For those of you looking to tone your abs without the gym or fancy equipment, these exercises are for you.
Tim Rabetoy, personal trainer and strength and conditioning expert, shares these two killer moves to tone your midsection. Grab a chair or bench, grit your teeth and start pumping them out!
Chair/bench crunch
Targets: Abdominals
Technique: Lie on the floor face-up with legs at about 90 degrees on a chair or bench. Place hands behind your head and lift directly up toward ceiling, squeezing the upper and middle abdominals. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up.
Tip: Hold for a second and then come down an inch (don’t touch the ground). This keeps tension on the abs throughout the entire exercise.
Lower abdominal leg raises
Targets: Lower Abdominals
Technique: Lie on the floor with head down and arms at your side. Bring your legs to 90 degrees, with your feet slightly higher than knees. Holding this position, bring knees up and curl them toward chest until the bottom of your feet are parallel to ceiling. Slowly return to stating position. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up.
Tip: Make sure you’re lifting your legs and making an effort to “curl” the pelvis towards your chin, and then slowly uncurl on the way down. This will engage the lower abdominals.
There you have it, folks! There’s no need for a gym or costly equipment. You can get a workout using what you have—your own body.
This content originally appeared on Island Scene.
