Top 5 Abs You Can Do AnywhereSo No Excuses!
- Even if you will never have “Abs of steel,” or even aluminum, you should do some sort of abdominal workout on a regular basis. Not having a gym membership, or having a gym membership but not having time is not a good enough excuse to let this one slide. Everyone has a chair and everyone has enough space to lay down straight, procrastinators can’t come up with one good enough to put of a few well spent minutes on an ab workout. You can add in some weights as your abs increase in strength, but to begin all you need is your motivation.
- Your abs are the easiest group of muscles to work out at home or when traveling. There is no need to put aside working them out just because you happen to be stuck at home. Rain, sleet, snow and hail don’t stop the postman and don’t need to stop you. Your back will thank you, the stronger your abs are and more balanced with your back muscles the more they can do their share in lifting and bending; relieving back pain much faster than you might anticipate.
- It Only Takes 15 Minutes
- Just 15 minutes a day, three minutes on each exercise will give you results in a matter of weeks. Your back will feel better, stronger and younger. Your posture will be better, standing taller with your shoulders back. And you will be on your way to abs that are beach ready in every way except for the tan.
The Crunch
Don’t fear them, loathe them or resent them. They are your friends. Both the normal version, with hands behind the head for support and not lifting the body up further than the shoulder blades, and the bicycle version, twisting and bringing your knee to the opposing elbow.
Back Extensions
This is one of those exercises that looks like you aren’t really doing that much, but helps immensely. You can either do it laying on an exercise ball or laying on the floor. Lay on your stomach with your hands behind your head and slowly lift your torso off the floor. If possible having someone hold your feet helps, but remember to go very slowly.
Leg/Arm Extensions
In a kneeling position you want to alternately raise opposing leg and arm as high as you can raise both. This works auxiliary muscles all through your core. Do not use a swinging motion, but rather slow focused lifting.
Leg Raises
Work the lower portion of your abdominals which frequently get neglected. Laying on your back with your hands under your glutes, slowly raise your legs until they are perpendicular to the ground. It may be easier when you begin to have your knees bent. It is important to not put any unnecessary strain on your lower back. For a more advanced move, you can raise your leg while holding an exercise ball between your ankles.
Ab Twists
Either seated or standing, making sure the lower half of the body remains stationary. Many people favor using an exercise ball or bar for added weight and stability, and a broom or Swiffer come in quite handy, and maybe you’ll just start doing little exercises every time you clean the floor too.