Directory of the Best Abdominal Exercises

Directory of the Best Abdominal Exercises


Ab Crunches: The Most Popular Stomach Exercise
Bicycle Crunches One of my favorite ab exercises.
Kneeling Cable Crunches and Floor Cable Crunches A way to add resistance to your ab exercises.
Swiss Ball Cable Crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Incline Crunches
Incline Sit Ups
Jack Knife Maneuver
Leg Lifts/ Leg Raises
Oblique Crunches
Russian Twist
Side Crunches
Sit Ups
Oblique Sit Ups
Swiss Ball Ab Exercise:
Ball Exchange between Hands and Feet
Cable Exercises: Half Kneeling Rotations
Cable Exercises: Cable Lifts
Functional Training Exercise: Cable Chops
Kneeling Rotation Cable Exercise
Cable Exercises: Standing Rotations
Bosu Ball Crunches Feet Up
Bosu Ball Oblique Crunches Feet Up
Bosu Ball Bicycle Crunches Feet Up
Oblique Crunches on the Floor with Cables
Stability Ball Oblique Crunches with Cables
Standing and Kneeling Cable Side Bends
Ab Training and Core Training 
Plank Exercise Variation, Opposite Hand and Leg Raises 
Plank Exercise Variation, Opposite Elbow and Knee Touches Level 1 
Plank Exercise Variation, Opposite Elbow and Knee Touches Level 1
Ab Wheel (Fit Wheel/ Power Wheel) 
Front Arm Roll Outs 
Rear Leg Roll Ins (Piques)
Ab Wheel Alternatives with an Exercise Ball 
Front Roll Outs 
Roll Ins 
Piques

