What abdominal exercises work best?

I'm really working on toning my stomach up, but what *specific* exercises do you do to work your abs? Can anyone link me to a good website that will show me how to do the exercises? I'm pretty new at this and...I need all the help I can get. As of right now, the only think I know how to do is a crunch and a sit up. I know I'll need more types of exercises than that to get all the muscles in my stomach. Please help and thanks!
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Replies

  • mstifb
    mstifb Posts: 230
    Bump - I need to know this too. My abdomen hasn't lost any inches! :ohwell:
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    I do situps on the yoga ball. I do some of them where I take my left elbow and touch it to my right knee. I use the ab circle. I do "the 100."
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    A lot of people will tell you that the best way to get abs is through heavy weight lifting, which I agree with. However, if you want to work your abs separately this is the workout I do. I have noticed a difference since starting it 2-3 times a week. Most of the time after an ab workout my abs aren't sore, but with this one I am always sore afterwards. I love it! If you don't know some of the exercises, google them. The whole workout only takes about 10 minutes.

    275282595943739047_rb8dGExF_f.jpg
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Planks are great, russian twists for obliques, there are soooo many different ways to do crunches including using weights, hands above head, double crunches where you lift your butt too......just google ab exercises and seriously you will get pages of suggestions, some even with pictures and videos.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    I do situps on the yoga ball. I do some of them where I take my left elbow and touch it to my right knee. I use the ab circle. I do "the 100."

    These exercises just build muscle under the fat. If you havent got rid of the fat it may make you look more round in the stomach.
  • lilylight
    lilylight Posts: 128 Member
    I really like Pilates, which focuses on the core. Check out the Pop Pilates videos at You Tube; esp, there are some titled "beginning" level.
  • Try to find an Ab Lounge at a thrift store. I found that it helps more than a regular sit up or crunch, because the floor tends to hurt my back. Also I found that the Dirty Dancing workout also gets rid of the love handles, as you are exercising your core at the same time the butt and thighs.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    The ones you do a hell of a lot of....

    Lots of muscles down there. Hit them from all angles. Mix it up.
  • There are lots of X Minute Abs routine. A some on Youtube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNOm_ofoeWU
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    A lot of people will tell you that the best way to get abs is through heavy weight lifting, which I agree with. However, if you want to work your abs separately this is the workout I do. I have noticed a difference since starting it 2-3 times a week. Most of the time after an ab workout my abs aren't sore, but with this one I am always sore afterwards. I love it! If you don't know some of the exercises, google them. The whole workout only takes about 10 minutes.

    275282595943739047_rb8dGExF_f.jpg

    This is awesome!
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    The Clean. Done with a barbell. KILLER core exercise.
  • Jennical
    Jennical Posts: 219 Member
    Bump...
  • bump
  • sefrank
    sefrank Posts: 26 Member
    Bump
  • atxdee
    atxdee Posts: 613 Member
    im also always trying to find new ab workouts, that is my problem area as well and i never get sore, might be doing it wrong
  • Bump
  • SelenityJ
    SelenityJ Posts: 168 Member
    A lot of people will tell you that the best way to get abs is through heavy weight lifting, which I agree with. However, if you want to work your abs separately this is the workout I do. I have noticed a difference since starting it 2-3 times a week. Most of the time after an ab workout my abs aren't sore, but with this one I am always sore afterwards. I love it! If you don't know some of the exercises, google them. The whole workout only takes about 10 minutes.

    275282595943739047_rb8dGExF_f.jpg

    This is awesome!

    I do alot from this list, though there are some new ones I didn't know of and am now googling to include in my workouts. Posting this to spread it out... this is AWESOME
  • KarenAnnne
    KarenAnnne Posts: 190 Member
    bump
  • pudadough
    pudadough Posts: 1,271 Member
    I love oblique exercises for really visible whittling of my sides in the least amount of time.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    I just train my abs with basic crunch routines about 2-3 x per week (8-10 minutes each workout). I do regular crunches, reverse crunches, leg lifts, Russian twists, bicycles, V-ups, and other basic moves.

    This website has a HUGE list of ab exercises with links to pictures: http://www.ab-core-and-stomach-exercises.com/abdominal-exercises.html

    Your diet will have an enormous impact on whether or not you actually SEE the results of your hard work though. Best wishes!!
  • Well it depends. If you have stomache fat then you would want to stop all crunches and sit-ups and just do cardio (eliptical is great for burning fat calories). If you dont have that much fat, then you would obviously do alot of sit-ups. The best kinds of sit-ups are twisting sit-ups. If you dont know what that is, Its where you twist to your left or right as your sitting up. But the trick is to twist to your left, then without going down, twist to your right, then complete your sit-ups. This technique works for like 90% of people who do it.
  • amhalterman
    amhalterman Posts: 63 Member
    bump
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    A lot of people will tell you that the best way to get abs is through heavy weight lifting, which I agree with. However, if you want to work your abs separately this is the workout I do. I have noticed a difference since starting it 2-3 times a week. Most of the time after an ab workout my abs aren't sore, but with this one I am always sore afterwards. I love it! If you don't know some of the exercises, google them. The whole workout only takes about 10 minutes.

    275282595943739047_rb8dGExF_f.jpg

    Bump!
  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
    Bump.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    Well it depends. If you have stomache fat then you would want to stop all crunches and sit-ups and just do cardio (eliptical is great for burning fat calories). If you dont have that much fat, then you would obviously do alot of sit-ups. The best kinds of sit-ups are twisting sit-ups. If you dont know what that is, Its where you twist to your left or right as your sitting up. But the trick is to twist to your left, then without going down, twist to your right, then complete your sit-ups. This technique works for like 90% of people who do it.

    I disagree with this. You don't have to wait to start doing ab work until you have a certain amount of fat. Strength training is good at ANY bodyfat percentage. You just won't SEE all your results until you reach a certain bodyfat %, but that's true with all muscle groups, not just abs.
  • mom2rpkp
    mom2rpkp Posts: 185 Member
    I agree and want to do ab work, but, embarrassingly enough, find my stomach gets in the way. Looking for ab work that I can do until my stomach is smaller and I can do a true crunch. For now, I just do a crunch where my shoulder blades come off the floor 1-2 inches.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I personally think planks are the best for working your core.

    However I will mention, and I'm sure it's been mentioned before me, doing ab work is not going to make you lose your stomach fat... it will work your muscles but it does nothing to the fat that's covering it up. Stay in a deficit, and it should go away. :)
  • Mummyadams
    Mummyadams Posts: 1,125 Member
    A lot of people will tell you that the best way to get abs is through heavy weight lifting, which I agree with. However, if you want to work your abs separately this is the workout I do. I have noticed a difference since starting it 2-3 times a week. Most of the time after an ab workout my abs aren't sore, but with this one I am always sore afterwards. I love it! If you don't know some of the exercises, google them. The whole workout only takes about 10 minutes.

    275282595943739047_rb8dGExF_f.jpg

    Bump!
    bump
  • bump
  • jae6704
    jae6704 Posts: 458 Member
    bump