Individuals can start doing some exercises for toning their ab muscles. Your abs or abdominal muscles perform various functions that include turning your body either to your back or front or to both your sides. Abdominal muscles help individuals maintain their body posture, apart from keeping their spine flexible. Even if it is tough for you to train your ab muscles, you would be able to see good results with some efforts made from your side to perform these exercises.
Following are some of the exercises that individuals can do as a part of their workout routine to strengthen their ab muscles.
1. Weighted Russian Twists:
This is one of the commonly known strength exercises that can be done by individuals using a weight plate which would help you strengthen your ab muscles, particularly the rectus abdominis and your obliques. Basically, in this exercise, your torso would be rotated from one side to another side, while you are placed in a sit-up position with your feet kept away from the ground. By being in this position, there will be a contraction of your abs in order to hold on to your sit-up position.
Equipment Required:
• Weight Plate
How to do this exercise?
• Firstly, you can start off by seating yourself on the floor and keep your knees in a bent position. Your feet must stay flat and off the floor.
• Now, hold on to a weight plate in your hands and brace your core muscles.
• Your hands must be extended out directly in front of the chest.
• Start breathing in and out and lean back by holding your torso at around 90 degrees angle, while your arms are kept extended.
• Start turning your torso to your right and after pausing for a few seconds, begin to squeeze the core muscles.
• Subsequently, start turning your torso to your left and after pausing for a few seconds, begin to squeeze your ab muscles.
• You have completed one rep.
You can try and do at least 2-3 sets comprising of 15 reps each per set by alternating between both sides. You can rest for a minute after completing each set.
2. Tuck and Crunch:
This is one of the variations of the crunch exercise that can be done by individuals to train their rectus abdominis, including their core muscles. This exercise works your entire core as well as your lower back muscles. Moreover, it does not place any strain on the lower back of individuals as they perform the movements.
Equipment Required:
• Exercise Mat
How to do this exercise?
• You can start by lying on your back on the floor, with your knees kept raised at an angle of 90 degrees.
• As you start lifting your torso, bring the chest nearer to your thighs.
• Try and hold on to the position for a few moments and start curling the upper body which can help to increase tension on to your abs.
• You can again start moving slowly back on to the starting position.
• You have completed one rep.
You can try and do at least 3 sets comprising of 15 reps each per set.
3. Jackknife Sit-Ups:
This exercise can help you in building strength in your abdominal muscles. Besides, it is also a wonderful way by which you can keep your abs tight, particularly your lower abs. It also targets your glutes muscles as well as muscles present near the top of your thighs.
Equipment Required:
• Exercise Mat
How to do this exercise?
• Start by lying flat on your back onto a mat and keep your arms extended at the back and above your head. Also, keep your legs extended long completely.
• Start bending at your waistline and simultaneously continue to lift the arms as well as legs, so that they arrive at a jackknife position. You should breathe out as you perform this movement.
• Once you are in this position, keep your legs extended completely at a 45 degrees angle from the ground.
• After keeping your arms extended completely and at a position that is parallel to the legs, start lifting your upper body away from the floor.
• Now, as you breathe out, get your arms and legs lowered back on to the floor by coming back to your starting position.
• You have completed one rep.
You can try and do about 3 sets comprising of 8 reps each.
4. Hanging Leg Lifts:
This is a highly effective and a heavy exercise that works the major abdominal muscles of individuals such as their rectus abdominis and their external obliques. In addition to that, they help individuals to improve the health of their spine as well as their core strength as a whole. As individuals are normally hanging from a bar while performing the movement, they are able to obtain sufficient grip strength in addition to improving their shoulder strength.
Equipment Required:
• Pull-up bar
How to do this exercise?
• You can start off by holding on to a pull-up bar firmly with an overhand grip and keep your hands shoulder-width apart.
• Start engaging your ab muscles and begin to lift your legs slowly and steadily. As you lift the legs, try to ensure that they are kept straight and reach a position of 90 degrees with the torso. While doing this movement, your torso must be kept stable.
• After having brought your legs to such a position, you can start lowering down again and come back to the starting position.
• You have completed one rep.
You can try and do about 3 sets comprising of about 8 reps each, by resting for a minute or two between each set.
Image Source: www.coachmag.co.uk
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
