Cassie's Favorite Ab Exercises

by Cassie
(West Roxbury)

10. Bicycle crunches: always been able to do them well, but they are still challenging and I can feel them working and they use all the muscles.

9. The plank: I don't feel it only in the Abdominals, but also the back muscles so it's an overall great core exercise that is challenging, but you are able to quickly see results from it, feel results and feel you can do it better and longer each time you do it so it keeps me motivated!

8. I don't know the name exactly, but this one I lay down on a work out bench and raise my legs up to 90 degrees off bench and back down. I love this one because I feel it in the deep lower abs where it's hard to firm up especially on a female body!

7. This one was a recommended ab exercise for women who just had a baby, you lay on the floor mat with a styrofoam roller, put it under your sacrum (not for those with lower back pain/issues!) bend knees and hold thighs in a V shape and lower legs to floor and back up. I love this one because it gets so deep in lower stomach muscles like #8 but because your legs are not straight up it feels like it gets different muscles.

6. This one I would lay flat on the floor with a dumbbell and sit up straight with legs remaining on the floor flat and arm with dumbbell going towards the ceiling at same rate that I would sit up, I thought it might be turkish push ups or pull up or something can't remember. This puts great definition on the side abdominals and I found it motivating because I could use heavier weights quickly over time.

5. Exercise Ball Crunches- basic, effective and no brainer! Also can vary easily.

4. Pilates roll up or pencil (not sure name!) with medicine ball- My favorite out of all- lay flat, legs and arms straight in pencil shape holding onto medicine ball, roll up and bring ball forward while doing so then lower ball back while laying back down to floor. I remember thinking I wasn't going to be able to do this exercise since I could barely do a sit up, but I could and it worked muscles while still being manageable to do.

3. Leg lift/Knee raises on the captains chair (correct) I can barely do many of these but love how I can feel them in the abs, very challenging for me.

2. Twisting with weights-standing on a core board I use a weight pulley machine and pull back my arms one at a time with weight twisting my abdominals. I repeat both sides. I stand on the board with one foot forward and one back almost like a pre lunge stance. Gives good ab side definition and can really feel it work.

1. Weighted side lifts on the machine that usually you do lower back dips on. I stand on it sideways and hang a weight with one arm and slowly lower towards the floor then back up, great for side definition!