At Home Abdominal Workout

Did you accidentally sleep in an miss your morning workout? Did you not get the opportunity to sneak away on your lunch hour to get in your Reformer Express Class? Or did the work day drain you and the thought of hitting up the gym just sounds too exhausting? Just because the day through you for a loop doesn’t mean you have to get off track with your daily exercise routine. It is possible to get in a workout in the comfort of your own home! You would be surprised how many exercises you can perform at home. This abdominal workout is simple and can be done from your bedroom! It is very important to make sure you work out your abs and core as these muscles support your spine and support good posture. So dress comfortably, put some music on and get those abs to work!

1. Plank

Get into the beloved Plank position and challenge yourself to hold 3-5 sets of 60 second planks. Vary the style of plank. Start in a traditional plank and move on to side planks. If you are advanced try one-legged planks, of try lifting one leg and lifting the opposite arm at the same time. These advance moves really challenge your stability and force your core to work extra hard.

2. Feet To Heaven/Leg Raises

In this exercise you raise your legs to the sky and then lift your bottom up towards the ceiling by using your lower abs. Try not to jerk up, but rather use the control and strength of your lower abs to raise you up and lower you down. After doing three 30 second sets of Feet To Heaven move on to leg raises. Simple lift and lower your legs a few inches from the ground. It is very important that you contract your abs and ground your lower back in the ground. If you are having a hard time with this then simply do not lower your legs lower than where your back can comfortably stay grounded.

3. Teasers

In this exercise you will begin by lying flat and you will use your abdominals to contract you up into a V position. The goal of this exercise is to have your lower body and upper body meet in a V position at the same time. If this is too advanced for you then you can modify by having your fight leg V up to meet your left arm and visa versa.

4.Crunches

The regular crunch is a good exercise, spice it up by adding resistance. Hold a bottle of water or dumbbell behind your head or on your chest. Keep your neck straight, don’t bring your chin to your chest to avoid injury. Focus your eyes on the ceiling and raise your head towards it when you crunch. Perform 20 slow crunches, then 20 pulses in the air. Repeat this set 4 times.

These basic exercises will not only tighten your core but also support your spine and posture. Make sure you perform them in a controlled way and keep your form in check. Otherwise you may injure your neck or lower back. Perform these exercises correctly twice to three times a week and you will feel and see tighter abs after as little as a few weeks. Have fun and don’t forget to stretch afterwards!