Plank

• Plank is a common abdominal workout pose both in yoga and as training for other sports. To assume the plank position, lie down on the floor, belly down on a carpeted surface of a yoga pad. Place the forearms under the chest so that the upper body is propped up off the ground. Plant the feet, then use the strength of the core to lift your torso and legs off the ground. You should now be in the plank position: your your forearms and toes are all that should be touching the ground, and your back should be straight. It will look like you are doing a push-up except that your forearms are touching the ground instead of your hands. Hold the plank position for 30 seconds to 1 minute (or as long as you are able) then slowly let yourself down. Focus on maintaining good form and keeping your back straight at all times.
  
  

Leg Lift Pose

• The leg lift pose is a simple but very effective way to work out the abdominal muscles. For those that already have good core strength, this pose will push your ab strength to the next level. Begin by laying on your back on a padded surface. Place your palms underneath your lower back to give it support. Next, raise your legs off the ground a few inches while keeping them straight. Hold this position for 30 seconds or as long as necessary to reach muscular fatigue.
  
  If you wish, you can remove your hands from beneath your lower back to increase the difficulty of the pose and strengthen the back and buttocks. To make the lift easier, you can switch off slowly, bending one leg up toward the chest. If holding the legs straight out is too difficult, try slowly raising the legs until they point straight up toward the ceiling, then lower them back down.
  
  

Side Plank

• Side plank is similar to the normal plank position except it targets the oblique abdominal muscles on either side of the torso. To assume the side plank position, go into a normal plank--support the body with the forearms and toes with the belly pointing down. Shift your weight to one side of your body as if your are going to roll over. As you rotate, allow your feet to turn 90 degrees so that you are supported by the outstep of one of your feet rather than the toes of both feet. On your upper half, your weight will shift off one of your arms, so that your upper body is supported entirely on one forearm. Your torso should be perpendicular to the floor.
  
  Hold this position focusing on keeping the back straight and not allowing it to droop sideways toward the floor. Try to hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then rotate back the other way and assume the side plank position on the opposite side.