What workouts are best for abs and stomach?
The external obliques, internal obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis are the four major muscle groups that make up the abdominals. All of these areas are targeted by the finest ab workouts.
Internal obliques are the muscles on the outer, lower section of your stomach, whereas external obliques are the muscles on the sides of your upper stomach. The rectus abdominis is a pair of muscles that begin at the sternum and run vertically down the abdomen. These are the muscles that give your core that “six-pack” appearance. Finally, the transverse abdominis muscle helps in balance by running from side to side. This muscle is located just beneath the belly button and is primarily used for abdominal work.
A toned stomach and set of strong six-pack abs is probably the most sought-after goal amongst gym-goers. We’ve got a list of the best workouts to tone your stomach and mid-section abs, and surprisingly, sit-ups aren’t one of them.
- Half get-ups
If you’ve done the Turkish get-up before, you’ll be familiar with this core-strengthening exercise. If not, consider it a safer and more effective sit-up alternative.
Press the kettlebell up and completely extend your right arm while lying on your back. Place your right foot flat on the ground and bend your right knee. The left leg should remain stretched flat on the ground and at a 45-degree angle to the left side. This is where you’ll begin.
Curl up engaging your abs and pushing off your left forearm, ending with a push-up onto your left hand. Throughout the movement, maintain your right arm extended and your gaze locked on the kettlebell. Return to your starting position slowly and repeat for a total of 10 repetitions.
You either love them or despise them, but they’re a wonderful technique to tone your stomach in any case. Planks are an ab-strengthening exercise in which you hold a position for a certain amount of time rather than for a set number of repetitions.
Place your forearms on the floor shoulder-width apart for this movement, then jump up onto your toes, lifting your knees off the floor. As you hold this position, pull your belly button in to stimulate your abdominal muscles and stretch your spine by gazing just out in front of your hands. The goal is to keep your body in a straight line from your heels to the top of your head for as long as you can while maintaining proper form.
- Hanging leg lifts
This is a common workout that you’ve probably seen in the gym before.
Hanging leg lifts are a difficult workout that mostly works the lower abdominal. Pulling your knees up to your chest while actively hanging from a bar is how you do this activity. The idea is to pull your lower body towards your chest only by contracting your abs, rather than employing momentum or swing.
For a more advanced action, practice this exercise with your legs extended.
- Knee tucks with sliders
Hold a high plank position with the balls of your feet on towels or sliders. Keep your hands under your shoulders and bring both knees in towards your chest, avoiding pulling with your hips and concentrating on abdominal contraction. Slowly return to the high plank position and repeat for a total of 10 reps.
Mountain climbers are one of those ab moves that double as cardio. The faster you go, the harder your heart will have to work.
They work your abs by forcing you to engage your core in the plank position. You’ll see that you need to tighten your middle to perform this move correctly. Mountain climbers work your lower abs, as well as your shoulders and quadriceps.
- Ab wheel rollouts
This is a more complex workout, but some people believe it is the greatest for toning the stomach because it trains your abs the way the muscles are supposed to perform.
Brace your abs and steadily move the ab wheel forward, stretching your body out as far as you can, starting from a kneeling posture. Exhale and return to your beginning kneeling posture.
The easiest and safest approach to including this muscle-building workout into your routine is through gradual progressions.
- Crunches with the cable
Cable crunches differ from other crunch variations in that they maintain consistent abdominal strain throughout the action.
Kneel a few feet in front of the cable pulley system with the rope attachment on a high pulley. While executing this exercise, keep your palms close to your head and hold the rope with your palms facing inward. Exhale and crunch down to the floor, using your abs rather than your arms to bring you down.
Consider pressing your elbows into the tops of your thighs, right above the knee, as you crunch. Return to a more upright position slowly while remaining to kneel and maintaining your palms by your head, and then repeat.
- Heavy Compound motions
According to Muscle For Life, a compound workout incorporates many joints and muscle groups.
Compound motions include workouts such as squats, deadlifts, and standing overhead presses, to name a few. While they aren’t ab-specific exercises, practicing compound actions with demanding weights, excellent technique, a braced core, and adequate breathing can help you activate your core and strengthen your core in general.
