12 Ab Exercises That Are Better for Your Core Than Crunches

Endless crunches aren't just boring. At a certain point, they also become ineffective in your quest for six-pack abs.

Besides doing ab exercises to sculpt the abs of your dreams, you'll also want to build a strong core, which is much more than just your abs. It includes your hips, lower back and glutes — muscles crunches neglect.

Read on for the best 12 no-crunch core exercises. They'll train your entire midsection, prepare you for movement, and yes, give you the foundation for a carved set of abs.

1. Start with your butt, hands and feet on the ground, knees bent, feet on the floor and hands behind your back.
2. Press through your hands and feet to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your mid-back.
   
3. Maintaining this straight line, walk backwards by alternating steps with your right hand and foot and your left hand and foot.

Childhood crab walk races did more good than you realize — that's why so many athletes practice the move as adults. "Almost all of our core work comes from being on the ground," says Jeremy Frisch, owner and director of Achieve Performance Training in Clinton, Massachusets.

1. Begin in the top of the crab position, hands and feet planted on the ground, hips lifted and forming a straight line from knees to mid-back.
2. Lift your right leg and reach for it with your left arm while maintaining the flat body position,.
3. Return your hand and foot to the ground and repeat this your right arm and left leg.

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1. Lie on your right side with your right arm bent and your elbow beneath your shoulder.
2. Push through your feet and forearm to raise your hips off the ground so that you form a straight line from feet to shoulders.
3. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

Side planks not only sculpt your obliques, they may also help predict a potential injury. In his research, Matt Nichol, former NHL strength and conditioning coach, found that athletes who weren't able to hold a side plank for more than a minute with good form were significantly more likely to be injured.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent 90 degrees with your shins parallel to the floor.
2. Without changing the bend in your knees and, most importantly, without allowing any part of your lower back to lose contact with the floor, lower one leg to the floor until your toe taps the ground.
3. Bring it back to start and lower the other leg.

This Pilates move is much tougher than it sounds. Pilates classes are all about core control, says Elizabeth Burwell, certified personal trainer and owner of High Performance in Greenville, South Carolina, so don't be surprised if your midsection starts shaking while you're doing it.

1. Grab a medicine ball with both hands and stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees and elbows slightly bent.
2. Hold the ball overhead.
3. Then, slam the ball down in front of you, bending forward slightly as you do.
4. Retrieve the ball and repeat.

The medicine ball slam uses the same muscles as a standard crunch, says Mike Wunsch, certified personal trainer. "As you reach overhead, you go into extension of the hips," he says. "And as you come down, you go into flexion." The difference is that this explosive move also involves your hips, back and shoulders and can be a good stress reliever.

1. Stand holding two dumbbells at your sides, arms fully extended.
2. Keeping a natural curve in your spine, begin walking forward, keeping the weights at your sides.
3. Contract your core to keep the dumbbells from swinging.

It might not look like much, but the farmer's walk is an extremely effective exercise. As you walk, your entire torso is activated to help you maintain a straight posture, while carrying heavy weights, Wunsch says.

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1. Begin on your hands and knees.
2. Lift your knees off the ground and raise your hips up to the sky.
3. Using your palms and feet, take several steps forward, moving your right hand and foot, then your left hand and foot.

Just try to perform a fast, four-point crawl, and you'll realize how strong babies are. "You're moving in a more basic form of locomotion, and reconnecting neuromuscular connections you had as a baby that have gone by the wayside," says Jared Meacham, fitness center coordinator for the World Bank Group. Translation: Everything will work together and work better together.

1. Start in a bear crawl position with your hands and feet flat on the floor, knees lifted and hips raised.
2. Put your weight in your right arm and left leg. Raise your right leg off the ground and raise your left arm toward your right toes.
3. Bring your right leg and left arm back to the ground.
4. Then, repeat this motion with your right arm and left leg.

1. Stand about four feet from a sturdy wall with your knees slightly bent.
2. Hold a ball against your chest with both hands, elbows out.
3. Maintain a tight core and chest pass the ball to the wall, straightening your elbows to throw the ball forward.
4. Catch the ball at chest height as it bounces off the wall and repeat.

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1. Stand a few feet away from a wall facing sideways. Your right side should be closest to the wall.
2. Twist your torso to the left, facing away from the wall. Hold the ball with arms extended and slightly bent at chest height.
3. With knees slightly bent, twist through your torso to swing the ball around toward your right side, releasing it so it flies against the wall around chest height.
4. Catch the ball and rotate back to start.

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1. Lie on your back with arms along your sides, legs bent and feet on the floor.
2. Keeping a natural curve in your spine, tighten your core and slowly raise your legs so that your shins are parallel to the floor.
3. Without overarching your back, bring your legs back down to the start.

1. Lie on your back with your arms along your sides, legs straight out.
2. Keeping a natural curve in your spine, tighten your core and slowly raise your legs, keeping them straight and extended.
3. Without overarching your back, bring your legs back down and return to start.

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