Ab work can be a total snooze-fest. That's because it's all too easy to get stuck in a rut with the same-old moves. One way to break the cycle: New exercises that work different muscles than your body is used to.
"When we do new things, it's mentally stimulating; we're forced to connect our mind to our muscles in order to figure it out," says former professional dancer and trainer Emily Cook Harris.
Try these creative core moves at home—all you need are two hand towels and an uncarpeted floor. "These exercises recruit deeper muscles—your transverse abdominis (deep core) and internal/external obliques—that act like a corset to tighten your midsection and allow your torso to twist from right to left," says Harris.
First, perfect your plank, as it's the starting point for all of these moves. Then complete 10 reps of each exercise, and move from one exercise to the next to create a circuit. Aim to do the complete circuit twice.
Plank Knee Tuck
Benefits of this exercise include: strengthening the deeper core muscles of the abdomen and hips, engaging the quads and glutes, and working the chest and shoulders.
Begin in a plank position with straight arms and hands positioned directly under shoulders. Place one towel under each foot. Squeeze your core as you slowly drive your knees in toward your chest, until your knees are directly under your hips and floating one inch off the floor. Work to keep your core engaged and your back flat as you slowly straighten your legs.
Spiderman Climber
This move works the obliques and the hips and strengthens the transverse abdominis.
From a high plank position, place hands directly below shoulders and place feet on the towels. Drive your right knee toward the right elbow while maintaining a straight spine. Then—slowly and controlled—return your right leg to plank and repeat on the left side. Resist the urge to bounce the hips up and down—squeezing the core will help provide stability.
Snow Angels
This move will work your inner and outer thighs—abductors and adductors—as well as your core.
From a forearm plank position, align shoulders over elbows with feet on the towels. Engage your core and maintain a long spine while you slide the feet slowly apart and back together again. Aim to keep your hips level throughout the entire range of motion.
Plank Army Crawl
In addition to working your deep core muscles, this exercise works your shoulders and back as you crawl.
Start in a forearm plank with the shoulders over the elbows and feet on the towels. Brace with your core and glutes, and crawl one arm forward then the other arm forward—allowing the feet to come along for the ride. Try to minimise the movement of the hips by squeezing the core and glutes. Move the arms forward from right to left, and then back to the start from right to left.
Note: You can separate the feet wider for a little more stability as you crawl.
Breakdancers
This lateral work engages the side of the body from head to toe, and it integrates all of the core strength and stability of the previous exercises into one dynamic, full-body movement.
In a high plank, position hands underneath shoulders with feet on the towels. Slide the right leg through to the opposite side so you are balancing on the right arm in this side plank variation. Ensure the shoulder stays over the wrist and that the hips are lifted. Then, slowly slide the right foot back to the starting plank. Repeat this exercise on the left side, and return to the high plank.
Photographs courtesy of Emily Cook Harris.
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