Ab Exercises on the Ball 
Ab Crunches 
Oblique Crunches 
Russian Twists
Advanced Isometric Exercises on the Ball 
Plank Variation: Toes on Ball- Hands on Floor 
Plank Variation: Reverse Plank on Ball 
Stability Ball Planks
Advanced Stability Ball Ab Exercises 
Stability Ball Roll-ins 
Stability Ball Piques 
Stability Ball Side Crunches
Ankle Weights to Add Resistance to Ab Exercises 
Reverse Crunches 
Leg Raises 
Bicycle Crunches
Best Core Exercises for Upper Body Speed and Power
Stability Ball Crunches and Medicine Ball Throw 
Medicine Ball Chest Pass 
Medicine Ball Overhead Soccer Throw
Best Lower Ab Exercises (Advanced #1) 
Decline Reverse Crunches (Lower Ab Crunches) 
Decline Leg Raises
Best Lower Ab Exercises (Advanced #2) 
Hanging Knee Raises 
Hanging Leg Raises
Bosu Ball Ab Crunches
Bosu Ball Lower Ab Crunches
Bosu Ball Ab Exercises 
Bosu Ball V-ins 
Bosu Ball Russian Twists 
Bosu Ball Crunches and 1 Leg Combo 
Bosu Ball Side Crunches
Bosu Ball Lower Ab Exercises 
Bosu Ball Marching/ Heel Taps 
Bosu Ball Leg Raises 
Bosu Ball Flutter Kicks
Bosu Ball Exercises to Strengthen the Abdominal Muscles 
Bosu Ball Crunches with Knee Ins 
Bosu Ball Oblique Crunches with Knee Ins 
Bosu Ball Bicycle Crunches
Bosu Balance Trainer Plank Variations 
Full Plank Soft Side 
1 Leg Plank Soft Side 
Full Plank Flat Side 
1 Leg Plank Flat Side
Core Stabilization Exercise
The Drawing-In Maneuver: Good for core workouts
Core Board Exercises
Plank Twist
Core Board Push Ups
Twisting Knee Raises
1 Leg hip Hinge
Core Strengthening Exercises 
Plank Exercise with Frog Kicks (Knee Raises) Level 1 
Plank Exercise with Frog Kicks (Knee Raises) Level 2
Dumbbell Ab Exercises 
Standing Side Bends for Abs 
Dumbbell Crunches on a Stability Ball for Abs 
Overhead Dumbbell Side Bends for the Obliques 
Combo Ab Exercise: Dumbbell Pullovers and Ab Crunches
Exercises for Building Core Strength by David Bohmiller 
Advanced Stability Ball Plank with Frog Kicks 
Stability Ball Bridges with Alternating Leg Extensions 
Plank Position with Cone Touches
Floor Abs Exercise Variations 
Flutter Kicks 
Scissor Kicks 
V-Ins
Floor Abs Exercises with the Exercise Ball 
Reverse Crunches 
Side Rolls for the Obliques 
Push Crunches for the Abs
Hanging Knee Raises Variations 
Single Knee Hanging Knee Raises 
Double Knee Hanging Knee Raises 
Oblique Hanging Knee Raises
Isometric Exercises for Stomach Strengthening 
Full Plank Exercise 
Half Plank Exercise 
Side Plank Exercise
Plank Exercise Variations 
Moving Side Plank Exercise: Elbow and Feet 
moving Side Plank Exercise: Hand and Feet 
1 Leg Plank Exercise on the Floor
Lower Abdominal Exercises (basic) 
Reverse Ab Crunches (lower ab crunches) 
Double Ab Crunches
Easy Lower Back Exercises on the Floor 
Prone Opposite Arm and Leg Raise 
Quadruped Opposite Arm and Leg Raise
Lower Stomach Exercises on a Bench 
Vertical Hip Thrusts 
Oblique Hip Thrusts
Lower Back Strengthening Exercises on 45 Degree Slant Board 
Lower Back Extensions: Hands Across Chest 
Lower Back Extensions: Hands Behind Head 
Lower BAck Extensions With Rotation
Lower Back Exercises on the Floor 
Back Extension 
Superman: Upper Body only 
Superman: Upper Body and Lower Body
Low Back Exercises on the Ball 
Back Extension 
Reverse Leg Lifts 
Alternate Arm and Leg Raise
Medicine Ball Abdominal Exercises 
Russian Twist/ V-sit Twist 
Medicine Ball Toe Touch Crunches 
Medicine Ball Crunches on the Stability Ball
Oblique Exercises
Side Bends with Rotation
Medicine Ball Side Bends with Rotation
Incline Oblique Crunches
Incline Oblique Sit Ups
2 Arm Overhead Cable Side Bends
1 Arm Overhead Cable Side Bends: Version #1
1 Arm Overhead Cable Side Bends: Version #2
Seated Stability Ball Cable Rotations
Oblique Knee Raises on a Captain's Chair
Stability Ball Oblique Roll-ins
Medicine Ball Leg Lifts
Medicine Ball Reverse Ab Crunches
Medicine Ball Knees to the Side
2 Leg Stick Ab Crunches
1 Leg Stick Ab Crunches
Oblique Plank Knee Ins Ab Exercise on a Bosu Ball
Knee Ins from the Hands
Knee Ins from the Elbows
Straight Plank Knee Ins on a Bosu Ball
From the Hands
From the Elbows
Stability Ball Knee Ins
From the Hands
From the Elbows
1 Leg Plank with the Feet on the Stability Ball
From the Hands
From the Elbows
1 Leg Plank with the Hands or Elbows on the Stability Ball
Stability Ball Planks with Forward Rolls
Stability Ball Planks with Side Rolls
Side Planks with the Elbow on a Bosu Ball
Isometric Planks
Moving Planks
Side Planks with the Hand on a Bosu Ball
Isometric Planks
Moving Planks
Side Planks with the Elbow on a Bosu Ball and the Feet on a Bosu Ball
Isometric Planks
Moving Planks
Side Planks with the Hand on a Bosu Ball and the Feet on a Bosu Ball
Isometric Planks
Moving Planks
1 Leg Planks with the Hands (or Elbows) and Feet on a Bosu Ball
Planks with the Hands (or Elbows) and Feet on a Bosu Ball
1 Leg Planks with 1 Foot on a Bosu Ball
Flutter Kicks Sitting on a Bosu Ball
Scissors Sitting on a Bosu Ball
Stability Ball Pendulums
Leg Scissors with a Stability Ball
Side Walks on a Stability Ball
Scissor Leg Raises with an Exercise Ball
1 Leg Roll-Ins with an Exercise Ball
1 Leg Piques with an Exercise Ball
Reverse Abdominal Crunches on an Exercise Ball
Stability Ball Leg Raises
Stability Ball Marching
Dead Bug on a Stability Ball
Partnered Ab Exercises 
Medicine Ball Sit Ups with a Toss 
Back-to-Back Medicine Ball Russian Twists 
Crunches with Hand Taps
Abdominal Oblique Exercises 
Side Leg Raises on the Floor 
Side Leg Raises on a Bosu Ball
Rotational Core Training Exercises 
Plank Variation with Core Twists Level 1 
Plank Variation with Core Twists Level 2
Rotational Stomach Exercises 
Double Knees to the Side 
Double Legs to the Side
Stomach Toning Exercises 
Stomach Crunches with Heel Touches 
Oblique Stomach Crunches with Heel Touches
Trainer Favorites Sarah C 
Weighted Russian Twists 
Crunches and Leg Raises Combo 
Side Plank with Twisting Crunches
Trainer Favorites Daihyana V 
Crunches with 1 Leg Raise 
Side V-ins

Want ABS?

Strategies You MUST Know if You Ever Want to Stand a Chance of Getting a Flat Stomach with 6-Pack Abs

Below is an interview that I did with world-famous trainer and Men's Health Magazine Training Advisor, Craig Ballantyne as he grilled me on the top secrets for fat loss and six pack abs. Check it out... CB: Mike, give us a brief background about yourself MG: Sure Craig. Well, I'm currently a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. I've been dedicated to improving my knowledge of fitness, both training techniques and nutrition aspects, for over 15 years now, and I never stop trying to learn more each and every day. I've also been a contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and I'm the author of the popular internationally-selling book, "The Truth about Six Pack Abs" which has had hundreds of thousands of readers in over 150 countries currently. I just love helping people with this area of their lives, as not only does it improve their outward appearance and confidence, but more importantly, improves how they feel and their internal health, helping them to live longer and healthier lives. It's something I'm very passionate about. CB: Okay, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs? MG: Ok, most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well. After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response. This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath! Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood. CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training? MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender. However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly. It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights. I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though.

