Get great abs : tired of sit-ups? We found three new, better exercises that tone your abs and prevent back pain - without crunches - How to Get in Great Shape

Natural Health, March, 2003 by Kate Sage, Erin O'Donnell

LIKE CRUNCHES, THESE THREE exercises will strengthen your abs. But they deliver more than crunches do: They retrain your posture so that everyday activities like lifting groceries or reaching for a high shelf become easier and less likely to trigger backaches, explains Jolie Bookspan, M.D., Ph.D., a sports medicine rehabilitation specialist in Philadelphia and author of The Ab Revolution (Neck and Back Pain Sports Medicine, 2002). Additionally, these exercises will tone your shoulders, the backs of your arms, and your thighs.

You'll need to maintain an ab-strengthening posture as you do these exercises. To practice the posture, stand sideways in front of a full-length mirror and tuck your tailbone under slightly. Notice how your abs look flatter and your back looks a little straighter this way (although you should still maintain a slight curve in your lower back).

To do the last exercise, you'll need a dumbbell that weighs 10 pounds or more. The right size for you depends on your strength, but many people drastically underestimate how much they can lift, Bookspan says. If you don't own a dumbbell, you can experiment with household objects like a gallon milk jug filled with water or shopping bags filled with groceries. If you can easily complete eight repetitions, try more weight. If you can't do eight, try less weight.

Perform these three exercises daily, maintaining the ab-strengthening posture as you do them. Try to hold the posture throughout your day, too: while you're standing in line, sitting at your desk, or taking a walk. You'll be secretly strengthening your abs and you'll also burn extra calories. The more you practice this posture, the easier it will become.

Ab-Builder Lunge

1. Start by standing tall with your feet hip-distance apart. Extend your arms out from your sides at shoulder height.

2. Step backward about 3 or 4 feet with your right foot, keeping your right heel off the floor. Bend your left knee, keeping it directly above your left ankle. Tuck your tailbone under to create the strong-ab posture (as pictured above left). If your tailbone is in the correct position, you'll feel a stretch in the front of your right hip.

3. Be sure your weight is evenly distributed between your front and back legs, and then slowly lower your torso so your right knee drops toward the floor. Stop just before your right knee touches the floor, and then rise back up to the original lunge position. Drop and rise 7 more times, making sure that you are maintaining the strong-ab posture and keeping your left knee directly over your left ankle. (If you are, you'll be able to see your left toes. If you can't see them, widen your stance a little bit.)

4. Step your right foot up to meet your left, and then repeat steps 2 and 3 on the opposite side.

Ab-Builder Push-Up

1. To perform this exercise, you'll need a sturdy surface at about waist height or lower, like a desk, the back of a sofa, or a bench. (The lower this surface, the more challenging the workout for your abs and arms.)

2. Stand about 3 feet away from this surface. Place your hands a little more than shoulder-distance apart on it. Tuck your tailbone under to create the strong-ab posture. Your knees should be soft, not locked. Bend your elbows and lower your entire body toward the surface, making sure you don't allow your back to sag or arch, and stop an inch or two above the surface (as pictured on previous page). Raise your body to the starting position. Repeat 7 times, concentrating on not allowing your back to arch.

Ab-Builder Tricep Curl

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart. Your knees should be soft, not locked. Hold the dumbbell in one hand at your side, and assume the strong-ab posture by tucking your tailbone under. Now grasp the dumbbell at one end with both of your hands and raise it over your head, fully extending your arms.

2. Continue to hold the strong-ab posture as you bend your elbows and then slowly drop the dumbbell back behind your head. As you move the dumbbell, aim to keep your neck long and your shoulders, low and relaxed (as pictured left). Raise the dumbbell back up over your head. Repeat 7 times, concentrating on not allowing your back to arch.

Kate Sage is a freelance writer in Boston. Erin O'Donnell is a Natural Health senior editor.