Score a Rock-Solid Core

I love variety, especially with a workout regime. Too quickly do I get bored and tired of the same old routine. This is when my workout begins to slacken and I get bored and distracted. In order to keep it fresh, fun, and invigorating, constantly add new things. Try Zumba or crossfit. Bounce around to various gyms. I often go where the deals are. I check Groupon and Living Social regularly for fitness deals and switch it up every few weeks. I also check out articles such as the one below for new workouts to incorporate. 

Here are some awesome core workouts that are super effective and full of variety. They come from yoga, Pilates, barre, crossfit, among others. The following text and images are courtesy of Shape. Sweat on! 

The Best Abs Exercises from Every Type of Workout

Combine these 14 moves for a truly hard-core routine that’ll flatten your belly in a flash.

Confused whether Pilates, yoga, kickboxing, CrossFit, or something else entirely is the best way to work your core? That’s probably because they all include some amazing abs-toning exercises. Combine the best from every discipline to strengthen and chisel from every angle for a truly hard-core workout.

How it works: Do a 3- to 5 minute dynamic warmup. Complete each pair of exercises back-to-back with little to no rest between, then repeat the pair for a second set. Rest 30 to 60 seconds, and move on to the next pair, again performing two sets. (You can also add any of these exercises to your own routine.)

You’ll need: Yoga mat, kettlebell (5 to 15 pounds, depending on your level)

1A: Bob and Weave

Though it’s usually used in kickboxing to maneuver around an opponent’s punch, the bob and weave move is also a killer way to work your obliques and abdominal wall (in addition to your legs and back)—all while keeping your heart rate up for a greater calorie burn.

How to: Stand with feet wider than hips, shift weight into left leg, and lift right heel with arms “on guard” (elbows bent in front of ribs, hands in fists at chest level). Quickly bob and weave from right to left by lowering into a low squat, tracing a letter U with upper body from the left to the right. Immediately repeat to opposite side, keeping abs pulled into spine the entire time. Do 10 quick alternating reps.

1B: Front Kick

When done correctly, a front kick in kickboxing isn’t just a great move to sculpt powerful legs and fend off attackers, it’s also an effective way to synergistically work important core muscles like your abdominals, back, and hips.

How to: From a split stance with left foot forward and arms on guard, shift weight into left leg and bring right leg into a chamber (bending right knee up toward chest). Quickly extend leg, exhaling forcefully through mouth while kicking out from hip and leaning torso back slightly, pushing out through ball of foot. Return leg to chamber, then step right foot back into left split stance (arms remain on guard the entire time). Do 10 quick reps; repeat on the opposite side.

RELATED: 10-Minute Abs and Arms Workout Video

2A: Curl and Cross

Great for developing strong, pulled-in, flat abs, the curl and cross combo often found in barre classes will definitely make you feel the burn!

How to: Lie faceup with knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Inhale through nose. Keeping chin relaxed on chest and eyes straight ahead, exhale as you slowly curl upper back off the floor, drawing navel deep into spine and holding onto backs of thighs with hands. With shoulder blades lifted off floor and middle back pressed down, bring body up an inch closer to legs. Lower back an inch. That’s one rep. Do 20 quick reps then move into the cross curl by turning shoulders toward left leg and moving both hands to outside of left thigh. Repeat inching movement for 20 reps to the left, then 20 reps to the right.

2B: Pretzel

Another barre exercise, pretzel is a killer core strengthener because it works the glutes, lower back, and obliques together, which forces you to use your abs to balance.

How to: Sit with right leg bent at about a 90-degree angle in front of body and left leg bent at 90 degrees behind you. Reach arms toward the floor in front of right leg, shifting weight slightly forward, lining up chest over right leg, and keeping spine naturally straight and abs engaged. Lift left leg off the floor as high as possible without moving torso, and bring hands to prayer, pressing palms together and shoulders down to hips. Pulse left leg up an inch or two higher, then back down an inch or two without touching the ground 20 times. Repeat on opposite side. (Too challenging? Keep hands on the ground during the movement instead of bringing palms to prayer.)

3A: Crow

If you’ve ever attempted crow arm balance before, you know how much your abs (especially the lower region) have to work to keep your body up in this yoga posture. If you’ve never tried it, start off with the set-up version and then gradually advance into the full pose.

How to: Lower into a deep squat with knees wider than hips. Lean forward and place hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart, elbows bent. Round back and engage abs by pulling them into spine as inner thighs squeeze sides of torso, shifting weight into arms and lifting up onto balls of feet. Hold pose here if needed, with toes lightly on the floor, or try lifting feet completely, pointing toes, drawing heels close to tailbone, and balancing on arms for up to 1 minute.

RELATED: Step-by-Step Breakdown: Crow Pose

3B: Half Moon

It may not look like your traditional abs exercise, but half moon will have your core muscles working like crazy to help keep you from falling over during this balancing yoga pose.

