I get asked almost weekly “Hey Obi – what are the best ab exercises?” And while there are a tonne of exercises you can do to get in shape, there are some great exercises that will help you get abs and a toned core.
- Does your back hurt when you do crunches?
- Which equipment do you need to do ab exercises?
- Are abdominal exercises for everyone?
Anytime you raise your leg off the ground or lift your leg (or both legs) up in the air you are working your abdominal muscles and your core. Abdominal muscles can be trained while you are standing up, sitting down, or laying on the ground. But the most important thing to remember is if you’re doing an abs workout and you can’t feel it – ie you’re not feeling the burn from the isolated exercise OR you’re exercising in pain or discomfort in your lower back, you’re probably not doing the exercise correctly.
So, what are the best exercices for Abs? One of the best workouts for Abs are Planks. Doing planks works not only the abdominal muscles, but is a great exercise for the entire body including arms and legs. What’s great about Planks is you can do this exercise (and similar abdominal exercises) anywhere and you don’t need any expensive equipment or excuses. You can do it in your living room while you’re watching TV, you can do it in your bedroom before you go to bed, and you can do it during your lunch breaks.
Best Ab Exercises: Planks
How To Do a Plank: Get into a push-up position with your face down and your forearms and toes on the ground. Your head should be relaxed while looking down on the ground. Engage your abdominal muscles while your torso is straight, and your body is in a straight line and your back is flat and nothing in your body is bending. Try not to arch your back or sag your hips at all. Hold the position for as long as the duration of the set is.
MODIFIED PLANK EXECUTION:
If you’re looking for a gentler version of the Plank, lie in a push-up position with your knees facing the ground with your back straight, feet together and place your hands positioned on the ground shoulder-width apart. Once you get into this modified stance, hold it for the required duration. Doing a modified plank is also good for people getting into exercise for the first time who are still building stronger core muscles, or anyone recovering from injury or rehabilitation. But please don’t push your core harder than you feel comfortable doing.
Russian Twists
How to Do a Russian Twist: Sit on the ground while you lift your feet off the floor. Grab and hold a dumbbell, weight plate or medicine ball. Now twist left and right with the object in your hand while touching both the left and right side of the ground. Remember while you’re doing this your feet should not touch the ground. And your feet should be hanging about six inches off the ground.
Scissors
How To Do Scissors: Lie on your back with your arms by your side. Raise your right leg up while your left leg is on the ground and while you are lowering your right leg to the ground raise your left leg. So, you are moving each leg after one another exactly in a scissors motion. When each leg is being lowered towards the ground it should not touch the ground so you can keep and feel that tension in the abdominals. Make sure your arms are always towards your body and legs. Do this for 3 to 4 sets anywhere from twenty to thirty seconds.
These are the best ab exercises and if you do these 2-3 times a week you will be good. But remember if your body fat is not lean enough you will not be able to see your abdominal muscles.
At Ethical, we appreciate that you’re here to commit and we’re here to help make it easy for you! If you’re struggling to exercise or need a plan to commit to, we have fitness and nutrition programs designed to target your whole body, meet you where you’re at right now and level up with you as your fitness becomes more advanced. Various programs from our popular 21-day Get Fit to the Ultimate Twelve Weeks Home Workout and Diet Plan will ensure you’re getting the most out of your workouts. And trust us – there’s no magic pill to do it for you.
Take Care,
Obi Obadike
