- The plank works your abs by sustaining one continuous muscle contraction. Start by lying face-down on the floor. Support yourself on your forearms, hands and toes so that only those parts of your body are touching the floor. Keep your back and legs completely straight and flat like a plank. Look straight ahead and hold this position for 30 seconds to one minute, depending on your level of fitness. Resist the urge to allow your behind to bend towards the air. To make this exercise more challenging, alternate between lifting your right and left arm off the floor while stretching that arm out in front of you.
- Do the bicycle ab exercise by lying flat on your back with your hands flat next to your sides. Next, lift both feet off the floor and bring both knees toward your abs. Extend your right leg straight while keeping your left knee bent. Alternate extending the left and right legs as if you were riding a bicycle. Do this for 30 seconds to one minute. This exercise can also be done by tucking your hands flat against the ground under your behind.
- Start this exercise as if you were going to do a push-up. Prop yourself up on only your toes and hands. Bring your right foot forward underneath you, pulling your knee toward your abs. Place your right foot back in its starting position and bring the left foot forward in the same way. Keep alternating between your left and right feet for 30 seconds to one minute.
- The three ab exercises described above can be done safely and quickly at home. They are effective alternatives to the most commonly known ab exercises, sit-ups and crunches. However, these are not the best ones because there is no such thing as the "best" ab exercise. The best one for you is one that you like because it's the one you're most likely to continue to do which means you'll be more likely to see results. If you're new to working out your abs, start with one set of any one of these exercises on one or two days per week. Gradually work your way up to two or three sets on three to four days per week. Allow your muscles at least one day of rest time between each ab workout to avoid injury.