The mix of strong compound movements and ab isolation workouts is a definite approach to toning your tummy.
This uniquely named exercise, dead bugs, helps to improve both core stability and strength, which will lead to a more toned stomach.
Lie on your back with your legs lifted and knees bent at a 90-degree angle, with your arms extended and hands pressed into your thighs just above the knee. Pull your belly button in towards the spine, and, extend your right arm and left leg until they’re almost touching the floor. Pause briefly and then return to the starting position, alternating sides for repetitions.
- Swiss ball pikes
Swiss ball pikes engage your core muscles while also testing your balance and upper body strength.
Start with your shins on top of a Swiss ball in a high plank position. Exhale and elevate your hips, rolling the ball into your upper body. Return to a high plank position for a brief pause before repeating.
Russian twist is one of the best ab exercises to work your obliques (the muscles on the side of your torso). If you keep your legs off the ground, you’ll also work your lower abs. Beginners can perform this exercise without weights, and add dumbbells once they grow stronger.
- Plank Hip Twist
Plank hip twists target the obliques and the transverse abdominal. You’ll also get a little bit of upper body action because your shoulders and arms have to work to keep you steady.
These challenging planks work your core, stomach, and back. To maintain proper form, you’ll have to engage all the muscles in your core. Be sure to follow the video and use the correct form. To get the most out of this exercise, focus on keeping the proper plank position. Raising your hips too far up into the air, or letting them sag too much, takes the focus away from the abs. Additionally, if you’re swaying too much from side to side, chances are your abs aren’t properly engaged.
- Plank with Knee to Elbow
These difficult planks strengthen your core, stomach, and back. All of the muscles in your core must be engaged to maintain good form. Make sure you’re using proper form and following the video’s instructions.
One of the most effective workouts for tightening the core is the wood chopper. The obliques are worked by any workout that demands you to turn or twist your torso from side to side. They’re fantastic for tightening your sides, toning your abs, and enhancing the stability of your core.
- Bicycle Crunch
Bicycle crunches are similar to Russian twists, but the action is more focused on the upper abs.
When doing bicycle crunches you’re going to want to focus on speed and form. Work as quickly as you can without losing proper form. The faster you go, the more your heart rate will climb. The higher your heart rate, the more calories you’ll burn.
- Side Plank
The side plank shifts the focus to your obliques. When holding the pose, focus on keeping your hips up. If you let them sag, your obliques won’t engage properly.
- Pilates ab prep
Although this upper-ab workout appears to be simple, it is rather difficult to perform correctly. Begin by lying on the ground with your knees bent and your feet as wide as your hips flat on the floor. Inhale deeply into your stomach and feel the air rise into your chest, then exhale and engage your upper abs to tighten the upper ribs toward your hips. Reach your fingers toward your toes while placing your arms on the carpet. This is where you’ll begin. Inhale again, and this time tense your upper abs as you exhale, lifting your head, neck, shoulder blades, and arms approximately an inch off the ground. As you lower yourself, take a deep breath.
Lying down on your back, reach your legs straight up so your feet are reaching toward the ceiling. For a modification, you can slightly bend your knees. As you exhale, tighten your upper abs and curl your head, neck, and chest off the ground as you reach your arms toward your toes.
- Pilates scissor kicks
Reach both legs straight up toward the ceiling while lying on your back. Exhale and draw your navel in toward your spine, lifting your head, neck, and chest off the ground. Pull your right leg toward your head, grasp the right thigh softly, and lower your left leg to the ground. Scissor the legs together and raise the left leg while releasing the right leg, lightly holding the left thigh. To each side, repeat 10 times.
- Bridges
Train your core to engage from the very bottom of the abs to the very top with this exercise. To begin, lie on your back with your head resting on the floor. Keep your arms straight at your sides with your palms on the floor and bend your knees so that your ankles are directly under your knees. Slowly raise your hips towards the ceiling by curling up your lower back, middle back, and then upper back. Once you’re up in the air, take a deep breath in. Then, exhale as you slowly roll down one vertebra at a time. Repeat 10 times.
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