People are constantly asking what the most effective ab exercises are, which is why I decided to do a post on abdominal exercises for women and men.
Above I have a few pictures of four different exercises. One in the gym. One yoga exercise. One windsurfing, and one stretch. Do you know what is common among all of them?
If you said that they all of the exercises work the ab muscles, then you would be right.
That is the really crazy thing about the abdomen – you don’t need to work it specifically in order to get defined abs. Do stomach workouts speed up the process and make it go faster? Yes. But is it necessary? No. All workouts get your core going.
By the way, here are a couple of free videos that will show you how to get an amazing body. The first is for men, and the second is for women:
Video for men:
Video for women:
So if you have a low body percentage and workout routinely, chances are your stomach will be defined.
Okay, but you didn’t come here to get lectured about low body fat percentages and about how “core” exercises have been taken to the extreme by the fitness industry. You want the most best workouts for your midsection to get a toned, defined stomach by summer. Well, you asked, and I delivered. Here are the top 5 exercises:
#5. The Crunch. The most basic workout. Done like a sittup but only going up partially. This is by far the worst of all the exercises listed here.
#4. The Plank. Lay straight on your forearms and toes, keeping your head up and back straight. Hold for 30 seconds to 2 and a half minutes. This is an excellent exercise because it trains your midsection to be tone while you’re in standing position, and it’s also great for the spine. Here’s a video of the plank:
#3. The Side Plank. Lay on your side forearm and foot, raise your side for 30 seconds to 2 and a half minutes. Repeat on other side. Great workout for the side abs. Here’s a video of the side plank:
#2. The Leg Lift. Lay on your back. Raise your legs. Hold. This exercise is amazing for the lower abs. Here’s a video of a leg lift:
#1. Leg Lift On a Pullup Bar. Harder than the leg lift of #3, you hold onto a pullup bar and lift your legs straight up. You can also alternate to the sides for the side abs. This is an advanced exercise – but by far the best one if you can do it. It’s amazing for the lower abdomen.
A few extra notes:
I know a lot of you guys are looking to get ripped ab by summer time, and I want you to succeed, so I just wanted to give you a few tips outside of the above exercise.
1. Start a moderate diet now. Something you can handle but will allow you to lose weight. A week or two before beach time, go super low carb/no carb, high protein and add some more cardio. It’s slight pain for those two weeks but it will pay off at the beach big time.
2. Don’t forget the basics. These workouts help, but the main thing as always is consistency and low body fat percentage when you’re trying to tone up. Keep it up, and your body for adapt. Try not to skip workouts!
3. Remember – it’s really not that hard. A lot of people let themselves get “psyched out” or “intimidated” by the idea of working out and dieting pre-summer. Attention guys and girls – all this worry is about literally eating a little less (diet) and moving around for 10 minutes (working out). It’s not that big a deal. Just be consistent and you’ll look awesome for summer!