While body-weight moves work your entire body, some of them really target your core. If
you are looking to tighten your ab muscles and strengthen your core, definitely add
these moves to your workout routine.
Reverse Crunch
This might sound like a simple crunch, but you are going in reverse, and it is much more
complicated. The good news is that it works your lower abdominals, which are
notoriously difficult to engage. If you have a low belly pouch you are trying to minimize
and tone, this is an excellent body-weight exercise to do. The reverse crunch starts with
you lying on your back with your legs out in front of you. Put your hands behind your
head to support your neck, then cross your ankles. Lift your feet up and toward the
ceiling, then back down. When you lift up, you want to try to get your buttocks off the
ground. You can start this by bending your legs, but eventually you should be able to handle these.
Different Types of Planks
All the different planks you do will work out your abs in a minimal amount of time.
Crunches can only get you so far, plus planks work other areas of your body as well.
Start small with the elbow and standard planks, holding it for as long as you can. You
can then start adding more planks, like side planks, shoulder taps, and pulling your
knees in to your chest one by one. The great thing about planks is that they engage
your abs and have modifications to make them more difficult.
Leg Lift
This is similar to the reverse crunch, except you want to keep your legs straight, and
don’t need to lift them all the way up. Instead, you are going to reach your legs out while
laying on your back, lift your legs about 6 inches, then lower back down. Continue doing
this as many times as you can. If you have a bad lower back, this might not be the best
ab move for you.
Bicycle Crunches
When you get sick of standard crunches, you can easily mix it up by doing bicycle
crunches. Lay on your back, then bend your knees, lifting both legs off the ground. Lift
your upper back and neck off the ground by a few inches into a crunch. You will then
move your legs out, back and forth, while extending them in a bicycle form. Try to do 10
sets, take a break, then see if you can do 10 more.