Abdominal Exercises

The hanging leg raise is an exercise that really targets the ab muscles. There are straps available that hand on your chinup bar that can help you by relieving some of the tension from your arms while performing these. But be careful. I seem to develop shoulder problems when using the straps.

You will want to begin by raising your knees up to your chest and beyond. The higher you raise them, the more stress you put on your abs. It may be hard to do more than a couple reps when you start, but keep with it and you will love the results.

Once you master these, you can start to do straight leg lifts. You raise your legs and try to go high enough to form a V with your legs and body. Extremely tough so work on your knee ups first.

The reverse crunch focuses on the lower abdominal muscles and is a pretty effective exercise.

To do the reverse crunch: Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. This is the same starting position as many ab exercises.

Put your hands beside your head, extend them out flat to your
sides or place them on your ab muscles. Do what feels comfortable to you. Placing them on your abs allows you to feel the tightening of the muscles and can have a good psychological effect.

Cross your feet at your ankles and lift your feet off the ground so your knees create a 90 degree angle. It’s important to press your lower back to the floor as you contract your abdominal muscles.

Contract your abs as your legs reach toward the ceiling with each contraction. Exhale as you contract and inhale as you return to the starting position.

This is a killer workout. It’s a 6 minute routine where you do the number of reps in each exercise, then start again until you have completed 6 minutes.

1A) Hanging Knee Raises (10 reps)
1B) Spiderman Climbs (10 reps per side)
1C) Plank with Arms on Ball (20-30 seconds)

Check out the link here for details and video showinf you how to do these exercises.

6 Minute Ab Workout