If you are just beginning an exercise program or if you are on a weight/fat loss diet plan try some of these easy abdominal exercises. Start with the beginners routine and move on to the intermediate routine when you feel you need more of a challenge. They are simple, safe and effective. Done consistently they will help you firm and tone your stomach as well has helping to prevent low back pain. But please remember, abdominal exercises alone do not get you great abs!!! Correct nutrition accounts for as much as 80% of the six pack equation!

Home Routine - Abdominal Exercises For Beginners
Perform this routine of abdominal exercises once a week leaving at least a days rest in between each workout. Start with 2 sets of 10-15 repetitions for each exercise. As you improve add an extra set and perform 20 repetitions. The aim of your ab workouts is to train your upper abdominals on a Monday, Lower Abs on a Wednesday and Obliques on a Friday.

UPPERS ROUTINE - Monday

After 4-6 weeks on this routine move onto the next routine.

Home Routine #2 - Intermediate Abdominal Exercises
Perform the same routine as above, but you can replace some of the exercises with those below. As you improve add an extra set.

1. Weighted Crunches - Lie flat on your back, knees bent at right angles.
- Place a lose weighted plate on your forehead with hands keeping it in place.
- Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold.
- Curl up just enough to lift both your shoulders off the floor a few inches.
- Hold that position contracting your abs as forcefully as possible as you breathe out.
- Tip: Don't be tempted to clasp your hands behind your head. Your chin needs to stay off your chest... remember that apple!

2. Jack Knife Situps
- Lie flat on your back, legs straight and together.
- Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears.
- Raise your legs, keeping them together and straight until they are almost perpendicular to the ground. Your body should make an 'L' shape.
- From this position perform the crunch (see above).

3. Supermans
See Beginners routine.

4. Crossover crunches
- Lie flat on your back, knees bent at right angles. Cross your right leg over your left leg so your right ankle is resting on your left knee.
- Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears.
- Perform a crunch only try to touch your right knee with your left elbow. If you can't quite reach at first don't worry, it takes practise.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions before switching over to the other side.

Gym Routine
Most gyms have the facilities to perform these abdominal exercises...

1. Abdominal curler
You can always substitute this exercise with crunches. If you require extra resistance for some of these abdominal exercises place a plate across your chest.

2. Back extensions
If your gym doesn't have a hyperextension machine do supermans instead. (See above).

3. Side bends
- Holding a dumbbell in you right hand stand with feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Place your left hand behind your head and slowly bend sideways to your right lowering the dumbbell down to your knee.
- Return to an upright position and repeat for the desired number of reps.

4. Torso twists
- Hook a barbell under your arms and across the back of your neck (like a scarecrow).
- Sitting on the end of a bench turn from side to side as far you can comfortably go.
- Tip: Add weight in small increments to increase resistance.

Developing excellent core strength should be a key outcome for any sports fitness program. Why?

The abdominals transmit forces from the lower body to the upper body. A strong core is essential for keeping your body and athletic movements synchronized. So how can you benefit from these abdominal exercises?

The effectiveness of every throw, jump, kick, turn, sprint or shot relies on your body working as a single unit. Condition you midsection with sport-specific abdominal exercises and you literally become a more complete performer.

The key is to design routines and abdominal exercises that mirror the movement patterns and energy systems within your own sport. For example...

Many sports call for explosive athletic movements. Performing abdominal exercises that simulate the speed and power found in competition are the most beneficial to your performance.

Here are some more intense and hardcore ab exercises that you can use in your routine.

Train your abdominals as you would any other muscle group -- intensely. each area once per week. Most strength experts agree that training your abs more frequently than this brings diminished returns.

Weighted Bench Crunches (Upper abdominals)
1. Lie flat on your back with your feet resting on a bench and knees bent at right angles.
2. Hold a plate to your chest (start with 5-10lbs).
3. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold.
4. Curl up just enough to lift both your shoulders off the floor a few inches.
5. Hold that position contracting your abs as forcefully as possible as you breathe out.

Hanging Knee Raises
Grab the chin-up bar using both hands with a grip a bit wider than your shoulders, cross your ankles and bring your knees up to your chest or as close as you can get. Pause at the top of the movement for a second and then slowly lower your knees by relaxing your abdominal. Don't lower your legs all the way. Repeat the movement using just your abdominal to raise your knees. Make sure that you don't start swinging. You want your abdominal to do the work, not momentum. Make sure your pelvis moves, your lower back stays neutral or slightly rounded, not arched, and that your abdominal are doing the work, not your hips.

