The ab atlas: 50 ways to build a brutal midsection damn fast

Men's Fitness, Nov, 2003 by Myatt Murphy

17 WIDE-TWIST TOE TOUCH (wild card: works as, B, or C) Lie flat and raise your arms and legs so your hands and feet point toward the ceiling. Widen your feet your legs are split like the letter V (17a). Raise up and reach with both hands toward your left foot (17b). Lower, then reach for your right foot. Keep your arms up throughout the entire exercise. Continue alternating from left to right.

SECTION B LOWER ABS

18 REVERSE CRUNCH Lie flat with your hands lightly touching your ears, knees bent, feet on floor (18a). Lift your pelvis off the floor and curl it toward your rib cage (18b). Your knees should curl toward your chest.

19 SEATED CRISSCROSS Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you, knees bent. Place your hands behind you to support yourself, and raise your feet a few inches off the floor (19a). Keeping your feet suspended, cross your right foot above your left without letting them touch (19b). Pause, uncross, and repeat, this time switching feet.

20 LYING CRISSCROSS Lie flat, arms at your sides and hands beneath your buttocks. Raise your legs so they are both together and suspended above the floor (20a). Holding this position, cross your right foot over your left foot (20b), then cross your left foot over your right foot.

21 ROTATING KNEES Lie with knees bent, feet slightly above floor, arms out to the sides, palms up (21a). Keeping your legs together, lift your butt and feet an inch off the floor and slowly rotate your legs to the right, lowering them toward the floor without touching (21b). Hold, return to the center, then twist to the left.

22 HIP RAISE Lie flat, arms down at your sides, palms flat. Keeping your legs straight and feet together, raise them so your heels point toward the ceiling (22a) With your head and shoulders flat on the floor, lift your buttocks off the ground and extend your feet up toward the ceiling (22b).

23 STATIONARY HIP RAISE Lie in front of a sturdy bench (feet farthest from the object). Place your hands behind you and grab the bottom of the bench for support. Raise your legs straight up so your feet point toward the ceiling (23a). Now, raise your legs as high as you can so your butt lifts off the floor (23b).

24 STATIONARY CURL-UP Lie in front of a sturdy bench, facing away from it, with knees bent. Reach behind you and grab the bottom of the bench (24a). Curl your knees toward your elbows (24b).

25 HANGING FULL-LEG RAISE Hang from a bar, hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Your legs should hang straight beneath you, knees bent, with your feet pointing down (25a). Bending at the waist, raise your legs until they're parallel with the floor (25b).

26 HANGING KNEE RAISE Hang from a chin-up bar, hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Your legs should be straight beneath you, feet pointing down (26a). Then raise your knees toward your chest as high as possible (26b).

27 CYCLING Lie flat, arms at your sides, legs extended. Tuck your hands beneath your buttocks, with the palms facing down. Raise your legs about a foot off the floor, knees unlocked (27a). Draw your right knee toward your chest while simultaneously extending your left leg (27b). Next, draw your left knee toward your chest while simultaneously extending your right leg.