Oblique Crunches with a Partner

Start by lying on your backs, facing opposite directions, with the outside of your hips almost touching. Keep your chin away from your chest, and focus your vision toward the ceiling at about 45 degrees. Avoid looking straight up at the ceiling or toward the opposite wall. Now slowly curl your torso up, rotate toward your partner and give him or her a “high five” with your farthest arm. Be sure to contract your abdominals on each repetition. Alternate sides, performing 8–15 reps on each side.

Six-Pack BOSU

Start by sitting on the BOSU trainer in a semi-reclined position. Be sure to keep your abdominals very tight throughout the entire drill. Your partner sits facing you. He or she throws the ball to you, and you catch it and throw it back. Your partner’s goal is to try to get you to lift one foot off the ground or to touch down with one of your hands. He or she can make the exercise more difficult by throwing the ball slightly off to one side, trying to put you off balance. Every time one of your feet lifts or your hand touches down, your partner gets a point. Play the game for 1.5 minutes and then switch. This is a great drill for developing abdominal strength and core stability.

Core exercises with a fitness ball -Abdominal ball raise

Abdominal ball raise

This core exercise is called the abdominal ball raise:

• Lie on your back and rest your legs on top of the ball with your legs about hip-width apart. Tighten your abdominal muscles and squeeze your legs together.
• Raise the ball off the floor, as shown. To protect your lower back, focus on pulling your bellybutton in toward your spine and keeping your abdominal muscles contracted. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat.
• For added challenge, raise the ball off the floor and let your legs slowly fall to the right. Stop before you reach the floor. Hold for three deep breaths, keeping your shoulders on the floor. Return to the start position and repeat on the left side.

Core exercises with a fitness ball - Bridge

Bridge

To work various core muscles in combination, try a bridge:

• Lie on your back with your legs resting on top of the ball.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your hips and buttocks off the floor into a bridge (A). Hold for three deep breaths. Besides your core muscles, you'll feel the muscles along your backside — the gluteal muscles and hamstrings — contract to keep you in place.
• Return to the start position and repeat.
• For added challenge, raise your right leg off the ball (B). Repeat with your left leg.

Core exercises with a fitness ball - Abdominal Crunch

Core exercises strengthen abs and other core muscles

Core exercises strengthen your core muscles, including abs, back and pelvis. You can do many core exercises with a fitness ball, also called a stability ball.

Fitness balls come in various sizes. For most exercises, you'll want a ball that allows your knees to be at a right angle when you sit on the ball with your feet on the floor. The firmer the ball, the more difficult the exercise will be.

Do each core exercise five times. Breathe freely and deeply during each exercise. Focus on tightening your deepest abdominal muscle — the transversus abdominis — during each exercise. This is the muscle you feel contracting when you cough. As you get stronger, gradually increase to 10 to 15 repetitions.

Abdominal crunch

Abdominal crunches are a classic core exercise:

• Sit on the ball with your feet resting on the floor, about hip-width apart. Keep your back straight. Cross your arms on your chest.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Lean back until your abdominal muscles kick in, as shown. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat.

The Free Ab Workout Routine:

Exercise 6 - Inbetween Ab Crunches

This is a simple little exercise to finish off this free ab workout routine. If you did it at the start of the workout, it might not be all that difficult. But your abs should be quite tired by now, so this should burn a bit. Burn is good... right?

1. Hop onto your faithful mat again.
2. Get your body into position 1.
3. Crunch your abs and try to touch your toes.
4. Hold for 1 second and lower back to the start position.
5. Repeat until your abs are screaming for mercy. (You may as well make the most of the last exercise in the ab workout routine!)

The Free Ab Workout Routine:

Exercise 4 - Tuck Ups

This is a fantastic abdominal exercise which Shaye insists is a vital part of this free ab workout routine. She used to do these for diving training and all those diving girls had rock hard abs!

1. Grab your mat.
2. Lie on your back in a "dish" position, as shown in picture 1.
3. Tuck your legs up and at the same time, raise your upper body. Try to reach the postition shown in image 2. This may be difficult to master at first, but persevere.
4. Lower back down to start position.
5. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then repeat.
6. Do between 12-24, or as many as possible.

The Free Ab Workout Routine:

Exercise 3 - Lil' Burners!

These lil burners might not look like much, but the name gives it away... They burn! Give them a try, your abs will thank you...in a few days ;)

1. Lie on your yoga mat.
2. Crunch your knees up as shown in picture 1.
3. This is the start position.
4. Using your abdominal muscles, crunch your knees up as shown in picture 2.
5. Really try to isolate your core and get the movement coming from solely in this area. (You're cheating if you use momentum to rock your knees up!)
6. Return slowly to position 1.
7. Repeat 15-20 times, or as many time as possible... Don't go easy on yourself though!

The Free Ab Workout Routine:

Exercise 2 - Ab and Oblique Crunches

This exercise targets both your abdominals and your obliques. It's important to work all areas of your core for muscle balance and a really sexy look.

