Side plankĬome into a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists.

Make sure your shoulders are over your wrists, and that you’re looking a few inches in front of your fingers to keep your head and neck elongated. Squeeze your quads and reach your heels toward the back of the room. Tuck your toes under and lift your legs up off of the ground. Pull your navel in toward your spine as if there is fire on the mat and you’re trying to pull your stomach away from the fire. Line your shoulders up over your wrists, and make sure your wrists are parallel with the front of the mat. Start on your hands and knees on the mat. Here are 15 abdominal exercises from personal trainer and TODAY fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour that you can try at home. A stronger core is important for stability, support in everyday movements, maintaining good posture and reducing back pain. You may start an ab routine with the goal of achieving a more toned midsection, but the benefits you can reap go far beyond aesthetics. Plus, it’s worthwhile to diversify your workout with different ab exercises to target the core from different angles and create a well-rounded routine that doesn’t get stale.

There are lots of effective exercises that strengthen your core. The good news is that situps and crunches are just scratching the surface when it comes to moves that target your abdominals.

Download fun ab workouts