Easy Ab Workout You Can Do at Home

Jennifer Lopez reportedly spent $50,000 on a gym in her New York home. Now, if you’re not a celebrity, you might think, “If I had access to all that expensive gym equipment in my house, I’d be in a great shape too!” However, that’s not true. There are plenty of basements in homes nowadays that are filled with fitness equipment but are only gathering dust. The truth is, it takes very little use of equipment to get fit and achieve sculpted abs. What it really requires is time, know-how, and effort. Even with equipment, without the knowledge on how to to properly use them for muscle gain or body fat loss, discipline, and the guidance of a personal trainer, you might just be wasting your time and effort. 

Abdominal exercises require more than the average physical strength and include more risk. But instead of using expensive equipment, try simple exercises that make use of no machines so you can do them anywhere, even in your own home. Some ab exercises you can do on your living room floor  include flutter kicks, bridges and lying oblique leg raises.

Abdominal Flutter Kicks

This exercise is as simple as kicking your legs in the air, but there are more specific guidelines that dictate how to do it correctly and effectively. The starting position is done lying on your back with your arms on the floor next to you. The legs are in the air at a 45 degree angle from the body. Keep them straight, while the knee joints are not locked. Raise your head from the floor and keep it up. Squeeze your abs so your lower back is flat on the ground. Kick your legs in the air, alternating one going toward the ceiling and one toward the floor. Although your knees are bent slightly to soften the joints, do not bend them farther as you do the flutter kicks. Continue kicking your legs for the desired amount of time or reps.

Lying Oblique Leg Raises

This exercise targets the side abdominal muscles of the waist with a simple combination of a side leg lift and a mini side crunch. All the stomach muscles are engaged even though the obliques get the most attention. Begin lying on your left side with your left arm on the floor in front of you. The body needs to be in a straight line on its side with the hips and shoulders stacked. The right arm is bent with the palm placed behind the head. From this position, lift your right leg straight toward the ceiling. Raise your shoulders up and toward your right hip as you raise your leg. Touch your body back to the floor. Roll over to do everything on the other side.

Bridge

Unlike the flutter kicks and oblique leg raises, the bridge is a static exercise. The muscles of the abs hold your spine straight even though it would be easier to let your lower back sag toward the floor. Place your elbows and forearms on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Step back with your legs and come onto your toes, which are about hip-width distance apart. The head, shoulders, back and hips are parallel to the floor. The abs must be squeezed tight to maintain this bridge position. An easier variation of the bridge exercise may be done with the knees touching the floor if necessary.