Moar Abs Exercise 3

1) Cross-Body Mountain Climbers One of my favorite ab exercises in general, this provides an intense contraction in those muscles that show up on the beach running down into your swimsuit. These are eye-catching muscles...as you can see in my "so famous it's infamous" abs photo on my site. 2) KB or DB Renegade Rows It doesn't matter if you use a kettlebell or flat/hexagonal dumbbells for this one, the renegade row requires an intense ab contraction to maintain proper form. Both of these exercises are hard to describe but you can get them on DVD and do them with me here: => http://www.ttforabsdvds.com/index_5pay.shtml 3) Spiderman Pushups & Spiderman Climb Pushups In the past 5 years I've made these two exercises extremely popular in the fitness world, and even though they are a push-up, they still both work your obliques extra hard. 4) High Rep DB Rows Another "non-ab exercise", but high-rep dumbbell rows done with perfect form and a challenging weight will give you tremendous soreness the next day. I should mention that all top trainers now understand that the purpose of your abs is NOT to violently twist and crunch your torso, but instead to hold it straight and stable, RESISTING the rotation that "out of touch" trainers are telling you to do. So with these exercises, not only are you getting a set of amazing abs and obliques, but you're also saving your back and neck from the pain that comes with crunches and situps. 5) Stability Ball Cross-Body Mountain Climbers Finally, an advanced version of the regular cross-body mountain climber. This adds more upper body work but still does a number on your obliques and your six pack abs. This is another one you'll need to do with me on video. Honorable Mentions: a) Planks, Stability Ball Planks, & Side Planks Not exciting but quite effective...& if you think these are "too easy", you ain't doin' them right. Research shows side planks to be more effective for your obliques than many traditional crunches. b) Hanging leg raises & Chin-ups+Knee-ups
These are advanced movements, but they work your "lower abs"...and your lower abs are, as Dr. McGill explains, really just where your obliques insert onto the iliac crest...so that's why these are great oblique exercises as well. c) Stability Ball Jackknives & Stability Ball Jackknife Rotations These are similar to the cross-body mountain climber variations, although both legs move up together. Again, words just can't do these exercises justice, and unfortunately I can't fly to everyone's house to take you through a workout.

Absolute Abs 2

1) Cross-Body Mountain Climbers One of my favorite ab exercises in general, this provides an intense contraction in those muscles that show up on the beach running down into your swimsuit. These are eye-catching muscles...as you can see in my "so famous it's infamous" abs photo on my site. 2) KB or DB Renegade Rows It doesn't matter if you use a kettlebell or flat/hexagonal dumbbells for this one, the renegade row requires an intense ab contraction to maintain proper form. Both of these exercises are hard to describe but you can get them on DVD and do them with me here: => http://www.ttforabsdvds.com/index_5pay.shtml 3) Spiderman Pushups & Spiderman Climb Pushups In the past 5 years I've made these two exercises extremely popular in the fitness world, and even though they are a push-up, they still both work your obliques extra hard. 4) High Rep DB Rows Another "non-ab exercise", but high-rep dumbbell rows done with perfect form and a challenging weight will give you tremendous soreness the next day. I should mention that all top trainers now understand that the purpose of your abs is NOT to violently twist and crunch your torso, but instead to hold it straight and stable, RESISTING the rotation that "out of touch" trainers are telling you to do. So with these exercises, not only are you getting a set of amazing abs and obliques, but you're also saving your back and neck from the pain that comes with crunches and situps. 5) Stability Ball Cross-Body Mountain Climbers Finally, an advanced version of the regular cross-body mountain climber. This adds more upper body work but still does a number on your obliques and your six pack abs. This is another one you'll need to do with me on video. Honorable Mentions: a) Planks, Stability Ball Planks, & Side Planks Not exciting but quite effective...& if you think these are "too easy", you ain't doin' them right. Research shows side planks to be more effective for your obliques than many traditional crunches. b) Hanging leg raises & Chin-ups+Knee-ups These are advanced movements, but they work your "lower abs"...and your lower abs are, as Dr. McGill explains, really just where your obliques insert onto the iliac crest...so that's why these are great oblique exercises as well. c) Stability Ball Jackknives & Stability Ball Jackknife Rotations These are similar to the cross-body mountain climber variations, although both legs move up together. Again, words just can't do these exercises justice, and unfortunately I can't fly to everyone's house to take you through a workout.

Absolute Abs

1. Standing barbell curl
If there was ever a ‘compound biceps exercise’, this would be it. This is the only direct bicep exercise that you can just pile weight on and use all the muscle of the biceps and forearms to get the weight up. Standing barbell curls are the only must-use exercise if you want tank arms. To set up: load a standard 45 lb barbell with some weights, and pick it up. Your hands should be supinated (palms up), about shoulder width apart. Arms should hang down beside/in front of your body, the bar in front of your hips. Tuck your elbows into your sides and DON’T move them throughout the exercise.
To curl: keeping your elbows tucked in place at your sides, curl the bar up to your chin, but not so far that your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. Always keep tension on the biceps throughout the motion. Do not let the biceps relax at the bottom of the rep, but also don’t bounce the bar off your hips or quads in order to start the next rep. Keep tension on the biceps.
Variations: wide grip, medium grip, narrow grip; standing ez curls with a 20-25 lb ez curl bar. Do reverse curl to work your forearms.
I don’t know what kind of a bar this girl is using, but does it really matter?
 2. Alternating rotating dumbbell curl
This is a simple exercise, that feels natural in its plane of motion. By alternating, you can focus maximal intensity on each arm separately. To set up: grab two dumbbells and hold them down at your sides, arms straight, palms facing your body. Again, keep your elbows tucked into your sides as soon as you start curling.
To curl: start the movement with a hammer curl, then as the dumbbell clears your body, begin to rotate it so that at the end of the movement, your palms are facing your head. Once you lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, start curling with the next arm.
Cheat Principles
Here is an example, but this guy is definitely swaying and cheating. I couldn’t really find a good video for standing alternating bicep curls. Basically take this principle and instead of swaying, keep your elbows locked at your sides and just stand still while you curl.
When you get to the last rep, you may feel free to apply a cheat principle by either swaying a bit or by raising the elbows away from the body, but this should only be on the last rep of the set.
 3. Hammer curl
The hammer curl is great for developing the forearms, brachialis, and brachioradialis. I’m not sure about you, but I can hammer curl more than I can traditional curl, and lifting more with good form is always better than lifting less. To set up: grab two dumbbells and hold them down at your sides, arms straight, palms facing your body. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides as soon as you start curling.

