left knee.
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