10 Easy Exercises To Get You Fit For Summer

10. Abdominal Crunches

The Exercise: Everyone is familiar with the traditional sit-ups, and you might think that they are better than crunches because they have a bigger range of motion. But 90% of the work in a sit-up is in the back. Crunches have the benefit of isolating the movement around your abdominal muscles, which is the area you really want to work with this exercise. Because you keep your lower back on the floor, they also prevent you from potentially damaging your lower spine.

Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet on the floor. Place your hands on either side of your head, but make sure you're not yanking your head or putting too much pressure on your neck. Curl the head and shoulders up and flex the spine about 20 or 30 degrees. Focus on drawing your lower ribs towards your hip bones, rather than lifting your head upwards.

Make It Harder: The easiest way to alter the level of difficulty is by changing the position of your arms to produce more resistance. Holding your arms out above your head, rather than behind it, will increase the intensity. Once you’ve mastered this, you can perform the same exercises while holding a light weight or other object.