Core exercises for a stronger midsection

1. Get into a prone position on the floor, supporting your weight on your toes and your forearms. Your arms are bent and directly below the shoulder.
2. Keep your body straight at all times, and hold this position as long as possible. To increase difficulty, an arm or leg can be raised.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

1. Begin lying on your back with your hands extended above you toward the ceiling.
2. Bring your feet, knees, and hips up to 90 degrees.
3. Exhale hard to bring your ribcage down and flatten your back onto the floor, rotating your pelvis up and squeezing your glutes. Hold this position throughout the movement. This will be your starting position.
4. Initiate the exercise by extending one leg, straightening the knee and hip to bring the leg just above the ground.
5. Maintain the position of your lumbar and pelvis as you perform the movement, as your back is going to want to arch.
6. Stay tight and return the working leg to the starting position.
7. Repeat on the opposite side, alternating until the set is complete.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

1. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch.
2. Now place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Tip: Don't lock your fingers behind your head.
3. While pushing the small of your back down in the floor to better isolate your abdominal muscles, begin to roll your shoulders off the floor.
4. Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back as you contract your abdominals and exhale. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. At the top of the movement, contract your abdominals hard and keep the contraction for a second. Tip: Focus on slow, controlled movement - don't cheat yourself by using momentum.
5. After the one second contraction, begin to come down slowly again to the starting position as you inhale.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

1. Lie down on the floor with your legs fully extended and arms to the side of your torso with the palms on the floor. Your arms should be stationary for the entire exercise.
2. Move your legs up so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and feet are together and parallel to the floor. This is the starting position.
3. While inhaling, move your legs towards the torso as you roll your pelvis backwards and you raise your hips off the floor. At the end of this movement your knees will be touching your chest.
4. Hold the contraction for a second and move your legs back to the starting position while exhaling.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. For this exercise, you will need to put your hands beside your head. Be careful however to not strain with the neck as you perform it. Now lift your shoulders into the crunch position.
2. Bring knees up to where they are perpendicular to the floor, with your lower legs parallel to the floor. This will be your starting position.
3. Now simultaneously, slowly go through a cycle pedal motion kicking forward with the right leg and bringing in the knee of the left leg. Bring your right elbow close to your left knee by crunching to the side, as you breathe out.
4. Go back to the initial position as you breathe in.
5. Crunch to the opposite side as you cycle your legs and bring closer your left elbow to your right knee and exhale.
6. Continue alternating in this manner until all of the recommended repetitions for each side have been completed.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

1. On a flat bench lie facedown with the hips on the edge of the bench, the legs straight with toes high off the floor and with the arms on top of the bench holding on to the front edge.
2. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings and straighten the legs until they are level with the hips. This will be your starting position.
3. Start the movement by lifting the left leg higher than the right leg.
4. Then lower the left leg as you lift the right leg.
5. Continue alternating in this manner (as though you are doing a flutter kick in water) until you have done the recommended amount of repetitions for each leg. Make sure that you keep a controlled movement at all times. Tip: You will breathe normally as you perform this movement.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.

1. Lie on the floor with the knees bent and the feet on the floor around 18-24 inches apart. Your arms should be extended by your side. This will be your starting position.
2. Crunch over your torso forward and up about 3-4 inches to the right side and touch your right heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement.
3. Now go back slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
4. Now crunch over your torso forward and up around 3-4 inches to the left side and touch your left heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement and then go back to the starting position as you inhale. Now that both heels have been touched, that is considered 1 repetition.
5. Continue alternating sides in this manner until all prescribed repetitions are done.

How much: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, or holds of 15 to 30 seconds for planks.