To hammer curl: you are basically curling the dumbbell up as high as it can go without moving the elbows. Ideally, the flat side of the dumbbell, at the top of the rep, should come close to touching the shoulder of the lifting arm. We call this a hammer curl because it looks like you are swinging a hammer. This means the palms face towards your body throughout the whole exercise.
This guy here is doing his hammer curls close to his body. This is one way you can alter the plane of motion in order to lift a bit more weight. Notice how he still keeps his elbows stationary though? That is the point you should away from this vid.
 4. Supinated bent over rows
OK, now we get into the real biceps mass gainers. When you curl you can use maybe 50-70 lbs dumbbells, or 120-150 lbs on a straight bar, but when you are rowing, you can load the bar up to well over 200 lbs. I personally remember bent over straight bar rows with 265+ lbs back in college. To set up: you will be grabbing the bar with a supinated grip (palms up/away) with your hands about shoulder width apart. You will need to either unrack the bar from a rack or stand, or deadlift the weight into a standing position.
It is important to bent over so that your upper body is close to parallel to the floor, but not so much that your lower back rounds over. By pushing your butt back, you will be able to maintain a stronger core while getting lower to the floor.
To row: the row itself is simply bringing the bar up to touch your abdomen, and lowering it down so that your arms are just short of fully extended. As always, keep your elbows in, as opposed to flared out to the side.
 5. Close grip chin ups
YES! Biceps mass will be well on its way once you master this exercise. By keeping your hands close together and focusing on your biceps to lift your body, you will be essentially doing bodyweight curls. How much do you weigh? 150? 180? 220? Can you straight bar curl that much? I didn’t think so. There is a big difference between pull ups and chin ups though. While pull ups are good for your arms and back, close grip chin ups bring that whole movement to a whole new bicep-mass-building-level.
To set up: find a straight bar that you can comfortably reach from a standing position. Grip the bar with an underhand/supinated grip (your palms should be facing you). Keep the hands about 4-6 inches apart; they should be right outside your chin on either side.
If you are strong enough to do weighted pull ups or chin ups, add some weight either by crossing your feet and placing a dumbbell between your ankles, or hanging a couple plates from a weighted belt. A weighted belt should have a chain on one end and a loop on the other end, to which you should hook the chain. Put the chain through the hole in the middle of the plates and clasp the chain to the loop. Good stuff.
To chin up: an important aspect of chin ups, is getting your chin up over the bar. While this isn’t a dire necessity, if you don’t at least get your chin up to touch the bar, you can’t call the rep complete.
The girl in the following video has better form than most of the male pull up videos I found on YouTube.


Flat ABs?

What You Really Need for Flat Abs The basics: • good genes • discipline • commitment • determination • intensity • time • and knowledge Most of the basics you can either control or manipulate, and by now you are already guessing at what you can do to get flat abs regardless of your physiology: 1. A healthy diet, on which you burn more calories than you consume. 2. Cardiovascular exercise. I recommend high intensity interval training (HIIT). 3. Full body strength training 3 times per week with a focus on abdominal training. 4. A list of the 10 most effective abdominal exercises known to man. I can’t tell you what will work best for you, because I don’t know anything about you. However, I can tell you what works best for me and my clients, and let you take the knowledge and run with it. Lets start by examining the anatomy and physiology of the abs so we know how they work. Anatomy of the Abdominals Located on the front and sides of the lower half of the torso, the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, and the external and internal obliques make up the abdominal muscle group. These muscles attach at the pelvis and originate along side the rib cage. When talking about the six-pack you are referring to the rectus abdominus, whose strips of connective tissue give the impression of deep cuts between the 6 most-visible heads of the muscle. The deepest core muscle is called the transverse abdominus. This muscle is underneath the rest of the core muscles; it wraps around the entire abdominal area. A strong transverse abdominus is useful for developing strong intra-abdominal pressure when lifting. Finally, the muscles that allow us to move our core in a variety of angles are called the obliques. There are both internal and external obliques, which run diagonally across the body. Functions of the Abdominals Vacuum Pose The rectus abdominus is responsible for bringing the rib cage closer to the pelvis, or flexing the spine, as when performing a crunch. By alternately stretching the spine, the rectus abdominus brings the pelvis closer to the rib cage, as when performing leg raises properly by tilting the hips towards the chest at the top of the movement. Your transverse abdominus is responsible for keeping your guts in your body. It acts like a natural weight belt and is important for trunk and core stability. By constantly keeping your abs pulled in tight throughout the day, you are training your transverse abdominus with an isometric contraction. An extreme example is a Frank Zane vacuum pose. Tip: By consciously holding a vacuum all day long each and every day, you are training your midsection to stay flat at all times. The internal and external obliques rotate the torso and stabilize your trunk during various angled movements. The Top 10 Best Abdominal Exercises We are going to put all that diet talk on the shelf for a moment to focus only on abdominal exercises. You already know you need to drop to low levels of bodyfat in order to display your abs. So lets assume you are already there or are currently dieting with a vengeance. Now you need to know which exercises you should perform to thicken, shape, and sculpt those abs. Or if that’s not your bag, you need to know which exercises will help you the most with your powerlifting, strongman training, Olympic lifting, or sports performance. Obviously exercises like squats, deadlifts, and overhead pressing will be important for developing your core. Exposing the abdominals to heavy weights while squatting is extremely beneficial for shocking the abs into new growth. For now we are going to forget about all that stuff and examine exactly which abdominal exercises will give you the most bang for your buck. This list is a compilation of exercises that meet the following classifications: • exercises that are highly praised and used often by good personal trainers • exercises used by martial artists for abdominal strength and conditioning • exercises used by bodybuilders that have thick, well defined abs • exercises that provide real results based on my 14 years of experience • exercises from a study in which participants were tested using using electromyography (EMG) equipment to monitor muscle activity

