Let's be honest: crunches aren't the most exciting of exercises. And they're not always the most effective way to strengthen and tone your abs anyway. If you're bored with your sit-up routine, here are 25 fun and effective moves to mix up your workout and strengthen your abs. Remember this isn't a full workout; rather, choose a few of these exercises and create your own ab-focused workout. Also, the weights suggested in some of the moves are just that, suggestions, and you may need something lighter or heavier depending on your abilities. Here's a guide to choosing the right weight.
— Additional reporting by Emily Bibb and Jenny Sugar
Work your shoulders and your abs with this exercise.
Use five- to 10-pound weights.
This exercise not only tones the arms, but will get your mid abs burning.
Planks are great for working the abs, and the elbow plank is harder on the abs than the traditional plank in push-up position.
The name may make you laugh, but this stability exercise fires up the core, working both the front and back of the body.
Twisting in a plank position fires up the core and works those love handles.
Use five- to eight-pound dumbbells.
This is a great low ab exercise.
This exercise works the entire abdominal wall and give the quads an active stretch to boot!
This classic Pilates moves strengthen your obliques, core, and legs, while stretching your hips away from your ribs.
Similar to yoga's Warrior 3, this exercise fires up your core by challenging your balance. As you move in and out of the pose, you will be working the back of your body too.
See the quadruped in action here.
Make sure the ball is sized to your body; you should be able to sit on the ball with 90-degree angles at your hips and knees.
This move works the obliques.
To start: Grab a medicine ball that's between five and 15 pounds. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, making sure your knees are not locked. Then try one of these two variations.
Follow our step-by-step tutorial of the windmill to learn the subtleties of the exercise. Don't worry if you don't have kettlebells — you can use dumbbells, too.
Here's a bonus that's not just one move, but a five-minute video workout combining tons of exercises to tone your abs without a single crunch.