A six pack abs is what most men crave for and women want their stomach flat. However, to attain such an ab, you need to put on some effort. Michele Olson, PhD, who is a professor of physical education and exercise science at Auburn University–Montgomery, Alabama says that abdominals, a set collectively known as the core, involves the many interconnected muscles that move up the back and extend down to the butt and the front and inner thighs. Here we have collected 24 moves, which could be simple or hard that will help you in keeping your everyday core workouts exciting!
1. Get more from your core
_
_
•Move from your waist. Every time you twist, make certain that the movement happens from your bottom rib up. Keep your hips still.
•Tighten up. During each move, you should feel a tightening, from one hip bone to the other.
•Exhale deeply. To assist strengthening your abs and protecting your lower back, be sure to breathe out thoroughly with every inhalation.
2. A new kind of crunch
_
_
Sit in such a way that your thighs and upper torso form a V shape, with lower legs crossed and elevated.
Hold a dumbell between both the hands. Move from left to right and back, bringing the dumbell across the body while keeping the V shape.
3. Bridge opposite arm-leg reach
_
_
1. Lie with your face upward and your left knee bent. The left foot should be flat on the floor, and right leg stretched toward the ceiling. Pull toward the roof with your the left arm and put your right arm down by your side.
2. Without moving your shoulders or hips, open your raised arm to the left and raised leg to the right. Now, return your raised leg and arm to the centre, while concentrating on your abs.
4. Low-belly leg reach
_
_
With your knees bent to 90-degree angles, lie with your face up Your hands should be kept behind your head, and abs should be contracted. Keeping your knees stacked above hips, raise your shoulders and crunch up. Breathe in and hold for about 3-5 seconds. Breathe out and stretch legs upto 45 degrees. Hold this again for about 3-5 seconds while pressing your lower belly.
5. Teaser
_
_
With your knees bent to around 90-degree angle, lie on your back with your feet lifted. Contract abs as you breathe in and raise arms up and back over the head.
Breathe out and swing your arms towards the front while straightening your legs so that your body forms a V shape.
Roll down gently, with you knees bent and bring your arms above.
6. Donkey kickbacks
_
_
You should kneel on all fours with your toes tucked beneath and keeping your back neutral. Pull your belly in toward your spine as you contract your abs and raise both knees around 2 inches off the floor.Bring right knee to nose, while keeping your abs engaged. Then thrust right leg straight out behind you, and then squeeze your butt. Make sure that you keep your lower abs contracted and hips facing the floor to shield your back.
7. Advanced leg crunches
_
_
1. Place a 3-pound dumbbell between your feet while lying on your back with your knees bent. Put your palms and hands down, under your sitting bones.
2. You should concentrate on your lower abs, and use them to draw your knees in near your chest while raising your head, hips and shoulders slightly. Come back to the original posture.
8. Ana Caban’s belly blaster
_
_
1. With your knees bent near your chest, lie on your back. Now, hold one dumbbell with your hands.
2. Stretch your left leg to around 45 degrees, keeping your right knee bent. Raise your shoulders and head and move the dumbbell to the outside of your right knee, holding into a crunch with a twist.
3. Draw your left leg in to meet your right leg and move the weight up toward the ceiling, keeping your shoulders and head raised off the floor. Now repeat step 2, but here you need to extend your right leg while keeping your left knee bent.
9. Oblique driving-knee crunch
_
_
On a stability ball, lie on your back with your feet hip-distance apart on the ground and knees bent at 90 degrees. Position your right hand behind your head and your left fingertips on the ground for support. Strengthen your core and raise your left foot off the floor. With your foot flexed, extend your left leg.
Crunch up, bending your right shoulder and rib cage near your left knee together stretching your right leg straight. Bo back to starting posture.
10. Scale Pose
_
_
Sit in a relaxed cross-legged position with your hands on a mat near your hips. Stiffen your pelvic floor and push into your hands. Raise your entire lower body away the mat. Hold this for three breaths and then lower your back down.
11. Boat pose
_
_
Sit with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and hands under your knees for support. Holding your chest lifted and shoulders back, engage your ab muscles and lift your lower legs until they are parallel to the floor, and you are supporting on your sitting bones.