1. Lie on your mat.
2. Hook your feet under something (I am using a bowflex weight)
3. Get another weight and hold it by your chest.
4. Sit up in a controlled movement (as shown in picture two)
5. Hold this position for about 1-2 seconds.
6. Twist at your core as shown in picture 3.
7. Hold for 1-2 seconds.
8. Return to the center, hold for 1-2 seconds.
9. Release back down to the mat.
10. Take a deep breath and repeat the sequence twisting the opposite way.
11. Do between 10-20 or as many a spossible.

The Free Ab Workout Routine:

Exercise 1 - Lower Body Ab Raises

It doesn't matter how developed, or undeveloped your abs are, this is a good exercise for you. If you can't raise your legs that high at the start, it's okay. In time, you'll have your feet in the clouds!

1. Grab your mat.
2. Lie on your back with your arms to your side.
3. Raise your legs to 90 degrees.
4. Using your abdomen and pushing into the ground with your hands, raise your feet towards the sky, or roof :)
5. Slowly lower yourself, in a controlled movement, back down again. Don't drop your hips down too quickly.
6. Do about 10-20 reps, or as many as you can manage.
7. Rest for 20 seconds between sets.
8. In total do 3-4 Sets.

Swiss Ball Hip Roll

Exercise Instructions:

Setup for the exercise ball hip roll by placing a mat on the floor and placing the exercise ball at one end. Lay down on your back on the mat and put your legs over the top of the exercise ball. Your calves should be on top of the ball. For stability, put your arms out flat on the floor with your palms facing down. This is the start position for the exercise. Using your core muscles, roll the exercise ball over to the left as far as possible. Repeat this movement for the right side. This is one rep, repeat for desired reps.

Tips & Advice:

The further you move the ball the harder you core has to work. Move the ball as far as possible for the best results.

Ab Exercise

Leg Lifts

Leg lifts are a great way to not strain the lower back. You can modify your leg lifts, if you are having back pain.

Get on your back with your legs lifted up straight and slightly bent. From here you simply move your legs forward and backward to a limited extent. Lift them from the 10 O’clock to the 2 O’clock position if you were looking at your body from one side. Pause when the legs are at 2 O’clock for this to really burn and do the trick. For these you might want to make fists and sit on them for added support to the lower back.

6 Reasons You Need Abs

6 Reasons You Need Abs

Strip away fat, strip away trouble

Study after study shows that the people with the most belly fat have the most risk of life-threatening disease. The evidence couldn't be more convincing.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a waistline larger than 40 inches for men signals significant risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The Canadian Heart Health Surveys, published in 2001, looked at 9,913 people ages 18 to 74 and concluded that for maximum health, a guy needs to keep his waist size at no more than 35 inches (a little less for younger guys, a little more for older ones). When your waist grows larger than 35 inches, you're at higher risk of developing two or more risk factors for heart disease.

And when researchers examined data from the Physicians' Health Study that has tracked 22,701 male physicians since 1982, they found that men whose waists measured more than 36.8 inches had a significantly elevated risk for myocardial infarction, or heart attack, in which an area of the heart muscle dies or is permanently damaged by a lack of bloodflow. Men with the biggest bellies were at 60 percent higher risk.

Now the real scary part: The average American man's waist size is a ponderous 38.8 inches, up from 37.5 in 1988, according to the journal Obesity Research. The same sad truth holds for women, too: A woman with a flabby midsection is at increased risk for the same health problems. And American women have seen their weight rise just as men have.

Of course, abs don't guarantee you a get-out-of-the-hospital-free card, but studies show that by developing a strong abdominal section, you'll reduce body fat and significantly cut the risk factors associated with many diseases, not just heart disease.

For example, the incidence of cancer among obese patients is 33 percent higher than among lean ones, according to a Swedish study. The World Health Organization estimates that up to one-third of cancers of the colon, kidney, and digestive tract are caused by being overweight and inactive.

And having an excess of belly fat around your gut is especially dangerous. See, cancer is caused by mutations that occur in cells as they divide. Fat tissue in your abdomen spurs your body to produce hormones that prompt your cells to divide. More cell division means more opportunities for cell mutations, which means more cancer risk.

A lean waistline also heads off another of our most pressing health problems-diabetes. Currently, 13 million Americans have been diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, and many more go undiagnosed. Fat, especially belly fat, bears the blame.

There's a misconception that diabetes comes only from eating too much refined sugar, like the kind in chocolate and ice cream. But people contract diabetes after years of eating high-carbohydrate foods that are easily converted into sugar-foods like white bread, pasta, and mashed potatoes.

Scarfing down a basket of bread and a bowl of pasta can do the same thing to your body that a carton of ice cream does: flood it with sugar calories. The calories you can't burn are what converts into fat cells that pad your gut and leaves you with a disease that, if untreated, can lead to impotence, blindness, heart attacks, strokes, amputation, and death. And that, my friend, can really ruin your day.

More Abs to Practice

Let us know if you try any of them.  We want to know what is good, bad, helpful or boring.

Double-leg abdominal press

When you're comfortable with the single-leg abdominal press, try the double-leg abdominal press:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent (A). Keep your back in a neutral position, not arched and not pressed into the floor. Avoid tilting your hips. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your legs off the floor one at a time so that your knees and hips are bent at 90-degree angles. Rest your hands on top of your knees (B).
• Push your hands against your knees while using your abdominal muscles to pull your knees toward your hands. Keep your arms straight. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat.

