How to Perform Standing Ab Exercises

You can achieve a well-toned abdomen without sit-ups and crunches.

Most people are familiar with the basic sit-up and crunch exercises to strengthen and tone abdominal muscles. But there are also plenty of standing exercises you can do in your own home while watching TV. Standing ab exercises, combined with a healthy diet, can help you develop a toned and trim abdomen.

Instructions

1. Stand with your legs at shoulders width and your feet pointed forward. Raise your hand toward the ceiling. Make a tight fist. Begin pulling your arms down while clenching and raising one of your knees straight up. Perform a slight stomach crunch while lifting your knee. Your knee should rise just slightly above a 90-degree angle. When your thigh touches your stomach, lower that leg and return your arms to the set position. Repeat using your opposite leg. Continue alternating legs until you've completed 60 repetitions (30 on each side).

2. Stand with your legs at shoulders' width and your arms straight out to the side. Your hands should also be straight out so that your fingers are pointed off to the side. Use your hips to bend your upper body from side to side. Keep your arms straight. Your fingertips should go about half an inch to an inch below your knee. You should feel the burn in your obliques, the muscles along the sides of your torso. Complete 100 total reps (50 on each side).

3. Begin with your legs in the same position and your hands placed as they would be if you were doing a sit-up on the floor. Raise your knee in the same manner as you would when performing the first exercise. While raising your knee, bend your upper body to the side as you did during the second exercise. Do not alternate sides during this exercise. Perform 50 reps on one side, then do the same on the opposite side. This is a good combination ab workout while standing.

4. Stand with your legs slightly closer together. Let your arms hang down. Hold dumbbells, and place your hands about three to four inches away from your hips. Bend your upper body in the same manner as you did during the second and third exercise. When you're bending over to either side, your hand should go to about your knee. Begin by holding 5- or 10-lb. weights, depending on the strength of your ab muscles. Increase the weight once you get stronger.

5. Stand in the same manner as you did for the previous exercise. Keep both legs straight. Take a normal step with one foot and then, keeping that leg straight, lift that foot two or three inches off the ground. Then, keeping the leg straight, twirl it clockwise in the air so that your foot draws a circle in the air. Your leg should not extend more than 30 degrees outward. Do 20 total reps, then twirl the leg in the opposite direction. Repeat on the other side.

Tips & Warnings

• Stand in front of a mirror when performing these exercises so you'll be able to see whether you're bending correctly and moving your arms, legs and upper body in the correct direction.