Moar Abs Exercise 2

1. The Bicycle Maneuver The Bicycle is the best exercise to target the abdominals and the second best exercise to target the obliques according to the ACE study. If this exercise is too easy, you can use ankle weights and you can hold a plate behind your head for added resistance.
To set up: Put a mat on the floor and lie down flat.
Put your hands behind your head, with your fingers touching your head lightly. Do not lock your fingers together at all.
Lift the shoulder blades off the floor without using your arms to pull on your neck. Only use the abdominal muscles for this.
Bring your knees up to a 45 degree angle so that your thighs are perpendicular and your calves are parallel to the floor.
To bike: Slowly pedal your legs as if you were on a bicycle by alternately extending and flexing your knees so that your feet move in an elliptical motion. As each knee approaches your chest, attempt to touch the opposite elbow to the knee by flexing and curling your trunk up and to the side as though you were performing a side crunch.
Your shoulders should remain off the floor for the duration of the exercise. Remeber to breathe.
I like this video because it demonstrates how you should keep your shoulders off the floor throughout the movement. This is still a basic bicycle maneuver.
Here is an advanced bicycle maneuver that is harder on the abs because more of the upper body stays off the floor throughout the movement. This method also takes the hip flexors out of the movement by kicking the legs straight out instead of cycling them. 2. Captain’s Chair Vertical Leg Raise The Captain’s Chair is the second best exercise to target the abdominals and the best exercise to target the obliques according to the ACE study. I don’t know how this targets the obliques better than the bicycle, but I guess the electromyography (EMG) equipment can’t lie.
I personally like these for the lower abdominals, although as we know the abs are a single unit, and you can’t technically target upper or lower abs independently.
To set up: Climb up onto the captains chair. Press your back against the pad and support your body by placing your elbows and forearms on the horizontal pads. Grip the hand holds provided. Let your feet hang straight down.
To leg raise: Lift your knees up and in towards your chest. When your thighs are parallel to the floor you should use your abdominal muscles to pivot your hips up and away from the back padding, so that your knees move vertically and horizontally closer to your chest.
Pause for half a second and return your legs to just short of the starting position, but don’t let them free fall and dangle straight down as it takes all the resistance away from the abs. Instead, you should maintain a tight midsection throughout the movement always keep a slight bend in the knees.
One key to keeping this move safe and effective is to avoid swinging the legs or using momentum to raise the legs or knees. You should also keep the knees slightly bent help you focus more on the abdominals and less on the hip flexors.
A huge mistake most people make, is to use the hip flexors to swing the legs up and down. This is counterproductive and can lead to muscular imbalance, overtrained hip flexors, and ultimately injury.
Here is a slightly annoying example of this exercise from UCLA, which also mentions the alternate variation where you rotate your hips at the top in order to further target the obliques.

Don’t have access to a captains chair? No problem. Hang from a bar and raise your knees to your elbows. 
Observe: 3. Ab Wheel / Roll Outs Whether you do them standing or from your knees, the ab wheel will rock you. This is definitely one of my core ab exercises. Do 100 of these a day with varying angles and positions, and watch your abs bust out washboard-style.
The ab wheel can really be a tough exercise for those with a weak lower back. Be sure not to over extend yourself unless you are sure that your core and lower back can handle it. If you collapse in the middle and feel it in your back, you have gone too far.
By now I can do full reps with my arms straight out from my knees. Back in college I could do reps from my feet, but never to full extension. Work within your abilities, but always attempt to push yourself as you get stronger.
To set up: Most likely you will be doing this exercise from your knees. It helps to have some padding under your knees or you will get bruised. Either an aerobics pad, a rubber mat, a thick rug, or a thrice-folded towel should suffice.
Get up on your knees and hold the ab wheel in front of you with elbows extended just short of lock out. Your body will be slightly bent over the ab wheel from the start of the exercise.
To wheel out: Let the wheel roll out in front of your body as far as you are comfortable. Use your abs to pull the wheel back towards your knees. It is best for your upper body to stay forward of your knees in order to keep tension on the abs at all times.
Kneeling ab wheel done properly:

I found this one woman using the ab wheel standing. I have seen people do this, and have done it myself, with an 80% roll out, but never with a full extension. Give her props.
Aka: Bar Roll Outs…
There is a machine called the Torso Track that does something similar to this, but I prefer the ab wheel. Many other athletes agree. 4. Fold-Ups / V-Sit / Clothespins The fold is a compound, full-body abdominal and core exercise that works the rectus abdominis and obliques. Initially you will have a hard time doing this correctly, and you might need to practice the v-sit, or up-position of this exercise, separately in order to learn how to keep your body off the floor throughout the movement.
To set up: Find a mat and lay down on it. Straighten your legs. You are ready.
To v-sit: The basic v-sit begins in a seated position. Contract your abdominal muscles and core, and lift your legs up to a 45-degree angle. Reach your arms straight forward or reach up toward your shins or toes if you are able. It is important to maintain good core posture and a strong spine.
Hold this “V” position for several seconds to begin. As you get stronger, hold the position longer. Return to your starting position slowly.
To fold up: Eventually you will be able to do this exercise as a sit-up alternative starting by lying flat on the floor, up into a v-sit and touch your toes, back down to a flat position on the floor. In this way your entire body fully extends then folds completely up.
Here is a great explanation of the basic v-sit and the v-sit-up:
 5. Lying Leg Kicks / Flutter Kicks Flutter kicks really work your abs, but they are definitely an endurance exercise. All the same, you can really feel this exercise in the lower abs and they will leave you feeling sore the next day.
The point of flutter kicks is to either max out on reps, meaning try to do more reps each workout, or to complete more flutter kicks in a certain amount of time, for example, each workout you might try to finish 5 more flutter kicks in one minute.
To set up: Start by lying flat on the floor, then use your arms (elbows and forearms) to prop your upper body off the floor. Place your hands down by your butt, just on the outside of your hips.
Keep your legs straight, at least 10 inches off the floor throughout the exercise. If you feel too much tension in the lower back, raise your legs higher off the ground.
To leg raise: To flutter kick, simply raise one leg up about 18 inches, and return it to the starting position while alternating with the other leg. Both legs should be in constant motion. When the second foot comes back to the starting position, that’s one rep.

Moar Abs Exercise

1. Vertical Leg Kicks The vertical leg crunch, or full vertical crunch, was ranked as the fourth most effective exercise in the ACE study for the rectus abdominus. I suggest changing this exercise a bit to focus more on kicking up rather than crunching.
This is a great change of pace from regular crunches, as it works the entire abdominal muscle to its fullest extent similar to Fold Ups.
To set up: Lie flat on your back. Place your hands lightly behind your head. Contract your abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor. Lift your legs about 12 inches off the floor.
To kick: Bring your knees in towards your chest, then deliver a double-leg kick straight up to the ceiling. By pressing the heels towards the ceiling, you are creating a ‘u’ shape with the torso. At the top of the movement, your hips should be off the floor.
Lower your knees back to your chest, then fully extend your legs back to the starting position. Do not rest your legs or your shoulders on the floor. Instead, keep tension on the abs throughout the movement. That’s one rep.
If you find it hard to perform this exercise with your hands behind your head or if your lower back hurts, you can place your arms and hands palms down about 12 inches away from your body on either side.
I couldn’t find a video for this… yet another reason for me to learn to use my video camera. 2. Russian Twist My football buddy at college taught me this exercise. He had been using Russian Twists to develop a rock hard midsection since his early years in high school. This exercise will hit your obliques HARD.
To set up: First, go choose a medicine ball or a weight plate that you can handle without much difficulty. I recommend starting with 8-12 lbs. In time you can work up to as much as 45 lbs or even more.
Next, sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Contract your abs and position your upper body at about a 45 degree angle to the floor. Hold a medicine ball with both hands directly in front of you.
To twist: Contracting your abs, twist slowly from your torso to your right and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside your right hip. Quickly, but smoothly, contract your abs and twist your torso to other side, and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside your left hip. Thats one rep.
Really challenge yourself by keeping your feet off the floor. In this manner, only your butt will be touching the floor. Feel the burn. 3. Medicine Ball Sit Up Toss This exercise is actually best done with a partner. The added weight helps you to work on density, and you may get a bit of an upper body workout too.
To set up: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a medicine ball on your chest and have a partner stand at your feet. Use your abs to push your lower back flat to the floor. You do not want it arched at all.
To sit up: As you sit up, throw the ball to your partner. Hold the position as your partner catches the ball and throws it back to you. Your position should not be straight up, in fact you should hold a 60 degree angle to keep tension on the abs at all times.
Catch the ball and slowly return to the start position, but don’t lay on the floor. Ideally, your shoulders should never touch the floor, but good luck with that.
Don’t have a medicine ball?
Throw a jab and a cross at the top.
Have a medicine ball but no partner?
Throw the medicine ball at a wall and catch it again before you go back down. 4. Windshield Wipers To set up: Just find a pull up bar and hang from it. Now pull yourself up so that your upper body is parallel to the floor and your legs are perpendicular to the floor. There should be a 90 degree angle between your torso and your legs.
To wipe: This exercise is so simple yet so effective. All you have to do is rotate your legs from side to side like a windshield wiper.
This guy has it down pat:
Here’s a great video that will show you how to be creative by combining exercises into a more effective routine. Kat demonstrates hanging leg raises and windshield wipers. 5. Leg Throws You might think this exercise will tighten the hip flexors, but because it is so balistic and you have to maintain such a solid core throughout the movement, you end up working your abdominal muscles hard. In order to do it right though, you have to be agressive. Hard throws, don’t touch the floor, and quickly return to the top position.
Video demonstrates straight and diagonal leg throws. 6. Honorable mentions: Bruce Lee Style Flags, Side Bends, Cable Crunches, Planks.
To integrate these exercises into a 5 day split workout routine, pick one different exercise each day and do 3-5 sets. Try to alternate targeting rectus abdominus and obliques.
To integrate these exercises into a 3 day full body workout routine, pick two to three different exercises each day and do 2-3 sets of each. Consider performing the exercises as one giant superset with little to no rest between sets.
Another way to use these abs exercises, is to combine all of them into 15 minutes of non-stop abs training 3 times a week. Rest at most 30 seconds between sets and train to near failure. 
Remember to train your lower back in addition to your abs. You can use the 5 best hamstring exercises to do that.
That concludes the 10 best exercises for abs part 3. Hopefully you enjoyed all three parts to this series, and your abs will benefit from the results.