How to: From standing, fold forward, placing hands on the ground beneath shoulders. Keeping soft knees, transfer weight into right foot, then lift left leg high behind you. Keep right fingertips on the ground, open left hip on top of right, and turn torso to the left. Extend left arm straight up and look up toward left fingers. (If it’s too tough to find your balance at first, try placing a yoga block under the supporting hand to make this pose a little easier to master while building strength and flexibility.) Hold for up to 1 minute; repeat on the opposite side.

4A: Mermaid Side Plank

While all of Pilates is centered on the core, the mermaid side plank in particular does an amazing job of working your abs from every angle.

How to: Begin in a side plank position with right hand directly under shoulder, left arm extended to the ceiling over shoulder, left leg crossed over right, and edges of feet pressed into the floor. Engage abs and press away from the floor with right side of body. Inhale and look up to left hand. On exhale, reach left arm under and behind body, bracing abs in tight to spine, lifting hips up (body resembles an upside-down letter V), and pivoting on balls of feet. Return to the starting position. Do 6 reps; repeat on the opposite side.

4B: Teaser

The signature Pilates teaser is so much harder than it looks, so be patient. Don’t forget to use your breath to maximize your abdominal strength and control with every rep.

How to: Lie faceup with knees bent at a 90-degree angle over hips, arms extended by ears, abs drawn into spine, and ribcage flat (avoid letting ribs pop open with arms overhead). Inhale and begin to roll up through spine, lifting head and shoulders off the floor, reaching fingertips toward feet as legs extend straight and lower about 10 degrees toward the floor. Exhale and draw abdominals in deeper to spine to continue rolling up, lowering legs a little further, until body is in a full V-sit position, balancing on sitz bones. Hold for 1 count. Reverse movement to lower back to the starting position with control. Do 6 to 8 reps. (Make it more challenging by starting with legs extended straight on the floor and rolling up into the full V-sit from there.)

5A: Que Te Mueve

This oblique-targeting, hip-swiveling Zumba move‘s name means “what moves you.”

How to: Stand with feet together, arms by sides. Take a wide step to the right, pivoting on feet to turn right toes out and lift left heel off the floor as hips swivel left and arms swing to the left of shoulders with elbows bent and hands in fists. Quickly step left foot into right, turning hips back to front and swinging arms to the right. Take two quick steps to the right, then immediately reverse to the left. Repeat for at least 30 seconds.

5B: Merengue Out and In

Keep bumping up your heart rate without any impact on your joints while continuing to work your obliques with this simple and fun merengue out and in Zumba step.

How to: Stand with feet together, arms by sides. Shift weight into left leg as right foot steps out to side slightly wider than hips, pushing left hip back as right hip rotates slightly forward and left arm swings in front of body and right arm back with elbows bent. Immediately step left foot out to repeat the movement. Repeat again with right foot, this time stepping foot in, doing the same with the left until feet are back together. Move quickly to an out-out-in-in rhythm, keeping weight toward balls of feet to make it easier to shift side to side at a fast tempo. Repeat for at least 30 seconds.

6A: Windmill

The very nature of kettlebell training typically engages your abs with almost every move, and the windmill is killer for your obliques, cinching in your waist.

How to: Stand with feet slightly wider than hips, left toes slight turned out and right toes turned to the right, knees slightly bent. Holding a kettlebell in left hand with bell behind hand, extend left arm to the ceiling, keeping wrist straight. Engage abs and reach right hand to inside of right thigh, looking up to kettlebell, shifting weight into left leg. Hinge at hips, lowering torso as right arm slides down to inside of right calf or ankle, extending left arm in line over shoulder. Press back up through left side of torso to return to the starting position. Do 6 to 8 reps; repeat on opposite side.

6B: Turkish Get-Up

A functional kettlebell move, the turkish get-up is a popular one because of how effective it is, engaging your entire body while working your core during every second of the move.

How to: Lie faceup with legs extended and hold a kettlebell above chest with a straight right arm. Extend left arm out to side and bend right leg so foot is flat on the floor. Engage abs and use left hand to sit up while keeping right arm extended overhead. Push hips off the ground using right leg and left arm, and quickly swing left leg under body to end in a kneeling position with right foot forward and left knee on the ground. Still holding right arm overhead, stand up, quickly stepping left foot about hip width from right. Stand tall while holding weight in extended arm. Reverse the move and return to the starting position. Do 3 reps; repeat on opposite side.

RELATED: The Best Yoga Poses for OM-My-Gosh Abs!

7A: Hollow Rock

The hollow rock may sound innocent enough, but don’t be fooled—it’s a dynamic core CrossFit exercise that will have your abdominal wall working overtime.