If this feels relaxed, start to straighten your legs and extend your arms forward. Hold for around 5–15 breaths, and then release.
12. Cross-leg diagonal crunch
_
_
Lie on your back with feet on the floor and your legs straight. Lift your hips while keeping your torso still. Move them to your right slightly. Then, lower and straighten your legs once more.Slightly bend your left knee and cross it across your right leg, putting your left foot on the floor beside the outside of your right knee. Crunch up, and then come back down.
13. Tone-it V hold
_
_
Sit with your feet on the floor and knees bent. Clasp bottom of thighs with both hands, hinge back and raise feet until lower legs are parallel to the floor. Then release your hands. Level your legs and reach for your toes. Hold this for around eight breaths.
14. Plank
_
_
Bend on a mat on all fours with your hands right under your shoulders. Spread your legs back one at a time to come into the plank pose.Do not let your hips stoop or raise your butt too high.
Press your hands tightly into the mat, and also press firmly back through your heels. Hold this for around 1–2 minutes and then drop back to all fours.
15. Body-weight squat
_
_
Stand straight with your feet hip-width and your knees flexed slightly. Your hands should be crossed over the chest. By pressing weight into feet, squat down. Your feet should be pointed straight ahead and keep your bum tucked. Now, return to your standing position.
16. Swan dive
_
_
Extend your arms overhead lying on your stomach. Point your toes and lift your legs and arms around 6 inches off the ground. Stay like that for one count, thinking your legs being pulled out and back, away from your hips.
Now you have to circle your arms towards the sides and also behind you. Breathe out and reach your arms near your toes, with your palms facing in. Hold this for one count, and then bring arms back to original position and then relax.
17. Windshield wiper
_
_
Bend your knees upto 90-degree while lying on your back. Lengthen your fingertips with your arms straightened by your sides. Force the backs of your shoulders upon a mat, and then you need to slide them down away from your ears. Concentrating on the waist muscles, inhale and gently move your knees to the right, then breathe out and return to starting posture.
18. Plank on the ball
_
_
Kneel in front of a stability ball, with your hips and abs over the ball. Set your hands on the ground in front of you and walk them out till the ball rolls under your thighs.
When your body is straight, and you’re steady, hold for around 30 seconds. Make sure that you lift your belly button and squeeze your thighs.
19. Jumping Jack reach
_
_
While seated, catch the ball and jump with your legs apart, then together, then apart repeatedly. Now stand and reach your left hand to the right. Sit back down, jump with your legs together, and repeat sequence on the opposite side.
20. Standing side crunch
_
_
Hold a ball overhead and stand with your elbows bent and out to the sides. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Now, raise your right knee to the side and then pull your right elbow down to reach it. Come back to the starting position and then repeat on the other side.
21. Basic pump
_
_
Stand with the hoop around your waist and one leg forward. Hold the hoop against the small of your back. Bend your knees a bit and then spin the hoop pushing it around in one direction.
22. Circles in the sky
_
_
This exercise works for your core, outer hips, inner thighs and butt.
First, lie on your back with your hands behind your head and then contract abs by lifting your upper body slowly off the ground. Lift your right leg upto 5 inches and left leg directly up toward the sky.With your hips stable and core engaged, trace four softball-size circles clockwise with your left leg. Likewise, in the anticlockwise direction too. Now lower both your legs, switch sides, and then repeat.
23. Side incline with a twist
_
_
Side incline with a twist works your core, triceps, biceps and waist.
You need to lie on your right side with forearm right under shoulder, with your hand perpendicular to your body with your legs stacked. Engage the right side of your waist and your abs, raising your hips so your body sets a straight line from head to feet.Now, extend your left arm toward the sky. Now you have to scoop your left arm in front of your body and reach the space between the ground and your chest. Make sure that you twist only from the waist upward.
24. Supine twist
_
_
The supine twist is done by lying on your back with your legs stretched out straight. While you bend your right knee, you should inhale and bring your knee toward your chest. Now, hug it tightly with your hands.
Now exhale when you use your left hand to slowly press your right knee over to the left side, letting your torso twist. Extend your right arm out to the right at your shoulder height.
