If you’re hoping to improve the strength of your abs and maintain that ‘six pack appearance’, you need to have a good selection of abdominal exercises to do under your belt.

But, don’t think this means you have to run off doing crunch after crunch after crunch. There are plenty of great non-crunch exercise options that can help you get lean abs in a hurry.

Let’s go over a few ideas to consider.

Single Leg Deadlifts

The first good option is a single leg deadlift. Since this exercise is going to require you to maintain overall balance and agility far better, you’ll feel your abdominal core contracting harder than normal.  This means greater stress on not only the abs, but due to the instable nature of the movement, the glutes as well.

It’s a perfect add-in to your lower body session.

Push-Ups On A Ball

Next, also consider push-ups on an exercise ball. This is a great way to strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps, and biceps, and will also target your core abdominals as well.

It is a more advanced movement however, so be sure you are comfortable doing regular push-ups first before moving to this variation.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are the next exercise to consider adding to your workout program to stimulate the abs and help you get lean in a hurry.

This exercise is also great for producing a strong metabolic response in the body, so it can help you burn up calories faster all day long.  Do it between your normal standard weight lifting sets for optimal results.

Lunge With A Medicine Ball Twist

Finally, the last exercise to consider is a lunge with a medicine ball twist. Hold a medicine ball in both hands and then move down into the lunge position.

Once you’re there, twist to one side of the body and then twist back to center.

Repeat to the next side on the next rep.

So there you have the top core moves to do that don’t involve a crunching action. Add these to your workout and you can do away with all that time spent on the crunch mats throughout your session.