Six-pack exercises are not just about sit-ups. To achieve a six-pack, you need to do more than endless crunches, twists, and sit-ups. If you are looking to improve your six-pack, you might want to stop crunching.
Warning: When it comes to the abs exercises, you will need to be comfortable with the discomfort. Although it may hurt more than the day you work out at the gym, the benefits are well worth the pain.
You see, abs are more than just a well-shaped torso or a reason to wear a tight shirt. They are also the strongest muscles in your body. A stronger core will increase your strength in other lifts. This will improve your ability to do overhead work, bench presses, deadlifts, and squats. It will also help you maintain a good posture and eliminate back pain.
It’s safe to say that ab exercises are as important as any other muscle in your body. Therefore, it is crucial to choose the right exercises. Here’s how.
Ab Exercises Benefits
Your core training should not be limited to visible abs. A strong mid-section is beneficial for almost anyone, regardless of whether they are CrossFit enthusiasts, CrossFit devotees, or simply want to be faster, fitter, and more powerful. These are just a few.
Ab exercises can help you beat back pain. According to the Office for National Statistics in 2016, almost 31 million workdays were lost in the UK because of musculoskeletal issues, including back pain. Treatment and associated costs are estimated at PS12.3bn per year. The solution is, thankfully, much cheaper. Canadian research has shown that a core-focused exercise program — such as this 4-move back workout – can reduce back pain. Side planks, which are stationary exercises, may be more effective than crunches or sit-ups.
You will achieve many personal records. If you have trouble lifting heavy weights, it is likely that your accessory work has stopped and your core is weaker. Your compound moves will improve if you have a strong core. This will allow you to lift heavier weights and generate more force through your body, while keeping your back safe.
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Core training can improve your posture. Simply put, core exercises can help you stand straighter. In a study published in Isokinetics and Exercise Science, men who participated in three hours of pilates per week for two months showed significant improvements in their postural stability and exercise performance.
Balance will be better: J. Christopher Mendler M.D, a sports medicine specialist, said to Men’s Health that a strong core helps keep your torso in a stable position when you move, no matter what sport you are playing or doing chores. This will impact your training as well as your daily movements.
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A strong core can help you dominate your sport. It will allow you to transfer more power to your legs, making it easier to drive farther, punch harder and to send a ball further. This will make you a better athlete in any sport.
Ab exercises will help you become more agile: An article in the journal Kinesiology revealed that core and instability exercises, such as single-leg moves and TRX exercises, can help you become more flexible.
You will need to identify which part (rectus abdominis), you are hitting in order to make the most out of abs exercises.SEBASTIAN KAULITZKIGetty Photos
Your Abs: Anatomy
It is important to be molecular about your body if you want to lose weight. This is not about getting a degree in sports science. It’s more about knowing where and which part of your abs are working.
Upper Abs
You should focus your efforts on upper ab exercises. These will target your upper abdominals. They’ll not only target your core but also your upper abs. Here’s one:
Try: V-Ups
How:
1. Start on your back and extend your legs. Keep your arms at your sides.
2. Lift your upper-body, arms, and legs in one motion. Then balance your tailbone on your tailbone. This will create a “V”.
3. Reduce your body to the floor. This is one rep
Absences Middle
The middle abs, also known as your six-pack muscles and part of the rectus abdominis — your core — are essential for flexing your spine and bringing your pelvis closer. You’ll build a stronger core if you do your middle ab exercises correctly.
Try Hollow Holds
How:
1. Place your legs straight out in front of your feet and place your feet together on the ground. Spread your arms high above your head.
2. To ensure your lower back is in line with the floor, tilt your pelvis forward.
3. Keep your lower back in this position. Now raise your arms and legs just a little bit off the ground to form a straight line between your fingers and your toes.
Abs Lower
What: Your lower abdominals are crucial for maintaining strength throughout your entire core. When people lose weight, their lower abdominals are often the last ones to show. Here’s a quick tip for those who are struggling to lose weight:
Try Heel Tap Crunches
How:
1. Place your heels close to your glutes and lie on your back.
2. Keep your core engaged, raise your shoulders and reach for your right heel. Next, touch your left heel with one hand. This is one repetition.
Why? This exercise targets the lower abs and hip flexors. You can make the exercise more difficult or easier by adjusting your distance between your heels, glutes and thighs. Slow extensions can be used to control the movement and maintain tension.
Your Six-pack Cheat Sheet and Ab Exercises
There’s so much more to life and your training than just the ab exercises we have listed here. These links offer options for your current training and diet, as well as advice on physique and workouts that will target your abs and other parts of your body like your shoulders and arms. The Best Ab Exercises
1. Barbell Floor Wiper
– Lay flat on your back, with your arms extended and the barbell in front of you.
