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Top 5 Abdominal Exercises to do at Home

If you’re looking to improve your abdominal strength and see a real difference in the shape and tone of your stomach then we have some great exercises for you below. Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends doing 100 sit-ups a day after or 100 after each workout – now we’re not saying you have to do as many as that, but it’s certainly not a bad idea to add a few to the end of your workout if you still have the energy!!

You can also watch our very own Austin in action in his Abs class in the ‘10 Minute Toning‘ programme for more abs-olutely amazing exercises!

Abdominal Crunch

This is one of the most common abdominal exercises – it works the rectus abdominis muscle and also the obliques.
1) Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent.
2) Place your hands behind/to the side of your head and slowly lift your head and shoulders of the floor. Lean forward until your shoulder blades are off the floor.
3) Make sure that your chin is not touching your chest and when you reach the top of the crunch try to hold for a couple of seconds before lowering yourself to the ground again.
Repeat 3 sets of 15.

 

Vertical Leg Crunch

This is similar to a regular crunch but more intense as it makes your abs work harder!
1) Lie on the floor and extend the legs upwards until vertical (or as vertical as you can manage)
2) Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor as though reaching your chest towards your feet. Use your hands to help you.
Repeat 3 sets of 15.

 

 

Bicycle Crunches

Bicycle crunches are a great way to target rectus abdominis and the obliques in one easy exercise. And, they’re a little more fun than regular crunches!
1) Lie on the floor with your lower back pressed into the ground.
2) Lift your knees in towards your chest while lifting your shoulder blades off the floor.
3) Rotate to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee as you extend the other leg in the air.
4) Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
Repeat 3 sets of 15.

 

The Plank

We love the plank in the InstructorLive office and are known for our Friday afternoon plank-off’s! The plank not only strengthens your core but also your back and legs.
1) Start on your hands and knees and lock your hands together.
2) Straighten your legs and raise your body off the ground and make sure that your feet are hip distance apart.
3) Maintain this position. Face the floor and be careful not to arch your back or lift your bum in the air.
4) Hold this position for 45 seconds to start with, increasing this time as you get stronger.

Russian Twist

1) Sit on the floor with your hips and knees bent slightly.
2) Keep your back straight and your torso should be at around a 45 degrees angle to the floor.
3) Twist your torso as far as you can to the left with the weight and then as far as you can to the right.
3 x 15 on each side (The more you lower your back towards the ground the more intense you make the exercise)

 

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