Ab Crunches

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Put your hands to the sides of your head and tuck your chin forward. Slowly raise your upper back off the floor, squeezing your abs and pulling your chest toward your thighs as you exhale. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower as you inhale but do NOT lay your head back. Keep your hands and arms fixed throughout.

   Ab reverse crunches

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands holding a weight (like a medicine ball) on the floor just above your head for stability. Keep your knees bent and your feet off the floor near your butt. This is the starting position. Flatten your lower back to the floor and raise your knees toward your elbows, bringing them as close as you can without allowing your upper back to round. Return to the starting position. That's one rep.

   Ab Bent-knee V-ups

Lie on your back with your hands above your chest and your feet off the floor with your knees slightly bent. Keep your head forward. This is the starting position. Slowly raise your back off the floor while simultaneously drawing your knees toward your chest, then return to the starting position only until your middle back just touches the floor. Use a smooth motion throughout. Avoid throwing your arms forward--keep them in a fixed position.

   DB Bench Press: feet up

Lay on a flat bench with two dumbbells. Put your feet up on the end of the bench. Perform the bench press motion, lowering your elbows to stretch the chest then extending the arms fully.

   One-arm Rowing

Place one hand (and optional knee) on a bench or chair with a dumbbell in the other hand and your back nearly parallel with the floor. Let the weight hang with your arm fully extended, then pull with your back muscle (latissumus dorsi or "lat") to begin raising the weight, drawing your elbow up and the weight to the side of your chest. Lower to fully extended starting position. Be sure to focus on the back muscle rather than just the arm.

   DB Fly

Lay on a flat bench with two dumbbells extended straight up over your chest. Lower the weights to the sides, about chest level. Keep your elbows slightly bent to stretch the chest. Raise to the starting position keeping the elbows in the same slightly bent position.

   DB 2-arm Rowing

Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand. Bend forward at the waist about 45 degrees, keeping your knees slightly bent, the weights hanging at your inside thigh. This is the starting position. Pull your elbows up and back, bringing the weights up to the outside of your chest. Feel the movement starting with your back rather than your hands and arms. Return the weights to the starting position. That's one rep.

   Straight-arm Pullover

Lie flat on your back on a flat bench. Hold one dumbbell above your chest with your arms extended. Slowly lower the dumbbell back over your head as far as you can reach, keeping your arms straight. Return to the start position, still keeping your arms straight.

   DB Shrugs

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells hanging at your sides. Raise your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a second, then return. Exhale as you come up, inhale as you lower. Good for the trapezius muscles of your upper back. Use a heavy (for you) weight for this exercise and be sure to use a smooth controlled motion. You may also roll your shoulders forward or back during the movement for a slightly different workout.

   Ab Crunches

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Put your hands to the sides of your head and tuck your chin forward. Slowly raise your upper back off the floor, squeezing your abs and pulling your chest toward your thighs as you exhale. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower as you inhale but do NOT lay your head back. Keep your hands and arms fixed throughout.

   Ab reverse crunches

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands holding a weight (like a medicine ball) on the floor just above your head for stability. Keep your knees bent and your feet off the floor near your butt. This is the starting position. Flatten your lower back to the floor and raise your knees toward your elbows, bringing them as close as you can without allowing your upper back to round. Return to the starting position. That's one rep.

   Ab Bent-knee V-ups

Lie on your back with your hands above your chest and your feet off the floor with your knees slightly bent. Keep your head forward. This is the starting position. Slowly raise your back off the floor while simultaneously drawing your knees toward your chest, then return to the starting position only until your middle back just touches the floor. Use a smooth motion throughout. Avoid throwing your arms forward--keep them in a fixed position.

   DB Bench Press: feet up

Lay on a flat bench with two dumbbells. Put your feet up on the end of the bench. Perform the bench press motion, lowering your elbows to stretch the chest then extending the arms fully.

