The abdominal muscles are known anatomically as the rectus abdominus and the inner and outer obliques, which are found on the sides of the ribcage. Building abdominal muscle can make you less prone to future lower back pain and it can also help you maintain good postural alignment. To effectively build your muscles, you need to do a variety of exercises from various angles. This will insure that you target the entire abdominal area.
Step 1
Lift your legs while hanging from a pull-up bar. Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width grip and let your legs hang straight down toward the ground. Keep your legs straight and lift them up in front of your body. Squeeze for a second, lower them back down and repeat. Keep your upper body motionless throughout the exercise.
Step 2
Lie face-up on the ground to do hip lifts. Place your hands flat on the floor next to your sides and lift your legs up in the air so you form a 90-degree angle with your body. Lift your hips off the ground and push the soles of your feet toward the ceiling. Hold for a second, lower your body back down and repeat.
Step 3
Grab a dumbbell to do side bends. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the weight in your right hand. Place your left hand on the side of your head and bend laterally to your right. Lower the dumbbell toward the floor and bend back up to a straight position. Continue for a set of reps and switch sides.
Step 4
Execute a set of Russian twists. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Extend your arms straight above your chest and clasp your hands together. Lift your body to a point where your back is at an angle to the floor. Hold yourself in this position as you rotate to your right. Stop when your arms parallel the floor, then rotate to your left until your arms parallel the floor. Alternate back and forth in a smooth and controlled fashion.
Step 5
Perform long lever crunches. Lie face-up with your heels on a bench and your arms fully extended overhead. Place your hands together and curl your body up in the air. Squeeze for a second, lower yourself back down and repeat. Keep your arms fully extended over your head for the entire exercise.
Step 6
Roll a stability ball out on the floor to work your abs. Kneel on the ground with the ball in front of you. Place your hands on the ball shoulder-width apart and maintain straight arms and a straight back. Roll the ball forward and lower your hips towards the floor. Let your forearms ride across the top of the ball when you do this. Reverse the motion and come back to an upright position. Repeat for a set of reps.
Tips and Warnings
- Work your abs two to three times a week with at least one day of rest in between. Do 15 to 20 reps and three to four sets of each exercise.
Things You'll Need
- Pull-up bar
- Dumbbell
- Stability ball
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