How to Do Abdominal Exercises with a Step

If you have a step for aerobics and are looking to vary your abdominal workout, below are some exercises you can do with the step. Keep mixing up your routine to prevent your body from reaching a plateau.

Upper Abdominal Basic Crunch

1. Lie on your back on the floor and place your heels lightly on the step. The step removes the ability to push into the floor with your feet to lift yourself up rather than using your abdominal muscles.

2. Place your fingertips behind your head. Do not clasp your hands because this leads to pulling on the neck. Press your low back flat into the floor.

3. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Do not come up too high. Lift only until you feel a contraction in your upper abdominal muscles. Focus on lifting straight up and bringing your chin to the ceiling rather than curling and rounding the back.

4. Lower your head and shoulders to the ground with control. Do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Focus on resting the heels lightly on the step.

Oblique/Waist Twist

1. Lie on your back on the floor with your buttocks very close to the step. Place both feet flat on the step.

2. Drop both knees to the right. The farther you drop your knees, the deeper you will work your muscles. If you have any back sensitivities, only drop your knees as far as you comfortably can.

3. Take your left leg and stretch it out over your right leg and let it hang off the edge of the side of the step. Place your right elbow on the floor next to your waist. Place your left fingertips behind your head.

4. Tighten your abdominal muscles and bring your left shoulder toward your left knee. Do not pull the left elbow forward; keep it back and open. To work the muscles most effectively, focus on bringing your shoulder toward your knee rather than your elbow.

5. Push into the floor with your right elbow to come up higher. Come up just high enough to feel a contraction in the waist muscles. Then lower back down with control.

6. Do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Repeat on the other side.

Lower Abdominal Dead Bug Exercise

1. Lie on your back on the floor. Place both feet flat on the step. Lift your feet up to make a table top with your lower legs. Your knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle.

2. Keep your back flat on the floor. Lower your right heel to the step. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift the right foot back up. Repeat with the left foot.

3. Only move one foot at a time and avoid doing a bicycle motion to really isolate the muscles. Do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

4. To make this exercise harder, reach your foot over the step and toward the floor. The farther out you reach with your foot, the more challenging this exercise is.

5. Keep the abdominal muscles contracted and the low back pressed down into the floor the entire time.