Abs workout

Along the same lines as Mark's email about squats, some of you have expressed interest in hearing about the various ab exercises we've done, so here are some suggested workouts. Strengthening your core should help you do other exercises more effectively. It's also really easy to do core work without a gym and on your own time.

Kris McQueen's ab circuit

This one is usually done with partners but you can do it by yourself with some modifications (only 2 exercises require a partner). Do each exercise for the same amount of time (between 30-45 seconds, usually). Some of these require a med ball but again, you can modify it slightly if you don't have one, e.g. go through the motions without a med ball, do each exercise for more time.

• bicycles
• russian crunches (feet on the ground with knees bent, palms together with straight arms, crunch up to lift your shoulders off the ground while pointing your arms alternately left, middle, right)
• rowers
• side to side holding the medicine ball
• chest throw with medicine ball (partner stands on feet, do a sit up and throw the ball from your chest to your partner's chest in a quick explosive motion. Partner tosses the ball back to you as you start going back down)
• overhead throw with medicine ball (hold the ball over your head and throw to your partner's chest as smoothly as you can as you sit up off the ground. Partner tosses ball back to you over your head as you start going back down)
• medicine ball press (arms straight up holding the med ball, crunch straight up towards the sky)
• superman
• swimmers (on you back, straight legs, kick feet up and down as if swimming)
• leg holds (go straight into this from swimmers without putting your feet down. Hold at 6 inches to start, then 12 inches for 10s and then back down to 6 inches for the last 10 s)

"Hannah's Hell"

Also usually done with partners, but you can do it by yourself very easily.

Hold onto your partner's ankles (or onto something sturdy, or just balance yourself). Do a set number of reps of each of the following without resting in between - butt raises, straight leg throwdowns down the middle, to one side, to the other side, back down the middle, and butt raises. (If you do it by yourself, they're not throwdowns, but "leg lowers" instead.)

Other ab exercises that you can mix and match with reps:

• regular crunches, with feet on the ground, off the ground, or legs straight up - upper abs
• crossed leg crunches (cross one leg over the other, bring opposite elbow to that knee) - upper, side abs
• oblique crunches (lying mostly on one side, isolating the ab muscles on the side of your body) - side abs
• "babies" (like regular crunches except legs in butterfly position) - lower abs
• "side rowers" (not sure what these are called) (lying mostly on your side with your legs off the ground, straight, and at an angle from your body. Have the arm that's on the ground extended out for balance, your opposite arm bent behind your head. Start with your back flat and bent elbow on the ground. Crunch up, bringing your knees in and your elbow towards your knees. Return to flat position.) - everything
• planks (like a pushup position but on your elbows. Keep your body as straight as possible. Hold for at least 30 seconds.)
• side planks (body sideways, on one elbow only. Try with your other arm straight up in the air.) - side abs
• any of the exercises from McQueen's circuit (bicycles - upper abs; russian crunches - upper, side abs; rowers - upper, lower abs; side to side - upper, side abs; med ball press - upper abs; swimmers - lower abs; leg holds - lower abs)

You can easily make up an ab circuit by picking 10 of these and doing 30 seconds of each, or doing a pyramid of 5 or 6 exercises (go up the list, then back down the list). Try to mix in exercises that target different ab muscles.

If you have dumbbells you can also do:

• Side lifts (holding a dumbbell hanging down in one hand, lean over sideways on that side, then straighten back up, keeping your core tight. You should feel this in the opposite side.)

Working out your back is also good for core - things like supermans, pull ups, lat pull down, twisty exercises with resistance, etc, but I know less about good exercises to do for that.