2 Ab Exercises You Haven't Tried

Sick of those same old crunches? Looking to strengthen your core and add a little flavor to your workout? Check out these 2 exercises that will have your abs burning and add diversity to your regime!

Bench Sit Up:

What is it: A variation on one of our staples of ab exercises.

Why it works: Working against gravity makes the move that much more difficult.

Lie flat on a weight training bench in the traditional situp position (knees bent, feet pulled back towards the glutes). Now scoot up on the bench to where your shoulder blades are just off the top of the bench. Before you begin the actual "sitting up phase" you want to make sure your back is flat against the bench. Now slowly begin to crunch up, hold the contraction as you come down, resisting your back wanting to arch. Lower yourself to the point where the arch starts to creep into your lower back and then come back up. Repeat for 10-15 repitions.

To make the move harder, try holding your hands straight out behind your head throughout the duration of the movement. To further challenge your head do the movement holding a physio ball, or even a medicine ball, again taking caution to keep the ball straight behind the head.

Windmills:

What is it: An exercise that can be performed lying, or hanging, utilized to target the obliques.

Why it works: Our legs act as resistance to the oblique muscles so every time your legs drop to one side you must use your oblique muscles to pull the legs back to center.

Lie flat on your back with your hands at your side. Grasp a physio ball between your feet and bring your legs up in the air so they are dead center over the hips. Slowly let your legs drop to one side of you body, only going so far as to where your shoulders start to leave the mat ( this is your range of motion - ROM ). Pull back to center and repeat to the other side. Do 10-15 reps per side.

To make it more challenging do the move from a hanging position by holding onto a bar pulling your body up and then rotating your hips side to side. Warning... this is a very advanced move and should not be tried by anyone is not sufficiently conditioned.