Abs without Cruches! 2

My Championship-Winning Ab Workout Routine

Personally, I only do about 15 minutes of ab work two times per week, with anywhere from two to four exercises for about 10-25 reps per exercise. Forget about thousands of reps of sit ups – it’s a waste of time. The reason my abs look the way they do is not from endless repetitions, but because I get my body fat down into the single digits with a highly specialized fat-burning diet program. Here’s a recent ab routine that I've used (for bodybuilding/ ab-development purposes). I do this routine only twice a week and I change the exercises approximately every month so my body doesn't adapt. I prefer slightly higher rep range than other muscle groups, but as you can see, it is far from doing a thousand reps a day. A1 Hanging leg raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps Superset to: A2 Hanging knee ups (bent-knee leg raises)
3 sets, 15-20 reps 
(no rest between supersetted exercises A1 & A2, 60 sec between supersets) B1 Weighted swiss ball crunches (or weighted cable crunches)
3 sets, 15-20 reps Superset to: B2 Incline Bench Reverse crunches
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises B1 & B2, 60 sec between supersets)

Serious ABS!

Serious Abs!
2 Challenging Exercises For Powerful, Rock Hard Abdominals

No matter how hard you train your abs, you’ll never see what’s going on underneath if you have a layer of fat covering your abs! Is this news to you? Hardly!

So tighten up that diet and focus on getting yourself a set of SERIOUS rock hard abs. I am telling you now though, this will not happen through wimpy exercises. You’re gonna have to work your abs hard and challenge them like never before!

My two favorite exercises that really challenge the abs like no other movements are:

1) Pike using suspended rings or straps
2) Ab wheel roll out (kneeling or standing)


How to perform each movement:

The Suspended Pike

Extend your arms out in front of you as far as you can, then slowly bring your arms back and raise your hips while bringing your hands to your knees. Your arms remain straight during the entire movement and as you pike up, you will raise up on the balls of your feet.

You can make this a little easier by NOT extending the arms in front of your body. As your core improves in strength you can extend and pike together! 2 or 3 hard sets to fatigue with perfect form will get the job done!

Step 1: Get situated on the handles

Step 2: Extend arms out in front as far as possible while keeping core tight!

Step 3: Pull arms and hands toward knees to perform the pike while staying on balls of your feet. Roll back out slowly, so hands are again extended out in front of you

Ab Wheel Roll Out

I use the power wheel from Lifeline USA, but I’ve seen people use the small ab wheels you can buy from any sporting good store or even make your own from a hardware store with an axle and lawnmower tires!

Start the exercise kneeling until you can do 15 reps in a row. Then, move to phase II: perform the roll out standing, but roll back in on knees. Build up to 15 reps on these.

Finally, move to phase III: perform the roll out on your toes the entire time, never allowing the knees to touch the ground. Crank out 2 – 3 sets to fatigue with 30 second rest periods. You can perform the roll out and the pike as straight sets, or in a circuit, performing the 2 movements in a row, but maybe lowering the reps slightly for each exercise.

Although these movements are tough and challenging, like anything, the body will adapt to this workout quickly so always use variety and keep shocking your abs!

Abs without Cruches!

Instead of the typical ab routines that we see so often with crunches, situps, leg lifts, etc... I like to give my readers better options for metabolism-boosting high intensity workouts that work their entire body while also working their abs.

I'm going to show you an example today of one of my favorite "ab workouts" that doesn't include any direct "ab exercises" at all. It's in a tri-set format (similar to a super-set but alternating between 3 exercises).

Here goes: 1a. Renegade Dumbbell Rows 1b. Front Squats with Barbell 1c. Mountain Climbers on Floor A good rep scheme to use with this could be 3-4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, or more sets for less reps, such as 5 sets of 5 reps of each exercise. Mountain climbers can be done for a time interval (such as 30 seconds) instead of "reps".