How to: Lie faceup with arms extended overhead by sides of ears and legs pressed together and extended out straight at about a 45-degree angle from hips. Engage abs and lift head and shoulders off the floor, bringing body into a slight C curve. Gently rock forward, maintaining curve, lowering legs closer to (but not touching) the ground, then rock back toward shoulders, keeping head slightly off the floor (arms remain extended by ears and legs extended the entire time). Do 8 to 10 reps.

7B: Burpee

We know you love to hate burpees (we do too), but they are not only super effective for sculpting your abs, these CrossFit staples burn a lot of calories to help blast off fat faster so you can see the results of your hard work sooner.

How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms by sides. Squat and place hands on the ground under shoulders. Keeping abs tight to spine, jump feet back into plank position and immediately lower into a pushup. Extend arms back to plank and jump feet back into hands, landing in squat position. Quickly jump straight up, reaching arms to the ceiling. Do 5 to 10 reps as quickly as possible with good form.

Work Your Abs Without Getting On The Floor

An article on abdominal exercises standing up recently posted by FitnessOverSitxy caught my attention. The article is below and you can find the complete text here.

By DualFit.com

If you think you need to get on the floor to work your abs, you’re wrong. The majority of the abdominal exercises in the fitness world require you to lie on the floor, mainly on your back. But this can be a problem for people who have back injuries or someone who has a problem getting up and down from the laying position.

You can work your abs standing up just as much as you can lying down. Standing ab exercises may actually be even more beneficial for you. They are a great way to start out if you are a beginner exerciser. Many people who are just starting out find getting down to the floor to perform crunches a bit difficult. If you begin by working your abs in the standing position, you can give your abdominal muscles a little time to warm up and get stronger before getting to the more advanced level. Now, this isn’t to say that standing ab exercises are just for beginners. They are great for everyone.

Benefits Of Working Abs While Standing
The biggest benefit of standing ab exercises is a lower risk of injury. Ab moves that are performed on the floor are not always done correctly. The basic crunch, for example, requires you to lift your neck and shoulders up off the ground. Unless they have a trainer, the majority of people do it wrong. They hold on to their neck and pull it up to get themselves off the ground. This isn’t going to work the abs and it will strain your neck. During standing moves, you don’t have this problem. It is much easier to control your neck and shoulders in a standing ab move then it is on the floor.

Another big benefit is the effectiveness of each exercise. When you are performing moves on the floor, you can only go so far. Exercises that are done on the floor sometimes involve the legs way more than they should. A lot of people tend to use their hip flexors rather than their abs. (Hip flexors are located in the front of your thigh.) Many people also tend to use their hands as well to perform some moves. During a sit-up, a lot of people swing their arms out in front of them to get their body off the floor. If you are doing that, you’re not really working the abs because you are using your arms to get up. While performing a reverse crunch, people tend to press their palms down on the floor. This also isn’t going to work the abs effectively.

So you can see that there are many downfalls to working your abs on the floor. Working your abs standing will make sure you do a safe and effective workout. If you aren’t convinced that you can get a successful ab workout standing up, perform these moves the next time you work your abs.

1) Knee Cross Crunch
This move is going to work every muscle in your stomach. To perform this move: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand. Extend the arm with your dumbbell over head and put your other hand on your hip for balance. Now lower the arm that was in the air as you simultaneously bring the opposite knee up across the body so that your elbow and your knee meet. Hold this position for about a second and perform the desired number of reps. When done with one side, complete the same thing on the other side.

It’s important to make sure you are getting your knee above the hips during this move. This is what is going to target your lower abs. (The dumbbell is optional. If you are just starting out, you can perform this move only using your bodyweight.)

2) Standing Bicycle Crunch
Think you need to perform bicycle crunches on a mat? Think again. This move works the same muscles that the bicycle crunch does — all of them.

To perform this move: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out and back in line with your shoulders. Bend one knee up across the body making sure it comes at least to hip height. Keeping the knee in the air, bend the opposite side of your upper body toward the lifted knee so that you can feel the crunch. Return back to the starting position and perform the desired number of reps, alternating sides. After you do this move, you may never do bicycle crunches on the floor again.

3) The Repeater
This move, derived from a step aerobics class, awesome because not only is it a killer ab exercises but it also provides a bit of a cardio and leg workout. Since this move is used mostly in a step class, you can use a step if you’d like but it’s not necessary. It’s just as good a move on the flat floor.

To perform this move: Stand with your body on angle with one leg in the front with the knee slightly bent and the other leg in the back straight but not locking the knee. You are going to place both of your hands up above your head (your body should be on an angle, you shouldn’t be standing up straight.) Bring the knee in the front up as you pull your arms down to put the knee. Pretend that you are holding a coconut in your hands and you are trying to break it using your knee. Perform this move a pretty fast pace. When you are done doing the desired number of reps, repeat the same move on the other side.