The ten best ways to work your abs doing bodyweight fitness exercises

Introduction

You may have heard that the best way to work your abs is by doing sit ups. But if you're in middle age and have a desk job, sitting down all day can make it harder to stay fit. That's why I recommend bodyweight fitness exercises like planks and crunches. They're easy on your joints, but they still make your core muscles stronger – even as you age!

Plank

What is a plank?

A plank, also known as the front hold, is a static exercise that targets your core but also works your arms, shoulders and glutes. The goal is to keep your body in a straight line while supporting yourself on the forearms and toes. Picture an upside down 'V' shape with your body forming the bottom of that letter.

How do I do it?

The first step toward executing this move properly is to get into position: Place one forearm under each hand (or place hands directly under shoulders if you prefer). Then, extend legs straight behind you so that all four limbs are touching the floor—but there's no need for them to be flat against ground! If you can't quite reach with both feet at first try lowering yourself onto just one arm or raising up onto both elbows instead. Once everything feels stable from top to bottom lift chest up toward ceiling until it aligns with spine then rest back down onto forearms again.*

Keep those hips lifted off ground while maintaining good form throughout entire workout session*(https://www.spotebi.com/how_long_should_i_hold_a_plank/)

Hollow Body Hold

The hollow body hold is a great abdominal exercise. It is a static exercise and works your core muscles. You can do it anywhere and it is a great warm up exercise. This is how you perform the hollow body hold:

• Lie face down on the floor, with your arms extended at shoulder level in front of you and parallel to the floor, palms facing down, fingers pointing outward (A). Your legs should be straight but not locked; keep them together instead of keeping them apart like during an ordinary push-up. Keep looking forward throughout this exercise; don't let your head hang toward the ground or move around too much
• Contract all of your abdominal muscles (this will make you feel as if someone was pulling inwards from above) while trying to achieve maximum possible tension in this area (B). Tense those lower back muscles too while keeping them flat against floor surface by arching upper back slightly upwards but not enough so that they touch ground; try making small circles with shoulders as well as elbows if needed for easier positioning comfort
• Hold this position for 30 seconds without any movement whatsoever except breathing naturally through nose only during entire duration (C). Repeat five times

Straight Leg Sit Up

Now that you know the best way to perform a straight leg sit up, let's take a look at how to get the most out of this exercise.

• Perform two sets of 15 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.
• Rest 1 minute before repeating for a third set if you want to increase your intensity or volume, but otherwise stick with only two sets since they're plenty hard and will leave your abs burning!
• If done correctly, this exercise should be challenging yet achievable for just about anyone who can do a basic bodyweight squat without falling over (though you may have difficulty maintaining balance).

Hanging Knee Raise

Hanging knee raise is a bodyweight exercise that works your abs and lower body. You can do it anywhere, and it only takes about five minutes to complete one set. This is an excellent exercise for beginners to try because it doesn’t require any equipment or much space.

How To Do It:

• While hanging from a bar, bring your knees up toward your chest by lifting the hips straight off the floor (as if sitting down on an invisible chair). Keep your back straight throughout this motion—do not bend at the waist! If you feel like you need more assistance with keeping proper posture during this move, take two steps forward and then place feet on ground before doing hanging knee raises (or use a chair or table if needed).
• Hold stretch position for 5 seconds before lowering yourself back down slowly with control until chest touches bar again (bending knees slightly will help make sure they don't slam into bar). That's one rep! Aim for 10 reps total per set; 3 sets total works best here since there isn't too much rest between each set of repetitions so we're keeping heart rate elevated throughout whole workout session

Weighted Russian Twist (with a dumbbell)

With a dumbbell in each hand, lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Raise your hips off the floor so that your knees are at 90 degrees (a). With your arms out straight above you, slowly rotate to one side until your shoulders are almost touching the mat (b). When you’re fully rotated, slowly rotate back to starting position (c). Do 15 reps per set for 3 sets total.

