Looking for easy exercises to get a flat stomach easily?
Except that old-fashioned abs hurt your back and neck!
And who wants to do the plank exercise? Or buy those expensive fitness machines?
Fortunately, there are easy exercises to work your abs... while standing !
To build abs, many people focus on the famous "chocolate bars".
However, the abdominal strap is made up of several groups of muscles – straight, oblique and transverse – which also cover the sides of the body and help support the spine.
To get rock-solid abs, here are 13 exercises for beginners that you can do standing . Watch:
This is an excellent exercise for dynamic abdominal training .
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
The shoulders are relaxed, with the arms raised above the head.
Be sure to contract all the muscles of the abdominal strap.
- In one motion, rotate the head and torso so that the right elbow is lowered and the left knee is lifted.
- Return to the starting position, and do the same movement on the opposite side.
- To raise the knees, try to contract the obliques (the muscles that run along the side of the torso) and not the quadriceps.
Alternate this movement between each side for 1 min .
For this exercise you can use weights.
Standing, with a dumbbell in each hand, the feet are spread slightly wider than the pelvis.
Tiptoe pointing outward, knees slightly bent.
Do not push your butt backwards:your hips and back should form a very straight line .
- Raise your arms in a "hands up" position, with your elbows bent at 90º.
- Contract the muscles of the abdominal strap and lean to the right, until the elbow touches the thigh.
- Return to the starting position, and do the same movement on the opposite side.
Do 10 reps to the right and 10 reps to the left. Finish with 10 repetitions alternating each side.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Grab a medicine ball or dumbbell with both hands, and stretch your arms straight out in front of you.
- Keeping arms straight and shoulders relaxed, rotate your upper body to the right.
- Return to the starting position, and do the same movement on the opposite side.
Do 10 reps to the right and 10 reps to the left. Finish with 10 repetitions alternating each side.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a medicine ball with both hands at chest height.
- Lean your upper body, rotating your feet, so that you bring the medicine ball to the outside of your right foot.
- Rotate in the opposite direction so that the medicine ball is lifted as far as possible above the left shoulder, passing it in front of the torso.
Do 10 reps on the same side, then 10 reps on the opposite side.
Challenge: to strengthen your abs even more, try increasing the speed of the movement.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Hold a dumbbell with one hand (or two dumbbells if you can hold them securely, like in the video above).
Put the other hand behind the head.
- Bend your upper body to the right, keeping your back straight and your arm straight.
- Raise slowly by contracting the muscles of the abdominal strap, until the shoulders are parallel to the hips.
Work the same side for 1 min then do the opposite side for 1 min. To finish, alternate each side for 1 min.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Hold a dumbbell with both hands (or a dumbbell in each hand if you can hold them securely, like in the GIF above).
- Extend your arms above your head.
- Bend your upper body to the right, keeping your arms straight.
- Slowly rise back to the starting position, contracting the muscles of the abdominal strap.
Work the right side for 1 min, without pausing. Then, do the left side for 1 min.
Standing, the feet are spread slightly wider than the hips. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Raise your arms in a "hands up" position, with your elbows bent at 90º.
- Lean your upper body to the left, contracting the abdominal muscles.
- At the same time, raise the left leg by bending the knee, until the elbow touches the thigh.
Note: try to keep your arms and shoulders straight throughout the movement, in order to work the obliques to perform the side crunches.
Work the left side for 1 min, then the right side for 1 min. And finish by alternating each side for 1 min.
Standing, the feet are spread slightly wider than the hips. The arms are extended to each side and parallel to the ground.
- Contract the muscles of the abdominal strap.
- Lean your upper body forward, and rotate to the left, so as to touch the outside of the left foot with the right hand.
- Return to starting position.
Work the left side for 1 min, then do the right side for 1 min. Finish by alternating each side for 1 min.
Get into a back lunge position:your left knee is bent, your right leg is stretched back, and your arms are extended above your head.
Lean the hips slightly forward, so as to bring the chest above the left thigh.
- Raise the right knee towards the chest, contracting the muscles of the abdominal strap.
- At the same time, let your arms fall naturally to the sides.
- Lower your leg back to return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement forward, bringing the knee up as quickly as possible.
Do 20 reps on the same side, then 20 reps on the opposite side.
Challenge: To further strengthen the abdominals, rotate slightly to the opposite side with each knee lift, so that the right knee touches the left elbow.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands behind your head.
Bend the knees and push the buttocks back, making sure to contract the muscles of the abdominal strap.
- Rotate your upper body to the right, until the left elbow touches the outside of the right knee.
- During the movement, try to rotate only the upper body, and not the hips.
- Do the same movement on the opposite side for 1 full repetition.
Do 20 reps.
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, feet hip-width apart.
- In one motion, bend your upper body to the right and lift your right foot to the side.
- Be sure to keep your leg and arms straight and contract your obliques (the muscles that run along the side of your torso).
- Bring the right foot back to the starting position, without touching the floor, and immediately repeat the movement.
Work the right side for 1 min, then the left side for 1 min. Finish by alternating each side for 1 min.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
The arms are raised in a "hands up" position, with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Rotate the bust to the right, without rotating the hips and contracting the muscles of the abdominal strap.
- Rotate your torso to the left, keeping your shoulders parallel to the ground throughout the movement.
Rotate, alternating sides for 1 min.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Grab a medicine ball with both hands and stretch your arms above your head.
- Rotate the shoulders so that you "draw" a large circle above the head.
- During the movement, contract the muscles of the abdominal strap without rotating the hips.
Rotate for 30 sec, then in the opposite direction for 30 sec.
1. Choose two or three exercises from the list , and incorporate them into your cardio or strength training sessions.
2. Do two sets in total , carefully following the instructions for the exercises, and respecting the number of repetitions or the time indicated.
3. Feel free to vary! The advantage of working the abs, which you can't do too much!
Do 2 or 3 exercises a day. Then try 2-3 different exercises in your next workout.
Start with 6 minutes of
Last tip: the most important thing when doing these belly exercises is to properly contract all the muscles of the abdominal strap.
Thus, focus on the movements of each exercise, rather than the number of repetitions.
For example, when you need to raise your leg, be sure to use your abs, not just your quads or glutes.
There you go, now you know how to do sit-ups while standing.
In addition, you also strengthen your glutes. You kill two birds with one stone!
You can do them at home or discreetly at work or in the office, since they do not require any materials.
Very handy, isn't it?
Of course, these exercises work for both women and men!
But they are also interesting for seniors who want to stay in shape and for people with back pain.
Because doing the gym standing up is less dangerous for the joints or the back.
But be aware that in this case (seniors, back pain), it is always best to seek advice and follow-up from a sports coach.
Especially if you return to sport!
