Stomach Exercises Against a Wall

Strong stomach muscles improve balance for better posture and greater stability. A well-rounded fitness program includes stomach exercises, according to the Mayo Clinic, to prevent injuries and lower-back pain.Ab workouts or ab exercises are core exercises that require no equipment and can be performed in almost any location where there is a wall and a small amount of clear floor space. Resistance exercises such as a wall workout can work all of your stomach muscles, making you more limber and agile. With proper dietary adjustments, weight loss can occur through core workouts, you may see a decrease in belly fat, sculpting of the abdominal muscles, and body fat loss.

Wall bridge exercises work the upper body stomach muscles along with other core muscles. Position yourself for the wall bridge by lying on your back with your buttocks against the wall and your feet flat against the wall approximately 3 to 4 feet up the wall. Allow your arms to rest by your sides, palms facing down. Contract your stomach muscles and squeeze your buttocks (glutes) together. Exhale and raise your buttocks off the floor to form a bridge with your lower legs parallel to the floor, and your thighs and torso in a straight line, with shoulders pressed against the floor. Lower your buttocks and repeat the exercise for 10 repetitions (reps).

The fly-up exercise is similar to the wall bridge, but this exercise lifts the shoulders off the floor to include crunches to work your rectus abdominis, or abs, for a flat stomach. Lie on your back with your buttocks against a wall and your feet flat against the wall approximately 3 to 4 feet up the wall. Extend your feet up the wall so your legs are straight without locking your knees. Perform a crunch by exhaling and raising your body from the waist, stretching your arms toward your feet. Pulse the crunch by curling your torso up and down approximately 1 inch. After 20 pulses, return to the starting position and pull your knees into your chest. Include three sets of this exercise in your workout routine.

The flat-back exercise works the rectus and transversus abdominis to flatten the stomach and slim the waistline. Sit on the floor with your back against a wall. Bend your knees and separate your legs so your feet are wider apart than shoulder width. Place your hands on the floor between your legs and close to your body. Pressing against the floor with your hands or fingertips, raise one foot 6 inches off the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles while lifting your foot. Repeat on the other side. Do three sets of this exercise with 20 repetitions with each foot. When you are strong enough, raise both feet at the same time. This home workout of lifting legs up can be alternative to traditional strength training for the pelvic floor, to increase difficulty a resistance band can be applied around the ankles as the legs move from being together to hip width or further apart.

The mountain-climber-against-a-wall exercise works major muscle groups when performed at a beginner workout level. For those who are ready for a greater challenge, the mountain climber exercise with added bicycle pumps works the abs and strengthens the core. Get started by taking a pushup position close enough to a wall to place the feet flat against the wall. Pressing against the wall, walk your feet up the wall until you have sufficient clearance to bend a leg without bumping your knee on the floor. Pull the right knee up to a bicycling position with the left leg straight and then return the right foot to the wall. Switch sides and repeat with the other leg. Alternate bicycle pumps for 30 to 60 seconds.

One perk of the mountain climber is that the cardio core strength exercise also works the lower abs and lower body including hamstrings, beware though that continuous use of mountain climbers in your exercise routine may cause knee pain.