Abdominal Workouts for Beginners

A tight, toned core is essential for performing all kinds of athletic activities. The ab muscles maintain balance, provide an energy base and keep your waistline in check. The exercises that follow, tone and strengthen all of the ab muscle groups: upper, lower and obliques (side abdominal muscles). As an added bonus, most abdominal exercises incorporate other parts of the body, so your arms, legs and back benefit as well.

  1. Basic Crunch

    • The crunch is very much like a sit-up or curl up. Begin lying with your back on the floor, knees raised and soles of the feet touching the ground. Put your hands behind your head or cross them over your chest. Lift your upper torso slightly---just so that your shoulders and upper back are off the ground but your spine remains stationary. Your belly button should be pulled in tightly as if trying to attach to the spine. Lower down to the ground, and repeat.

      You can vary the crunch to target different muscle groups. Try the same movement with legs extended, toes pointing to the sky or with both legs off the ground at a right angle and crossed. Other variations include crunching in a particular direction, as in lifting the shoulders towards the right or the left.

    Plank

    • The plank is a very simple and powerful exercise. Lay on your stomach on the floor. Put your elbows on the ground in front of you, and use your fists to make a triangle. Push your stomach off the ground with your feet. The goal is to try and make your body as flat as possible, so engage your abs and your glutes. Hold the pose for at least 30 seconds, breathing normally. As you get better at this exercise, increase the time held. Aim for the duration of one song on the radio (two to three minutes). Challenging variations include lifting one leg off the ground and holding it parallel to the plank position.

    Trunk Lift

    • The trunk lift is a classic exercise once used at elementary schools for physical fitness testing. Lie on the ground on your stomach. Engage your core muscles to arch your back and lift your arms and legs into the air as if you are flying with Superman. Using small, pulse-like movements, lift your left arm and right leg higher than the opposite leg and arm. Lower the left arm and right leg, and repeat with opposite limbs. Remember to keep your abs engaged and your back arched. This exercise targets your back, as well as your upper and lower abs.

    Squats

    • Although squats are traditionally used for toning thighs and glutes, abs are an essential part of the equation because they maintain balance. Stand up straight, legs shoulder width apart, knees and toes facing forward. Bend your knees as if you were planning to sit down in an invisible chair. Do not bend so far that your knees go past your toes. Return to standing and tighten your stomach as you do so. Repeat 20 to 30 times. To make this exercise more challenging, try to hold the seated position for 30 seconds.