Double-leg abdominal press variations

To work your core muscles more completely, try variations of the double-leg abdominal press:

• Opposite hands on opposite knees. Place each hand on the opposite knee, toward the inside of the knee (A). Your arms will cross over each other. Push your hands against your knees while pulling your knees toward your hands. Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat.
• Hands on outside of knees. Place your hands along the sides of your knees (B). Use your hands to push your knees inward. At the same time, create resistance by pushing your knees away from the center. Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat.
• 
  

Segmental rotation

Segmental rotation is another way to exercise your core muscles:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your back in a neutral position. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Keeping your shoulders on the floor, let your knees fall slowly to the left (A). Go only as far as is comfortable. You should feel a stretch, but no pain. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position. Repeat the exercise to the right (B).
• 
  

Quadruped

This core exercise is called the quadruped:

• Start on your hands and knees. Place your hands directly below your shoulders, and align your head and neck with your back (A). Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your right arm off the floor and reach ahead (B). Hold for three deep breaths. Lower your right arm and repeat with your left arm.
• Raise your right leg off the floor (C). Tighten your trunk muscles for balance. Hold for three deep breaths. Lower your right leg and repeat with your left leg.
• For added challenge, raise your left arm and your right leg at the same time (D). Repeat with your right arm and left leg.

Modified plank

This core exercise is called the modified plank:

• Lie on your stomach. Raise yourself up so that you're resting on your forearms and your knees. Align your head and neck with your back, and place your shoulders directly above your elbows. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Create resistance by pressing your elbows and your knees toward one another. Neither should move from their positions on the floor. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat.

Modified plank variations

Try these variations on the modified plank:

• Lie on your stomach. Raise yourself up so that you're resting on your forearms and your knees. Align your head and neck with your back, and place your shoulders directly above your elbows. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your right arm off the floor (A). Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat with your left arm.
• Raise your right leg off the floor (B). Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat with your left leg.
• For added challenge, raise your left arm and your right leg at the same time. Repeat with your right arm and left leg.

Side plank

The side plank challenges your stability and works the muscles along the side of your body:

• Lie on your left side, raising yourself onto your left forearm (A). Place your left shoulder directly above your left elbow, keeping your shoulders, hips and knees in alignment. Rest your right arm along the side of your body.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles. Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat on your right side.
• For added challenge, balance on your left hand. Raise your hips off the floor and extend your right hand toward the ceiling (B). Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat on your right side.

Superman

This core exercise, called the superman, can help you strengthen your lower back:

• Lie on your stomach with a rolled towel or a small pillow under your hips to support your back. You might also use a folded towel to support your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your right arm off the floor (A). Hold for three deep breaths. Lower your right arm and repeat with your left arm.
• Raise your right leg off the floor (B). Hold for three deep breaths. Lower your right leg and repeat with your left leg.
• 
  

Source:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047&slide=6

Abs to Try

Here are 6 ab routines you can try at home.

Core exercises build abs and other core muscles

Core exercises strengthen your core muscles, including abs, back and pelvis. Why bother with core exercises? Strong core muscles make it easier to do most physical activities.

You can do core exercises on a carpeted floor or mat. Breathe freely and deeply during each exercise. Focus on tightening your deepest abdominal muscle — the transversus abdominis — during each exercise. This is the muscle you feel contracting when you cough.

Repeat each of the following core exercises five times. Gradually build up to 10 to 15 repetitions as your strength improves.

Abdominal crunch

Abdominal crunches are a classic core exercise:

• Lie on your back and place your feet on a wall so that your knees and hips are bent at 90-degree angles. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your head and shoulders off the floor. To avoid straining your neck, cross your arms on your chest rather than locking them behind your head. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat.

Bridge

To work various core muscles in combination, try a bridge:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent (A). Keep your back in a neutral position, not arched and not pressed into the floor. Avoid tilting your hips. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your hips off the floor until your hips are aligned with your knees and shoulders (B). Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat.
• 
  

Single-leg abdominal press

The single-leg abdominal press is another popular core exercise:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent (A). Keep your back in a neutral position, not arched and not pressed into the floor. Avoid tilting your hips. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Raise your right leg off the floor so that your knee and hip are bent at 90-degree angles. Rest your right hand on top of your right knee (B).
• Push your hand against your knee while using your abdominal muscles to pull your knee toward your hand. Keep your arm straight. Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat using your left hand and left knee.
• 
  

Single-leg abdominal press variations

To work your core muscles more completely, try variations of the single-leg abdominal press:

• Opposite hand on opposite knee. Push your right hand against your left knee while pulling your knee toward your hand (A). You'll be pushing and pulling across the center of your body. Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat using your other hand and leg.
• Hand on outside of knee. Place your left hand along the side of your left knee (B). Use your hand to push your leg inward. At the same time, create resistance by pushing your knee away from the center. Hold for three deep breaths. Repeat using your other hand and leg.

found at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047&slide=1