abdominal training to do at home

Endless crunches aren't just boring; in a certain way, they also become ineffective when we want to show off a six pack o chocolate bar. In addition to doing abdominal exercises at home to sculpt a dream abs, we also want to build a strong core, which is much more than just abs.

Here we show you the best abdominal exercises to do at home. You'll train your entire midsection, get you primed for the move, and yes, you'll get the foundation for a set of abs carved like Greek sculptures.

Abdominal routine at home without material

Training the abs at home is not complicated. Although many think that it is necessary to go to the gym to tone the abdomen, this simple routine can help.

Crab Steps – Crab Walk

1. Begin with your bottom, hands and feet on the floor, knees bent, and hands behind your back.
2. Press through your hands and feet to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your knees to the middle of your back.
3. Keeping this straight line, walk backwards alternating steps with your right hand and foot and your left hand and foot.

Although it looks like a running game for children (highly recommended for days when you can't leave the house), it is a very popular exercise among adult athletes. Almost all of our main work comes from being on the ground.

Bird Dog

1. Start on all fours, with your knees under your hips and your shoulders over your wrists.
2. Keeping your back flat, extend your right arm and left leg out.
3. Draw your right elbow and left knee toward each other, hovering just above the ground.
4. Repeat on the other side (left arm and right leg), alternating 20 times total (10 per side).

This anti-rotation exercise is excellent because it works on unilateral work. Our bodies are naturally out of balance, so working on alternating sides of the body helps.

Dead bug

1. Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling.
2. With your knees bent at 90 degrees, keep your shoulders down and your feet flexed.
3. Engage your core and extend your right arm and left leg away from you.
4. Go back to the starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side (left arm and right leg), alternating 20 times total (10 per side).

This is a great exercise to keep your transverse abdominals strong.

Toe Touch Hip Raise

1. Begin in the same position as the crab walk, with your hands and feet planted on the ground, your hips lifted and forming a straight line from your knees to the middle of your back.
2. Lift your right leg up and touch it with your left arm while maintaining a flat body position.
3. Return your hand and foot to the ground and repeat this with your right arm and left leg.

Hip Raise Side Plank

1. Get into a side plank position on your left side, with your left forearm resting on the floor and forming a straight line from your head to your feet.
2. Slowly raise your hip and control the movement to lower it to the ground.
3. Go back to the starting position. Repeat for 30 seconds, then alternate to the other side.
4. Make sure that the hip is in a straight line; keeping the gluteus tight will be of great help.

touch of feet

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees with your shins parallel to the floor.
2. Without changing the bend in your knees and, most importantly, without allowing any part of your lower back to lose contact with the ground, lower one leg until your toe touches the ground.
3. Raise it up again to start and lower the other leg.

This Pilates move is a lot harder than it sounds. Pilates classes are all about core control, so don't be surprised if your midsection starts shaking while you do it.

bear steps

1. Start by getting down on your hands and knees.
2. Lift your knees off the ground and bring your hips toward the ceiling.
3. Using your palms and feet, take several steps forward, moving your right hand and foot, then your left hand and foot.

Just try to take a few quick four meter steps and you will realize how strong babies are. You are moving in the most basic form of locomotion, and rewiring the neuromuscular connections you had as a baby.

Bear step with three supports

1. Same as above, start in a bear walk stance with your hands and feet flat on the ground, knees up, and hips toward the ceiling.
2. Put your weight on your right arm and left leg.
3. Lift your right leg off the ground and lift your left arm toward your right toes.
4. Bring your right leg and left arm to the ground.
5. Then, repeat this movement with your right arm and left leg.

jump with a twist

If we are using this core abs routine at home before a sports competition, we may want to add this final exercise. The jump with a twist is aimed at engaging the muscles that rotate the hips, torso, and spine.

1. We will look for an area with enough space to take 10 full strides to do the exercise.
2. We'll start by jumping forward 10 steps (five per side), swinging our arms freely from side to side.
3. As we move, we should turn to the right as we bring our right knee up and turn to the left when we bring our left knee up.
4. We will focus on keeping the core muscles tight but not stiff.
5. We will continue until the body is completely warm and the joints feel loose and relaxed.

seated leg raises

Who was going to tell you that you were going to do sit-ups! She places an object in front of you and raises her legs to swing them from one side to the other. The question is to squeeze the abdomen well to maintain a strong posture and make the movement only with the legs (and not with the hips). You can distance your trunk more or less to create greater intensity.

Straight leg raises

1. Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and your legs straight.
2. Maintaining the natural curve in your spine, squeeze your core and slowly raise your legs, keeping them straight and extended.
3. Without engaging your back, lower your legs and start again.

It is important that you do not place your hands below the buttock. This can cause you to lift your lower back off the ground and make the effort with the lower back, possibly injuring yourself. Raise and lower your legs to the height that allows you not to raise your lower back.

Hollow – Boat Pose

1. Lie down on a mat and find a hollow position by raising your shoulders off the floor and extending your arms overhead, biceps over your ears.
2. Keep your legs straight, about 10 centimeters from the ground.
3. Rock back and forth like an upside-down turtle, keeping your body rigid from the tips of your fingers to your toes.
4. Do this move 12 to 15 times, for a total of about four to five rounds.

This move is sneaky in a good way. Avoid doing a hip twist or keeping your shoulders flat on the ground. It is an especially good intense exercise to go home with a good abdomen itch, after having given everything with the previous exercises.

Abdominal routine at home with material

In the event that we want to increase the intensity of abdominal exercises at home, the use of sports accessories and materials can help.

Wall squat with touches to the sides

1. Lean your back against the wall and bend your legs to 90º, as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair.
2. Hold the position as you lateral touch a ball to the wall.

Do not exceed the weight of the ball because it is a fairly intense exercise. About 4 kilos is an ideal weight.

Ball Chest Press

1. Stand about four feet from a sturdy wall with your knees slightly bent.
2. Grasp a ball against your chest with both hands, elbows out.
3. Keeping our core and chest tight, we'll pass the ball towards the wall, straightening our elbows to launch the ball forward.
4. We'll catch the ball at chest height as it bounces off the wall and repeat.

We will make sure to generate the necessary force to stop the ball from the abdomen and not from the arms. If we want to increase the intensity with this movement, we will use a medicine ball.

Spin and throw a ball

I am sure that any of us has a ball at home (it does not matter that it is not medicinal).

1. Stand back a few feet from a wall that faces to the sides. Your right side should be closer to the wall.
2. Twist your torso to the left, away from the wall. Hold the ball with your arms extended and slightly bent at chest height.
3. Keeping your knees slightly bent, twist through your torso to spin the ball to your right side, releasing it so it flies against the wall around chest height.
4. Catch the ball and spin back to start.

farmer's walk

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell in each hand.
2. Keeping your back straight, chest high, and shoulders down, walk forward without allowing your weight to throw your posture off balance.
3. Walk for about 45 seconds.

This exercise is an anti-lateral torso flexion, and when done correctly, requires you to maintain a good upright posture. It forces us to keep the whole body busy.

To further challenge your core, you can carry the weight on one side only, holding a dumbbell or bottle at arm's length or in a rack position (elbow bent and weight on shoulder). The unilateral carry creates side-to-side instability, relying on your abdomen to compensate.