The abdominals, often times referred to as "the abs," are a grouping of muscles that have major significance to the body. Every time you get up out of a chair, reach for a cup in a cabinet, leap in the air for a basketball or sneeze, your abs are being called into play. When it comes to working them, you should focus on the lowers, uppers and obliques. Although they are often trained on a daily basis, this is not the correct way to work them. Just like any other muscle, they need to be targeted, but they also need to be rested.
Step 1
Use the weight of your body to do leg lifts. Lie on your back and place your hands under your tailbone to take pressure off your spine. Straighten your legs and lift them six inches off the floor. This is your starting point. Lift them up in the air until the soles of your feet are parallel to the ceiling and lower them back to the starting point. Continue for a set of reps.
Step 2
Hang from a pull-up bar to do knee raises. Grab the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip. Pull your knees up to your chest by engaging your abs and squeeze for a second. Lower your legs back down until they are straight and repeat.
Step 3
Sit on a stability ball to do side-to-side rotations. Hold a medicine ball in both hands directly in front of your chest with your arms completely extended. Rotate as far to the right as you can go, and then to the left. Keep going back and forth for a set of reps. Make sure to keep your back straight the whole time and keep your head in line with the ball.
Step 4
Assume a position on your left side to do side jacknifes. Lie on the floor with your right hand on the side of your head and your left arm straight in front of your body. Stack your right leg on top of your left leg. Keep your right leg straight and lift it up as you simultaneously perform a side crunch. As you are doing this, bring your right elbow toward your right thigh. Lower your leg and upper body back down and repeat.
Step 5
Position your lower back across a stability ball to do crunches. Place your hands on the sides of your head and walk back slightly so your head and shoulders are off the ball. Curl your body up by contracting your abs and squeeze for a full second. Lower yourself back to the starting point and repeat.
Step 6
Bend your body into a "V" shape. Lie flat on your back with your arms extended overhead and your legs straight. Lift your arms and legs at the same time and try to touch your hands to your toes. Your butt should be the only thing on the ground at this point. Lower yourself back down until your arms and legs are right above the floor and repeat.
Tips and Warnings
- Do three to four sets of the above exercises in the order they appear. When you first start out, perform 10 to 12 repetitions. As your abdominals continually get stronger, keep increasing your reps until you are able to do 20 to 25. Work your abs three days a week with at least one day off in between.
Things You'll Need
- Stability ball
- Pull-up bar
- Medicine ball
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