How to Do a Standing Abs Workout

You don't have to always do floor crunches to get an effective abdominal workout. Standing abs workouts are also a great tummy toner. They can improve your posture and you don't have to worry about neck strain like you would if you did the floor exercises. Follow some of the common standing abs workouts below to get started.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Do the "canoe" standing exercise. Keep your feet 2 or 3 feet apart from each other while bending your knees slightly and leaving your hips still. Clasp your hands in front of your chest, then "paddle" backward by bringing them down to your left hip. Move your hands back to your chest, then repeat the same motion by paddling toward the right hip.
2. Lunge your right foot forward with the left foot behind it to do the standing crunch. Raise your arms overhead. Then, straighten the right leg while lifting the left knee toward your chest. Pull your elbows toward the knee to form a crunch, then repeat the movement for the opposite side.
3. Align your shoulders with your hips while standing, then lift your right arm up and extend the opposite leg to the side. Raise your left knee and lower your right elbow toward it in a diagonal motion. This is the standing version of the oblique crunch, or the knee-cross crunch. Repeat this move by using the opposite elbow and knee.
4. Go back to your standing position to perform the side imprint workout, which is sometimes used in Pilates. Lift your right leg sideways toward your hip while standing on your left leg. Make sure that you point your toes outward. Squeeze or crunch together your right elbow and right knee, then repeat on the left.
5. Place your left foot in front of you and the right foot behind it to do the lunge run. While keeping the left knee bent in front, lift the right knee toward your chest. Swing your arms so that it looks like a running motion. Repeat the same move by lifting your left knee while keeping the right knee bent in front of you.
6. Practice the double arm reach. As in Step 1, stand with your legs 2 or 3 feet apart and clasp your hands. Form a plie stance while pulling in your abs, and keep your clasped hands toward the floor. Push up with your feet and raise your arms to the right, then repeat the exercise, but raise your arms to the left.

Tips & Warnings

• Stand up straight and remember to contract your abs during the workouts if you want to see results. Do 10 alternating repetitions of the canoe workout in Step 1, and 10 non-alternating reps for Steps 2 through 6.
• Use light weights or dumbbells for Steps 1 and 3 if those workouts are too easy. Using one 2- to 5-pound dumbbell with the movements can increase the intensity.