If standard crunches are starting to get old, give reverse crunches a try. They’ll work your lower abs, which can be a problem area for women.

1. Lie on your back with your hands palm-down just beneath your buttocks and your back pressed flat to the floor.
2. Bend your knees, cross your ankles, and lift your legs up so your calves are at about a 45-degree angle to the floor.
3. Contract your lower abs, pulling your hips up off the floor a few inches and release. Exhale as you lift your bent knees toward your chest and keep your knees bent at the same angle throughout. The movement should be very small and controlled, using your abdominal muscles, not momentum, to lift your lower half off the floor.
4. Repeat two sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, resting for 15 seconds between sets.

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