– With your arms straight, raise your legs to an L-shaped position.
– Now, lower your leg to one side and then raise it again without touching the ground.
2. Medicine Ball Slam
– Stand straight up, bend your knees slightly and lift the medicine ball over your head. Your arms are extended.
– Stand on your heels and lift the ball off your hips. Bend forward at your waist to release the ball.
– Grab the ball, and then repeat. This will strengthen your shoulders and train your abs.
3. Side Jackknife
Lie on your back, with your left hand extended to the sky and your right arm bent towards your head.
Ensure your right leg is above your left.
– Place your right elbow on your left leg and raise your body upward. Contract your obliques, then lower your body slowly. After completing a few reps, switch sides.
4. Dragon Flag
– Now, lie back on the bench and hold your hands behind your head.
– Lift your knees to the sky and lift your body off the bench.
As you move down, keep your body straight. Not only will you feel the burn in your abs, but also in your lower back.
5. Cable Woodchopper
– Place the cable machine in the highest position and then stand with your back against the machine.
Grabbing the handle in both hands, take a step away and place your feet shoulder-width apart.
– Spread your arms out fully, and then pull the handle across your body while rotating your torso.
– Bend your knees, pivot your back foot, and slowly return to the starting position. After each set, switch sides.
6. Cocoon
Lie flat on your back, with your arms extended behind you and your feet slightly above the ground.
You can lift your legs towards your chest and raise your back. Then, perform a crunch by lifting your arms above your head.
7. Sandbag Sit-Up
Lie on your back, with your knees bent up.
You can hold a sandbag high above your head with your extended arms. Then, you will need to tighten your core and make a V-shaped shape with your legs.
– Lower your head gently and then repeat.
8. Hanging Leg Raise
– Take a pull-up bar and make a V-shaped with your arms. Then, lower yourself to a dead hang.
– Place your feet together, and lift your legs up until your torso is parallel to your legs. Keep your legs straight.
Slowly lower to the starting position.
9. Superman with a Twist
– Place your hands on your head and lie on your stomach.
– Lift your torso up and turn your chest to one side.
This will target your abs and can help with back pain.
10. Dish Rocks
– Straighten your legs and raise your hands above your head.
To make your body look like a dish, raise your legs.
To strengthen your core, keep your body straight while you rock back-and-forth.
11. Barbell Roll Outs
– Grab a barbell with 5kg plates, and hold it with an overhand grip.
Place your shoulders directly above the barbell, and then slowly move the bar forwards.
– Stop, then reverse the movement.
– Move out to a distance that is challenging but not too far so your hips don’t sag.
12. Russian Twists
– With your arms extended, and feet on the ground, place the weight plate or dumbbell in front of you.
-Keep your balance and quickly twist your torso to the side.
13. Hollow Holds
– Now, lie on your back with your arms raised on the floor. Your legs are straight on the mat.
– Now, with control, raise your arms, shoulders, neck, and legs off of the floor.
14. Dumbbell Deadbugs
– Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands and lift your arms toward the ceiling.
– Raise your legs, your knees bent at 90o (A).
Slowly extend your left arm, right leg and back simultaneously (B). Then return to the beginning and then go back.
15. Bear Crawls
– Lie in a press-up position, with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your hips directly below your hips. You should elevate your knees.
Brace your abdominals like you are about to punch in the gut. This contraction should be held for the whole time. This is your starting position.
– Move your left foot and right hand forward a few inches. Immediately stop and return to the original position.
Next, move your right foot and left hand forward. Restore your starting position.
16. Butterfly Sit-Ups
– Lay on your back, arms outstretched above your head.
– Place your soles on your heels so that they form a diamond shape.
– Now, crunch your abs into a sitting position and reach forward with your hands towards your feet.
17. Cable Crunch
Attach a rope to the high pulley. Now, kneel down in front of the rope with handles on either side.
– Now, without moving your hips, contract your abs and bring your elbows towards your thighs.
– Take a moment to pause, then slowly return back to the starting point.
18. Overhead Crunch
– Lay on your back, with your arms straight above your head. This will create a straight line between your body and your arms.
– Now bend your knees so your feet are flat on the ground. Next, keep your arms locked and contract your abs to lift your shoulders off of the floor.
Ab Exercises and Workouts
Home Ab Workout: 10-Minute Burner Workout
Cored to Death: 15-minute Workout
Resistance Training with Battle Ropes
Eric Leija, KB Flow: Ab Exercises with a Kettlebell
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