Abdominal Exercises

Click here for a description on how to do the crunch

A variation of this exercise is slightly spread your legs and reach between your legs instead of keeping your hands on your chest or behind your neck. This may help with stability but remember not to extend too much.

Exercise #2 - Knee ups

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Knee ups are a great way to build up your abs. I find this exercise pretty simple to do but it takes some practice to balance yourself on a bench. Knee ups are a great way to warm your abs up. You can do this exercise on the floor or on a bench. I prefer a bench but it is totally up to you.

Exercise #3 - Hanging leg raise

The hanging leg raise can either be done on a leg raise apparatus or a chin up bar. Personally, I prefer the leg raise apparatus because it takes the pressure off the forearms. You can usually find these machines at your local gym. This exercise is great for the lower abs so if you want to develop this area, you might want to consider doing the handing leg raise.

If you need a description on how to do the hanging leg raise, click here .

Exercise #4 - Incline knee raises

Knee raises is a slight variation of the leg raise. However, you will perform this exercise on an abdominal board. This is a tough exercise but if you can get used to this movement, it is well rewarding. It will help strengthen your core and develop the entire abdominal area.

To find out how to do this exercise, try going to this page here .

Exercise #5 - Incline sit ups

The incline sit up is a variation of the traditional sit up but it adds a little more intensity by using an incline position. This movement is a tough one. I wouldn't recommend you start off with this exercise unless you can easily perform regular sit ups. However, this is a very rewarding ab exercise because it will greatly strengthen your core area.

Click here for a description of the incline sit up.

Exercise #6 - Roman chair sit ups

The Roman chair sit up is an advaned ab exercise and shouldn't be attempted by beginners. This exercise is a variation of the sit up but is much more difficult to perform because there is no support for your back. However, this is one of the best ab building exercise. I suggest first starting out with the sit up and graduate to the incline sit up. Once you are able to comfortably do 4 sets of 20, you might give the Roman chair sit up a shot.

For information on how to do the Roman chair sit up, click here .