Free Ab Workout

So, you're looking for a free ab workout that will set your midsection on fire? This workout gathers some of the most effective ab-blasters around for a fairly quick but tough workout that you'll feel tomorrow.

The Free Ab Workout: Seven Exercises

For best results, switch things around a little from workout to workout, for example replacing The Plank with an ab machine or doing The Bicycle instead of regular crunches. But as a core lineup of exercises, here's a good starting point.

• Regular crunches

Simply lie down on a thin mat with your knees bent and feet firmly on the floor, pushing your heels down and back a little. Place your hands next to your neck (don't tug at the back of your head) and contract your abs so that your shoulders are lifted a couple inches off the ground. The small of your back should be pressed into the ground. Try resting your back against a large exercise ball for every other workout.

• Twisted crunches

Similar to the regular crunches, this one focuses on a twisting motion where you try to touch your left knee with your right elbow and vice versa. The lower back should still be pressed into the floor at all times.

• The Plank

Turn facedown so that you rest entirely on your toes and elbows/forearms with a straight back. Keep your eyes on the floor to maintain a straight spine. Try to hold this position for as long as you can, paying close attention to any sagging -- the idea is to be as straight and rigid as a wood plank until you can't hold the position any longer.

• Plank sidestand

Starting as a plank, you turn sideways so that you rest on the side of one foot and just one elbow/forearm. Keep the feet together and maintain a rigid position for as long as possible. Another option is to add oblique twists, where you use the spare arm to alternate between touching the floor and stretching straight up.

• Rollerball

Rollerball is a more active take on The Plank. Put your toes on the ground, but your hands go on a small medicine ball right under your chest. Slowly jackknife your body upwards as you roll the ball down towards your feet. Gravity and balance will tell you when it's time to turn back; then roll the ball up as far as it'll go before turning again for the next rep.

• Sitting twists

Sit on the floor with your knees together in front of you and both feet firmly planted on the floor. Grab a small medicine ball and move it over your knees and down the side, until it touches the floor. Now reverse and lift it to the other side in a big, continuous arc, going side to side without moving your hips and legs.

• Cable crunches

Attach a thick rope with good-sized end-stops to the upper pulley of a cable machine. Kneel in front of the machine with the rope ends in each hand, tucking the fists close to your armpits. Focusing on decreasing the distance between the pelvis and the ribcage, crunch together as you bend forward. This is one of the more advanced components of your free ab workout. It is important to focus on abs so it doesn't become a hip-flexor exercise, but if you do it right, you can pinpoint the sixpack like few other exercises can. Good luck!

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