Top 3 Abdominal Exercises

Upper, Lower and Obliques. These are your Abs and they're the picture of health and fitness. Below I have outlined the 6 best exercises for sculpting strong, functional and defined Abs. Best of all there is no need for expensive or fancy equipment.

Traditional Crunch - The simplest and most effective abdominal exercise there is.

How to do it: Lay on your back with your knees bent. Fold your arms across your chest forming an X. Your left hand should be touching your right shoulder and your right hand should touch your left shoulder. Slowly squeeze your abs while raising your shoulder blades off the ground. Return to the starting postion.

Aim for 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Bridge - This works your abs as well as engaging various other major muscle groups.

How to do it: Get into a normal pushup position. Instead of resting your weight on your hands, bend your arms and rest on your forearms. Keep your back and neck straight while looking down at the floor. Pull your abs in while keeping them tight and flexed.

When you're just starting out you should be able to hold this position for a total of 1 rep lasting between 15-30 seconds. As you get stronger you should aim for 2 sets of 1 rep, each one lasting 60-90 seconds.

The V-up - This is a variation of the side crunch and is great for working the obliques. (side abs)

How to do it: Lay on your side with your arms folded across your chest. Keeping your legs straight, slowly raise them off the ground while squeezing your elbows towards your hips.