Best Abdominal Exercises And Workouts
Ab muscles are muscles everyone wants although many dont know how to go about getting them. The abs are just like any other muscle and need proper training, nutrition and rest in order to grow. Doing 100 sit-ups a day will NOT give you ab muscles as many other factors have to be taken into consideration first. One of which is overtraining. If your working your abs everyday then you are overtraining them. Secondly, are you eating correctly. If your body fat percentage is not low enough or you are overweight, you will never see your ab muscles no matter how hard you work them.
You will need to get rid of any excess fat around your midsection by Dieting Sensibly and working your ab muscles no more than 2 or 3 times a week. You can still make progress working them only once a week as they are just like any other muscle in your body. You wouldnt be hitting your Chest 3 times a week now would you? If your dieting correctly and hitting each muscle group once a week, you should see some good improvements to your physique. To help improve results even more, add in some Cardio Work . This will burn additional calories and can greatly help you lose that layer of fat surrounding your ab muscles.
Lets take a look at the types of ab exercises and workouts you can do:
Abdominal Crunches
The abdominal crunch is an exercise that many people perform incorrectly and do not use good form. Using bad form will not only make your ab workouts less effective but can also cause back problems. To perform a crunch, lie down on the floor and bend your knees. Place hands either across your chest or lightly behind your head. With your lower back pressed firmly against the floor contract your abdominal muscles and lift yourself up off the floor.
Shoulder blades should be raised 2-3 inches off the floor in a slow and controlled motion. Pause for a second and then lower your body slowly back to the floor. Do not go all the way back down to the floor as you still want your ab muscles slightly contracted when you push for that next rep. You may find it useful to place some sort of weight above your feet whilst performing the crunch as this will restrict any movement of the feet.
Tuck Crunch
The tuck crunch is very similar to an ordinary crunch. The only difference we have here is that the legs are raised and knees are bent to form a right angle. The tuck crunch places greater stress on the upper ab muscles whilst also hitting the remaining ab muscles to a lesser extent.
To perform the tuck crunch lie down on the floor and bend your knees to form a right angle. Legs should be raised off the floor at this point. Keep the legs parallel to the floor with your hands placed across your chest or behind your head. Contract ab muscles and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Shoulders only need to be raised a few inches off the floor and then returned to the starting position.
Abdominal Leg Raises
Leg raises are great for hitting those lower ab muscles. They place primary stress on the lower abs whilst also working the upper ab muscles. Performing the leg raise is relatively easy. Lie down flat on the floor with hands positioned by your sides. Now attempt to curl your legs up above you while keeping the legs as straight as possible. Focus on contracting your abdominal muscles when curling your legs up. Lower your legs back down so that the legs are a couple of inches off the floor and repeat. You may also perform this exercise with legs slightly bent.
Seated leg tucks
Seated leg tucks are another great exercise for hitting the lower abdominal muscles. The primary muscles worked during the seated leg tuck are the lower abs with the upper region of the abs being the secondary muscle worked. You can choose to perform this exercise by either sitting on a bench, or sitting on the floor. I would recommend using a bech for this exercise as you can then use a fuller range of motion for the exercise.
Position yourself at the end of the bench and grab hold of each side for support and balance. You should also lean your body back ever so slightly for additional comfort. With your knees slightly bent, lift your legs straight out infront of you. Now bring your knees in towards your chest and then back to their original position. Do not let your feet touch the floor!
Oblique Crunch
The obliques cruch will help develop your oblique muscles which are positioned either side of your rib cage. The obliques muscles are actually formed by two muscles known as the external and internal obliques. To perform the oblique crunch you will need to position yourself as if you was doing a regular crunch or situp. Lay down on your Back with knees bent and hands across the chest/behind the head. Contract your abs and lift your shoulder blades off the floor towards your right or left knee. Depending on which side you are working, you should bring your left elbow towards your right knee to work the left sided oblique muscle and the opposite to work your right sided oblique.
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Other Resources:
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Netfit.co.uk - Abdominal muscle exercises and abdominal oblique exercises
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Exercise.about.com - Top 10 Most Effective Ab Exercises