6 Important Ab Workout Techniques
Abdominal muscle exercises strengthen your abs and get you closer to the six pack.
Abdominal Crunch
Lie on the floor on your back with knees bent. Keep feet flat on the floor and support your head and neck with your hands.
While keeping your back flat on the floor, perform a crunch bringing your elbows to your knees.
Remember, you aren’t pulling with your arms. Use your abs to bring your body to your knees.
Keep the back as flat to the floor as possible the entire time.
Lying Straight Leg Lowers – Abdominal Muscle Exercise
Lie on the floor on your back. Start with your legs positioned in the air forming a 90 degree hip angle (legs are perpendicular to the floor).
Keep your legs in a straight line from feet to hips as much as possible.
Squeeze your hips and legs together to help create stability.
For the movement, slowly lower your legs toward the floor. Keep the back flat on the floor the entire time. Stop lowering at about 45 degrees, pause, the return to the start position.
Use your abs to bring your legs back up. Also, only go as far as you are comfortable. 45 degrees may be difficult.
If you can’t keep the back flat, then you’ve lowered too far. If you have trouble keeping back flat and end up arching, then practice with bent knees to help prevent the back from arching.
Reverse Plank
This exercise works the backside of your body. Start sitting on the floor with legs straight.
Push your hands into the floor and lift your body up. As you push your palms into the floor, squeeze your butt and thighs. Raise your body up off the floor keeping a straight line from head to heels.
Hold this position for 30 seconds. Work up to 1 to 3 minute holds.
Take deep breathes in and out of your nose throughout the time.
Crunch Twist – Abdominal Muscle Exercise
Lie on the floor on your back. Knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and hands behind the neck.
The hands should be supporting the head the entire movement. Don’t pull on the neck. Just use your hands to support the head position.
As you crunch, rotate the upper body to one side. Then rotate back down to the start position. Next, rotate the upper body with the other side. Then return to the start.
Exhale on the way up, inhale on the way down.
Remember, during this abdominal muscle exercise don’t use your arms to pull yourself up. Focus on keeping the back flat and do the exercise in a slow, controlled manner. This should be done slowly, not trying to use momentum for each repetition.
Core Abdominal Muscle Exercise
Airplane Pose
Stand with your feet together and arms positioned at your sides.
Focus on a spot on the floor as you lift one leg back. As you are lifting your leg, focus on keeping the leg straight and inline with the rest of your torso. There should be a straight line from the heel of the leg lifted to the head.
This is essentially a hamstring exercise. You may not quite be able to get your torso and leg parallel to the floor. It will depend on how flexible your hamstrings are.
Keep the core tight throughout the movement. Perform 10 reps on one leg then repeat the opposite leg.
Dolphin Pose
Start in an inverted V with forearms on the floor.
Elbows are out with hands clasped. Head is between your arms while you are looking at your feet.
Keep you legs straight the entire time.
Perform the exercise by shifting your body forward. Your head ends up above your hands.
Return the start position and repeat the desired number of reps.
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