Fitness, Nutrition, Health and Sports Blog In the HSNstore Blog you will find tips about Fitness, sport in general, nutrition, and health – HSNstore.com 
Just a few abdominal exercises and two or three sessions a week can be enough to strengthen our rectus abdominis, which is not only great for aesthetic reasons but also for health: strong abdominal muscles can prevent back pains, and so much more.
Below, we explain the best exercises and how to perform them. The key to being effective and avoiding injury is to make sure the force is performed with the abdomen. Concentrate on it and don’t over tense the neck.
1 Crunch
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head (without pulling on the neck) or crossed over your chest.
- Lift only the shoulders and upper back, contracting the abs.
?️Muscles worked: rectus abdominis.
?Reps: 3 sets of 20–25.
?HSN Tip: hold the contraction for 1 second, eyes facing the ceiling.
2 Knees to Chest
- Lie on your back with legs extended and arms by your sides.
- Raise both legs together, bending the knees toward your chest.
- Control the movement as you lower the legs, almost touching the floor.
?️Muscles worked: rectus abdominis, obliques, hip flexors.
?Reps: 3 sets of 12–15.
?HSN Tip: avoid arching your back and keep your core engaged.
3 Leg Raise
- Lie on your back, arms close to your body and legs extended.
- Lift your legs up to 90° and lower them slowly without touching the ground.
?️Muscles worked: rectus abdominis, hip flexors.
?Reps: 3 sets of 10–12.
?HSN Tip: if your lower back hurts, place your hands under your glutes.
4 Hip Raise
- Lie on your back, legs extended toward the ceiling.
- Raise your hips, lifting the glutes off the floor.
?️Muscles worked: lower abs, glutes.
?Reps: 3 sets of 8–10.
?HSN Tip: engage the core as you lift to avoid swinging.
5 V-Sit Ups
- Lie on your back, arms and legs extended.
- Raise your torso and legs simultaneously to form a “V”.
?️Muscles worked: rectus abdominis, obliques, psoas.
?Reps: 3 sets of 8.
?HSN Tip: protect your back by moving vertebra by vertebra.
6 Tuck Sit-Ups
- Sit with knees bent and arms extended.
- Rock your torso back and forth without touching the floor.
?️Muscles worked: full abs.
?Reps: 3 sets of 10–12.
?HSN Tip: keep a slow rhythm for better control.
7 Bicycle Abs
- Lie on your back, hands behind your head, legs raised.
- Alternate elbow to opposite knee in a pedaling motion.
?️Muscles worked: obliques, rectus abdominis.
?Reps: 3 sets of 20 seconds (10 per side).
?HSN Tip: avoid pulling on your neck.
8 Superman
- Lie face down, arms and legs extended.
- Lift opposite limbs alternately or raise all together.
?️Muscles worked: lower back, glutes, lats.
?Reps: 3 sets of 12 (alternating).
?HSN Tip: squeeze glutes as you lift.
9 Bird-Dog
- On all fours, extend your right arm and left leg.
- Hold for 2 seconds and switch.
?️Muscles worked: core, glutes, shoulders.
?Reps: 3 sets of 10 per side.
?HSN Tip: avoid arching your back.
10 Walkout
- Standing, bend forward walking out with your hands.
- Reach a plank position and return.
?️Muscles worked: abs, shoulders.
?Reps: 3 sets of 6–8.
?HSN Tip: use a mat under your hands if needed.
11 Mountain Climbers
- In high plank, bring knees toward your chest alternately.
- Keep hips up.
?️Muscles worked: core, shoulders, hip flexors.
?Reps: 3 sets of 30 seconds.
?HSN Tip: increase speed progressively if there’s no lower back pain.
12 Lateral Kick Through
- In plank, swing one leg under your body toward the opposite side.
- Alternate sides without relaxing your core.
?️Muscles worked: obliques, shoulders.
?Reps: 3 sets of 10 per side.
?HSN Tip: control the movement to avoid sudden twists.
13 Star Plank
- In side plank, raise your top arm and leg to form an “X”.
- Hold 15–30 seconds.
?️Muscles worked: obliques, glutes.
?Reps: 3 sets of 15 seconds per side.
?HSN Tip: align hips with shoulders.
14 Fitball Pike Up
- Feet on TRX, plank position.
- Lift your hips up toward the ceiling forming an inverted “V”.
?️Muscles worked: core, shoulders.
?Reps: 3 sets of 8–10.
?HSN Tip: push hips upward, not forward.
15 Stir The Pot
- Rest your forearms on a fitball, body aligned.
- Make small circles with your elbows.
?️Muscles worked: deep core, shoulders.
?Reps: 3 sets of 10 circles (clockwise/counterclockwise).
?HSN Tip: don’t let your hips drop.
Recommendations
Finally, we would like to remind you that you should adapt these ideas to your needs and level, and that you can carry them out wherever you wish.
They’ll help you get that “6-pack”, but for it to be visible you must also have a certain percentage of body fat, as otherwise you’ll simply have muscles covered with a layer of fat that will prevents you from seeing them.
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