Renegade dumbbell rows

Renegade dumbbell rows are done starting in a pushup position with the hands on 2 dumbbells. You then row one dumbbell up while stabilizing your body with the other arm. Bring the dumbbell back to the ground and alternate the rowing arm while stabilizing with the opposite arm. This stabilizing effect during the rows creates incredible work for your entire midsection core area. Trust me... you'll feel it in the abs!

Mountain Climbers

Mountain Climbers on Floor

Mountain climbers are done by starting in a pushup position and then shuffling your feet in and out so that your knees are moving in under your chest and then back out to starting position. It sort of resembles climbing a mountain but flat on the floor. If you want an advanced version, you can also shuffle your hands 8-10 inches forward and backward in addition to the leg movements. This really makes it a full body exercise and MUCH more difficult than standard mountain climbers.

Want ABS?

Beginner Oblique Exercises

Medicine Ball Wood Chops

Medicine ball wood chops are a very basic obliques and core exercise which you have to perform properly to get any benefit.

You must actually feel your oblique and core muscles working to do this properly.

Start: Stand up tall with your feet shoulder width or closer (more difficult).

Grasp a medicine ball with your hands on both sides and hold it above one of your shoulders.

Begin the motion: At the same time, bring your legs and arms together above your waist. Your shoulders should come off the floor and the only body part in contact with the floor is your butt. You can either swing yourself up to the top position, or go up slowly which is more difficult. You must make sure to hold at the top for a split second and slowly lower yourself back to the original position.

Modifications: If you do not have a medicine ball handy, you can use any form of weight such as a dumbbell, weight plate, can of soup or even just perform them with the weight of your own arms.

To increase the difficulty of the exercise you can move your feet closer together, stand on one foot, or stand on any controlled unstable object such as a balance disc or BOSU ball.

Cable Wood Chops

Once you have mastered drawing in your core and isolating your obliques with movement at your waist you can add resistance.

Start: Stand to the side of a high cable setup with a rope attached. Hold the rope so your little fingers are both facing towards the floor.

Step away from the machine so the weight stack will not hit when you perform reps.

Begin the motion: Keep your core tight as you pull the cable across your body. It should pass in front of your belly button as you turn your torso and finish with the rope at your thighs.

Modifications: Besides increasing the resistance level, you can increase the difficulty of these cable-rope wood chops by standing with your feet closer together. Standing on an unstable surface such as a balance disc or BOSU ball will also progress the difficulty or most core exercises this included.

Intermediate Obliques Exercises

Stability Ball Russian Twist

The Russian twist is an excellent exercise which you can perform slow & controlled or explosively.

Start: Form the stability ball supine bridge position. It is best to have your feet shoulder width apart. Put both your hands straight up towards the ceiling.

Your hand should be together in the middle of your chest. This is where they should remain during the entire range of motion.

Begin the motion: Put your hands up towards the ceiling. Interlock your hands directly above you chest. Turn to each direction, make sure to keep the feel flat on the floor.

Keep the 90 degree leg angles and arms extended in the middle of your chest. If you feet move at all, you did not perform the stability ball exercise correctly. Start over and focus on total body stabilization.

Modifications: You can increase the difficulty of the Russian twist by holding a form of resistance in your hands such as a dumbbell, weight plate or medicine ball. The harder the stability ball, the more difficult the exercise will be.

Advanced Obliques Exercises

Cable Push-Pull

The cable push-pull incorporates upper body opposing actions as well as obliques making it an advanced obliques exercise.

Start: Stand in the center of 2 cables.

Grab the cable closest to the machine with your arm which will be pushing. The opposite (pulling) arm should hold the cable on the other side of your body. Spread your feet further than shoulder width apart and point both of your toes straight ahead.

Begin the motion: Keep your core drawn in, push the handle closest to the machine away from your body as you pull the opposite cable back, bringing your elbow backward all whilst you twist your body in the direction of your pushing arm.

Perform a given number of reps going in one direction. As you complete the last rep hold both cables in place, pivot your feet and turn the other direction.

100 Abdominal Exercises has 4 Groups of Exercises

To keep things simple, you can target 3 different muscles in your mid section. Some argue that exercises which target the lower abdominals are ineffective while others believe you can so it is debatable.

Rectus Abdominis

Your abdominals are the large muscle from your chest to your waist which look like a "six pack." Even though the rectus abdominis is a single muscle, exercises often attempt to isolate the upper or lower abs.

Your rectus abdominis concentrically flexes your lumbar spine (crunch motion). It also helps stabilize your core in certain instances.

Transverse Abdominis

Your transverse abdominis (TVA) or core muscle is a deep stabilizer of the spine. It helps stabilize your spine by building up intra-abdominal pressure and also pulls in at the belly button creating a tighter mid section.

Obliques

You also have internal and external obliques on both sides of your stomach. Your internal and external obliques work together to flex and rotate your lumbar spine in all 3 planes of motion.

Make sure to click on your target area on the anatomy chart for a list of the best abdominal exercises.

Before you read the list of the Best Abdominal Exercises Know This

There is no such thing as spot reduction. Not one of these abdominal exercises by itself or in combination will burn fat from your mid section. These exercises are great for strengthening your mid section which may cause a tightening the waist, slimming, effect which could reduce waistline, but you will not go from "flab to fab" with any of the 100 ab exercises.