Beginner Exercises
Butterfly Crunch
Focused on: six pack – rectus abdominus
Simply lie on the ground and place the soles of the feet as much as you can towards the body. Keep the knees bent out to your left and right side. Place the hands behind the head and straighten the elbows in the same level as your ears.
Remain with the back on the ground all the time and keep the abs contracted. Breathe out and raise the chest for a few inches in the direction of your legs. Get back in order to start again. Perform this procedure ten times.
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Side to side
Focused on: sides – obliques
Get down on the ground and put the back on the floor. Bend the knees and soles completely flat on the ground and keep the arms at their sides parallel to the body. Breathe out and contract the abdominal muscles while moving your left hand toward your left foot.
Remember to keep the neck and head in line with the lower back flat on the ground. Return to the initial position and do the same with the other side. Perform this exercise 15 times.
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Front Plank
Focused on: transverse abs
Get down on your knees and hands. The abs and back muscles and abs must be contracted. After that, get down to the forearms and extend the legs behind your back and hips. You should be relying on the balls of the feet.
Don’t forget to keep the back completely straight, your hips up and remove tension from the neck. Remain in this specific position for no more than three seconds and return to the initial position. Perform this exercise ten times.
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Intermediate Exercises
Finger to Toes
Focused on: six-pack
Get down on the back and keep your legs straight and up while the arms remain on the floor parallel to the body. Exhale and contract the abdominal muscles while you are crunching from the waist and expand the hands in the direction of the toes. Your back must be flat all the time. Perform two sets of 15 reps each.
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Scissors
Focused on: sides
Get down on the floor with your back pressed against it and put the fingers right behind the head. Don’t let the abs loosen, lift the right knee up and press it to the left elbow. Return to the beginning and do the same with the other knee.
Perform 15 reps and make sure that you are moving all the time and that your abdominal muscles are activated and contracted. The hands must be relaxed because otherwise you may hurt the neck. Perform two sets.
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Reverse Crunch with Resistance Bands
Focused on: transverse abs
Lie down on the floor on the back and keep your knees bent and arms flat on the floor. You should keep the ends of the band in the hands while the band is bundled around the highest point of your shins. Lift the knees up in the direction of your chest till you notice that the hips are no longer on the floor.
Remain in this position for about three seconds and slowly lower the body. Perform two sets of ten reps.
Advanced Moves
Knee-Ups
Focused on: six-pack
Support the body with the help of the backrests of two large chairs. Bend the elbows a little bit and keep the shoulders down and your neck without any tension. At the same time, your chest and head should be lifted a little bit. The abdominal muscles must be tight before you exhale and bring back the knees toward the chest.
In case you can’t keep the body in this position, use your knees one by one. Perform three sets of 15 reps.
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Leg Swings
Focused on: sides
Get down on the back and keep the arms parallel to the body while your feet and legs are directed up. Exhale and focus on the spine while you are bending legs to the right side about 4-5 inches from the ground. Get back to the initial position and perform the same thing with the left side.
Change the sides for 15 times. Perform three sets.
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Ball Leg Lift
Focused on: transverse abs
Lie down on the ground, but keep the face on a ball. Slowly move forward till the hands are placed on the ground firmly and only the highest point of the feet remain flat on the ball. Gently rise up the leg for 2-3 inches in direction of the ceiling while you keep the left leg extended and the back straight.
Remain in this position for about three seconds and slowly return to the start. Perform ten reps and after that, do the same with the right leg.
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Experts advise increasing the number of repetitions (by two reps) every week in order to achieve the best results.
Via Valentin Bosioc