   One-arm Rowing

Place one hand (and optional knee) on a bench or chair with a dumbbell in the other hand and your back nearly parallel with the floor. Let the weight hang with your arm fully extended, then pull with your back muscle (latissumus dorsi or "lat") to begin raising the weight, drawing your elbow up and the weight to the side of your chest. Lower to fully extended starting position. Be sure to focus on the back muscle rather than just the arm.

   DB Fly

Lay on a flat bench with two dumbbells extended straight up over your chest. Lower the weights to the sides, about chest level. Keep your elbows slightly bent to stretch the chest. Raise to the starting position keeping the elbows in the same slightly bent position.

   DB 2-arm Rowing

Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand. Bend forward at the waist about 45 degrees, keeping your knees slightly bent, the weights hanging at your inside thigh. This is the starting position. Pull your elbows up and back, bringing the weights up to the outside of your chest. Feel the movement starting with your back rather than your hands and arms. Return the weights to the starting position. That's one rep.

   Straight-arm Pullover

Lie flat on your back on a flat bench. Hold one dumbbell above your chest with your arms extended. Slowly lower the dumbbell back over your head as far as you can reach, keeping your arms straight. Return to the start position, still keeping your arms straight.

   DB Shrugs

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells hanging at your sides. Raise your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a second, then return. Exhale as you come up, inhale as you lower. Good for the trapezius muscles of your upper back. Use a heavy (for you) weight for this exercise and be sure to use a smooth controlled motion. You may also roll your shoulders forward or back during the movement for a slightly different workout.

   Ab Crunches

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Put your hands to the sides of your head and tuck your chin forward. Slowly raise your upper back off the floor, squeezing your abs and pulling your chest toward your thighs as you exhale. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower as you inhale but do NOT lay your head back. Keep your hands and arms fixed throughout.

   Ab reverse crunches

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands holding a weight (like a medicine ball) on the floor just above your head for stability. Keep your knees bent and your feet off the floor near your butt. This is the starting position. Flatten your lower back to the floor and raise your knees toward your elbows, bringing them as close as you can without allowing your upper back to round. Return to the starting position. That's one rep.

   Ab Bent-knee V-ups

Lie on your back with your hands above your chest and your feet off the floor with your knees slightly bent. Keep your head forward. This is the starting position. Slowly raise your back off the floor while simultaneously drawing your knees toward your chest, then return to the starting position only until your middle back just touches the floor. Use a smooth motion throughout. Avoid throwing your arms forward--keep them in a fixed position.

   DB Bench Press: feet up

Lay on a flat bench with two dumbbells. Put your feet up on the end of the bench. Perform the bench press motion, lowering your elbows to stretch the chest then extending the arms fully.

   One-arm Rowing

Place one hand (and optional knee) on a bench or chair with a dumbbell in the other hand and your back nearly parallel with the floor. Let the weight hang with your arm fully extended, then pull with your back muscle (latissumus dorsi or "lat") to begin raising the weight, drawing your elbow up and the weight to the side of your chest. Lower to fully extended starting position. Be sure to focus on the back muscle rather than just the arm.

   DB Fly

Lay on a flat bench with two dumbbells extended straight up over your chest. Lower the weights to the sides, about chest level. Keep your elbows slightly bent to stretch the chest. Raise to the starting position keeping the elbows in the same slightly bent position.

   DB 2-arm Rowing

Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand. Bend forward at the waist about 45 degrees, keeping your knees slightly bent, the weights hanging at your inside thigh. This is the starting position. Pull your elbows up and back, bringing the weights up to the outside of your chest. Feel the movement starting with your back rather than your hands and arms. Return the weights to the starting position. That's one rep.

   Straight-arm Pullover

Lie flat on your back on a flat bench. Hold one dumbbell above your chest with your arms extended. Slowly lower the dumbbell back over your head as far as you can reach, keeping your arms straight. Return to the start position, still keeping your arms straight.

   DB Shrugs

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells hanging at your sides. Raise your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a second, then return. Exhale as you come up, inhale as you lower. Good for the trapezius muscles of your upper back. Use a heavy (for you) weight for this exercise and be sure to use a smooth controlled motion. You may also roll your shoulders forward or back during the movement for a slightly different workout.