In today’s world, most people want to have toned, sexy ab muscles that often relate to their fitness goals. Getting toned ab muscles can be tricky, especially the lower abs. There are lots of great home ab workouts which you can do with little to no equipment. Below we’ll talk about some of the most effective home ab exercises that you can do in your own living room.
The Pilates Teaser Pose
This exercise is a great exercise when trying to get a more toned midsection. You will be required to master flexibility, balance, and strength, as this is a fairly advanced Pilates move. This exercise incorporates components of mat series, and is fantastic for not only strengthening your ab muscles, but also as a full body pose. It’s recommended that you only start off with a one leg teaser, and as you progress and master the pose you can move onto harder variations. Check out this video to learn how to do Pilates teasers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZiacGEoyC8
Double Leg Circles
Compared to the Pilates teaser, double leg circles are a fairly easy exercise, but effective in training your abs. This exercise doesn’t require any equipment, and can easily be done anywhere in your home. Along with training your abs, this exercise also incorporates a little bit of your thighs and hips.
For this exercise, you will lie on your back, from there you will raise both legs roughly one foot off the floor. Then, with your feet together, you will begin to swing them in a clockwise circle for 60 seconds. Once done, lower your legs back to the floor and rest.
Flutter Kicks
Flutter kicks are one of my favorites when it comes to training abs. To do flutter kicks, lie on your back with your legs extended and your hands next to your hips. Next, lift your legs about six inches off of the ground while keeping them straight. From here, kick your legs up and down performing 15-20 reps, and then lower your legs back down to the floor.
Jacknife Crunch
Now, this one may sound intimidating, but don’t let the name scare you. This exercise involves movements that will involve your upper body, and you abs. To do a jackknife crunch, lie on your back with your legs straight and extend your arms above your head. Next, raise both your arms and your legs upwards as if you were trying to touch your toes with your hands. Then, bring your arms and legs back into their starting positions.
Russian Twist
Again, the name of this exercise makes it sound a little bit crazy, but it’s really not. To do a Russian twist. Start in a seated position on the floor, with legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Then, raise your feet up off the floor keeping them together. From here, simply clasp your hands together and twist your upper body from side to side, moving your clasped hands from one side of your body to the other. Once finished, lower your feet back to the floor and rest.
Crisscross Crunch
This exercise is more of a triple threat that emphasizes working the abdominal muscles. To do this exercise, lie flat on the floor and bend your knees to roughly 60 degrees. Keep your feet flat, and put your hands up behind your head as if you were being arrested. From here, curl up using your abs, and touch your left elbow to your right knee, then lower yourself back to the initial position and do the same exercise with your other elbow. Once finished, return to the starting position and rest.
Start running
Although this really isn’t a ab exercise, if you want to have great abs you need to get rid of the fat that’s covering them. Running is a great cardiovascular exercise that will help you burn a lot of calories, which will help you get rid of that fat covering your ab muscles. If you do the exercises mentioned above, and go running a couple times each week, you will certainly see some fantastic results. The key to getting great abs is consistency, and a good diet helps too. If you want some great tips for your diet, look around our blog, or do some research on other health blogs.
Hopefully you’ve found this post informative. If you have any further questions feel free to comment below.