Two Popular Ab Exercises

There are many abdominal exercises, some are more effective than others. There are simple exercises for beginners and harder exercises for more advanced athletes. Here is a sample of the most popular abdominal training exercises divided into two main areas.

Upper Abs Exercise : The Basic Crunch.

Lie on your back on the floor or on an exercise mat with your hands to the side of your head or crossed on your chest. Keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle with your feet resting on the floor.

Lift your shoulder blades of the ground as if you are trying to touch your knees with your chest but do not move the legs. Concentrate on lifting using your stomach muscles only.

At the top of the movement contract your ab muscles intensely and then slowly lower your body down. Lightly touch the floor with your shoulder blades and repeat. When you sit up your hip flexors do most of the work and it can be bad for your back.

Lower Abs Exercise : The Reverse Crunch.

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands behind your head or on the floor by your hips, with your knees bent and your feet lifted six inches above the ground.

Slowly bring your knees toward your chest and lift your butt of the ground. Concentrate on contracting your abs, you should feel your lower abs working after a few repetitions.

Use your abs do not swing your legs to create momentum. slowly lower your legs to the starting position, six inches of the floor.

Repeat 15-30 times. Breathe out on the way up, in on the way down. Rest a few minutes and do another set. Try to do 3-4 sets. If you are a beginner or if this is hard for you, do 10 repetitions for one set and gradually work your way to the recommended amount of repetitions.