You don’t have to leave your house to put in a full workout for your abdominal muscles. It doesn’t really matter where you workout, so you might as well do your six pack abs exercises at home.

Since you won’t be needing any complex gym equipment for these exercises, you can easily find a good spot in your house and let your body do all the work. That’s the beauty of these kinds of exercises.

Keep in mind, however, that to be successful in carrying out these abdominal muscle exercises, you need to know which ones are the safest and most efficient. By creating a safe workout environment, your abs get intense training and all your efforts are maximized.

Here’s another tip to remember: don’t be afraid to change it up. Switch your main abs exercise frequently so you don’t get bored.

There are a lot of options for your abs exercises at home. Doing these 4 fundamental exercises can help you get started with your program:

1. Bicycle Crunches. This exercise is a lot like the regular abdominal crunch, but with an added flair. Simply lie down on the ground and bring your legs up while slightly bending your knees. With your hands placed on each side of your head, lift your elbows alternately toward the direction of your pelvis. Begin a cycling motion with your legs, making sure that your knees touch your elbows as you {contract|tighten} your abdominals and raise your shoulder blades. Working the lower half of your body only adds on to the intensity of this exercise.

2. Captain’s Chair. Even without an actual captain’s chair, you can still carry out this exercise at home. All you have to do is stand in between two steady beams that are shoulder-length apart, rest your elbows on each beam, and allow the lower half of your body to hang loose. Slowly lift both knees toward your chest then lower them back down. Repeat this process a few more times and you’ll definitely put those abs to work. Who needs fancy gym equipment when you have gravity to work with?

3. Modified Stomach Crunches. Doing these abs exercises at home is especially good for your lower abdominals. Instead of moving your upper body, like in a regular crunch, you will utilize lower body movements by lifting your legs off the floor inch by inch. You will instantly feel the tension in your lower abs; that only means it’s working. Then assume your original position. Remember to keep those abdominal muscles firm with every rep!

4. Full Vertical Crunches. This particular exercise will definitely make you break a sweat and, trust me, that is EXACTLY what you want. As you do regular crunches, keep both legs perpendicular to the floor. Try to push your feet toward the ceiling as you curl your upper body in for that crunch – that should give your abdominal muscles a pretty good workout.

Each one of these drills will definitely help you start off your abs exercises at home. Push your limits with these exercises. Before you know it, you’ll have great six pack abs that everyone else would want.