Weighted Jack Knifes (Upper and lower abdominals)
1. Lie flat on your back, legs straight and together.
2. Hold a plate to your chest (start with 5-10lbs).
3. Raise your legs, keeping them together and straight until they are at about 70 degrees to the ground.
4. Crunch up just enough to lift your shoulders off the ground. Hold for 2 seconds as you breathe out and slowly return to the start.

Decline Sit Ups (Lower abdominals)
1. This exercise requires a decline bench that allows you to hook your feet for support.
2. Sit on the edge of the bench, hook your feet and place your hands to the sides of your head. Lower yourself slightly so that your body is perpendicular to the bench (this is the position you will return after each sit up).
3. Lower yourself slowly while you forcefully contract your abdominals and breathe out.
4. When your shoulders are 6-8 inches off the bench slowly return to the start position.

Hanging Knee Raises (Lower abdominals)
1. Hang from a chinning bar (use straps if you find it difficult to hang for long periods).
2. Keeping your feet together slowly bring your knees as close to your chest as possible.
3. Hold for a count of 2 as you breathe our and then lower your legs slowly and under control.

Vertical Lying Leg Thrusts
Your initial position should be as follows, lie on your back. Put your fists under your buttocks to form a cradle. Raise your legs in the air 10"-12" off the ground, knees slightly bent. If you feel any strain on your lower back, bend your knees a little more. Raise your head and shoulders off the ground slightly if you can to help keep the abdominal stressed. The exercise itself has four phases: Raise your legs until your feet are above your pelvis; focus on contracting the abdominal. Thrust your heels to the ceiling, breathe out, keep contracting the abdominal raising the pelvis out of the cradle of your fists. Lower out of the thrust back to your fists, leaving your feet above your pelvis. Lower your legs back to the initial position.

A point about leg raises and hanging knee raises...

They work predominantly the hip flexors (iliopsoas) rather than the lower abdominals. The abdominals only contract statically to stabilise the body... but they still hurt!

Cable Crunches (Obliques)
1. This exercise requires a triceps pushdown machine with a rope attachment.
2. Kneel down in font of the machine holding the rope just above your head.
3. Slowly crunch down to your right knee and hold for 2 seconds as you breathe out.
4. Return to the start position slowly and repeat to the left knee.

Weighted Oblique Crunches (Obliques)
1. Lie flat on your back, knees bent at right angles and twisted to the left.
2. Hold a light plate to your chest, 5-10lbs is enough to start.
3. Curl up just enough to lift both your shoulders off the floor a few inches.
4. Hold that position contracting your abs as forcefully as possible as breathe out.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps before to switching to the other side.

Side Bends (Side flexors)
This is a widely used exercise used to strengthen the obliques. It actually works the side flexors (quadratus lumborum) and is a great exercise for thickening the waist.

1. Holding a dumbbell in you right hand stand with feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent.
2. Place your left hand behind your head and slowly bend sideways to your right lowering the dumbbell down to your knee.
3. Return to an upright position and repeat for the desired number of reps.

The same abdominal exercises in the same routine can quickly become boring and ineffective. Change your ab routine often; either the actual abdominal exercises or the number of reps and set...

When to Train Abs
The optimal time to train your abs comes down to personal preference. Your answers to these questions may affect when you choose to train them:
a) Are your abs a lagging body-part? If so, prioritise your ab training to bring them up.
b) Will you really be inclined to train abs after a strenuous weight workout? If you're tired after a hard weightlifting session, you'll probably have trouble dedicating sufficient energy to train abs. Instead, try doing your ab workout first. Keep in mind, though, that overly fatiguing your abs can detract from your subsequent training - the abs are stabiliser muscles that keep your body "tight" during many exercises. Starting off with abs on a heavy squat day may not be such a good idea.
c) Can you train abs on your non-lifting days? Many abdominal exercises can be done at home, and a complete workout takes just a few minutes.

You'll find over 50 photographed exercises in the Total-ABS eboo, complete with nutritional plan and program.