1. Crunching In Reverse
Standard crunches are a great way to work the mid and upper abdomen; however, by using the weight of your legs to reverse crunch, you can strengthen the lower abs. Lay on your back with your arms at your sides and palms facing down. Inhale deeply and as you exhale lift your legs straight up, pushing your heels up to the sky while keeping the knees straight. Inhale again deeply and on the exhale, press into your hands and lift your hips, pushing your feet straight up and lowering as you inhale. Make sure that you use your abs to perform the lift, avoiding swinging the legs to gain momentum. Perform two to three sets of ten to fifteen lifts.
2. Just a Little Lift
While push-ups are great body weight exercises for the chest, the plank, or a push-up without the push, is a great way to do body weight abdominal exercises. Lay face down on the ground with your legs together and intertwine your hands in front of you so that your forearms are resting on the ground. Inhale deeply and as you exhale, lift up onto your toes. Engage your abs and buttocks, holding up your weight and keeping your body in a straight line to strengthen the core muscles. Keep your neck relaxed, looking at the ground between your arms and hold the plank for 30 to 60 seconds before gently lowering yourself down. Repeat the body weight ab exercise two to three times.
3. Plank Plus
As you gain strength with the plank, you can take it to the next level by lifting your body higher. Place your hands about shoulder width apart and lift your body up onto straight arms. Make sure that your next remains relaxed and that your arms are directly below your shoulders. Again, hold for 30 to 60 seconds repeating two to three times.
4. Superman
While there are many yoga poses for the abs, superman takes the cake. Lay face down on the ground with your legs together and arms reaching overhead, like superman himself. Keep your head lifted while looking down towards the ground and inhale deeply. As you exhale, engage your abs and lift your right arm and left leg as far off of the ground as you can comfortably. Hold for three to five deep breaths and then relax back down on an inhale. Exhale and lift your left arm and right leg, holding again for three to five breaths. Repeat the superman three to five times on each side, building strength throughout the core as well as the shoulders, legs and arms.
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