Decline Pushup

If you’re looking for an exercise that will really work your abs, the decline pushup is a great option. It’s also an excellent way to strengthen the muscles of your upper body and core, while improving balance and coordination.

To perform a decline pushup:

• Get into a plank position on the floor with your hands placed just outside shoulder width apart. Make sure that your back is straight and arms are extended in front of you at shoulder height (or higher). If this position is difficult for you due to lower back pain or other reasons, place one knee on top of a box or chair for support.
• Slowly bend forward until your chest almost touches the ground then reverse direction by pushing yourself up as high as possible before lowering back down again and repeating the process until failure occurs in which case simply rest briefly before attempting another repetition when ready

Basic Crunch

• Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms by your sides.
• Lift your shoulders off the floor, keeping your back flat as you do so—this engages the muscles of your upper body and core, which will help stabilize and strengthen them
• Bring one knee toward your chest while keeping the other leg extended on the floor, then lower it back down to complete one rep (you should feel this in the side of that raised leg). Do 10-12 reps per side before switching sides for the same number again (20 total), then repeat once more for a total of three sets

Weighted Stability Ball Crunch (with a dumbbell)

The weighted stability ball crunch is a great way to work your abs doing bodyweight fitness exercises.

• How to do it:
• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent at 90 degrees, holding a dumbbell straight up above your chest with both hands.
• Crunch down, bending at the waist toward the floor as far as you can without sagging or allowing the weight to drop. Pause for one second at this position before returning to start position by keeping your core tight and hips lifted off of the ground. If you're using an exercise ball in place of an actual dumbbell, this will keep you from falling backward when you perform each rep. If using an actual dumbbell just make sure it doesn't fall out of reach during each rep; if it does, use some sort of anchor point (such as another person) so that they don't drop too far away from where they started during each set.*

L-Sit (on the floor or on parallettes)

The L-sit is a great exercise for your abs because it requires you to keep your body in a strong, straight line while balancing on your arms. When you're performing an L-sit on the floor or parallettes, you want to think about being like a plank with an "L" shape at the top—that's where all of your weight rests and that's why this exercise works so well for strengthening your core.

To begin, get into a high plank position with hands directly under shoulders and legs straight out behind you (make sure heels are touching down). From there, lower yourself down into a deep squat until knees form 90 degrees angles (if possible), then push back up through heels so that legs are extended again. Repeat for 10 reps before switching sides!

If this is too challenging for now—no worries! You can progress to this movement by working with parallettes instead of just holding onto dumbbells or medicine balls; as long as there's some kind of handle on which to perform the movement safely and effectively!

Side Plank - Alternating Raise (from the floor)

The Side Plank - Alternating Raise (from the floor) is a great way to strengthen and stabilize your core while building strength in your upper body. If you’re just starting out or want to increase the difficulty, try holding a weight between your feet and raising it off the floor. You will need good abdominal strength, flexibility and balance to be able to hold this position for at least 30 seconds before attempting this exercise on parallettes.

Doing bodyweight fitness exercises is one of the best ways to stay physically fit in middle age.

Bodyweight fitness exercises are one of the best ways to stay physically fit in middle age. They’re easy to do, and you can scale up or down depending on your current fitness level. This means you can start out with a beginner program that builds up your strength and endurance, then gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise as you get stronger. Bodyweight exercises are great for people who live an active lifestyle or exercise regularly—they provide a good core workout when paired with other exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Additionally, they’re often safer than weight lifting because they don’t put excess strain on joints like knees or shoulders—which makes them ideal for older adults who want to stay fit without risking injury!

Conclusion

Working your abs is one of the best ways to stay physically fit in middle age. There are many different bodyweight exercises that you can do, but these ten are some of the most effective ones. They work because they use your own body weight as resistance and require minimal equipment or space. They also don’t take more than 5 minutes each time! Being able to do them anywhere means you can add them into any schedule with ease - no excuses! Just remember: if it hurts too much then stop immediately and seek medical advice before doing anything else

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