Nadeem Everyone loves the look of a lean, tight body, complete with a six-pack. It shows that you care enough about your body and your health to put some effort into keeping in shape by doing the best ab workouts. You’ll be able to be proud to take your shirt off, and you’ll finally be able to go to the beach without worrying whether your gut is hanging over your bathing suit. Working on your abs can help you keep healthy and in shape, but it can also boost your confidence.
Beyond that, your abs are core muscles that help your entire body work better as a whole. The best ab workout will understand this and focus on creating strong muscles in your abdominal section.
Forget about the traditional sit-ups and crunches. If you’ve done those before, you’ll know that they are often hard to do correctly and that in the end they simply are NOT the best ab workout. Traditional crunches might encourage people to pull muscles in their necks because they are trying to pull themselves into a crunch position in the wrong way. The best ab workout possible will concentrate on your abs and won’t put any unnecessary strain on other body parts.
The best ab workouts should also focus on specific parts of your abs. Did you know that your abdominal muscles are made up of different groups? You can focus on the lower abs, the uppers or the sides. Next, let’s take a look at exactly what kinds of ab workouts benefit you the most.
Some of the Best Ab Workouts and Routines
Try some of these exercises for the best ab workout possible. Remember, abdominal exercise alone can’t get rid of belly fat; only consuming fewer calories than you burn during a day can help you lose weight. However, it’s incredibly important to focus on keeping your core muscles strong, and you’ll want to have these muscles already in shape whenever you start losing weight so that your abs will start to show.
You might already be familiar with “The Bicycle.” Get into a traditional crunch position, but lift one leg at an angle in the air in front of you and the other leg bent at a 90-degree angle so that its foot is touching your other knee. Put your hands behind your head so that your elbows stick out to the sides. Use your abs to lift yourself up into a position where your elbow can touch the opposite knee as you do this. After you touch your elbow to your knee, switch the position of your legs so that your other leg is straight instead of bent. This exercise strengthens your obliques (the sides) and your rectus abdominis (the traditional six pack muscles).
Exercise balls can help you get more out of your workouts, and they are relatively inexpensive. Place your feet on the floor, but lean your back and bottom up against the exercise ball. Do your crunches from this position in order to have the most effective and best ab workout. It can help you involve more of your entire body to help you stabilize, which is important to help ensure that you don’t strain any one body part.
You can also use a little bit of equipment for the best ab workout. If you have a torso track or an ab wheel, take it out from under the bed and dust it off. When used correctly, these exercises can help you gain a lot of strong muscles with just a little bit of movement. Remember to keep your back straight as you roll out close to the floor. Go as far down as comfortable, but never collapse entirely onto the floor. You’ll know if you are doing these incorrectly because your back will start to ache instead of your ab muscles. Keep these to a minimum; less is more. Once you start doing too many in a row, you can get lazy with positioning and can injure your back.
Some of the best ab workouts don’t require much movement at all. In fact, when planking on your elbows and toes, your goal should be to keep as still as possible while still breathing normally. To do this exercise, get down into a pushup position. However, instead of placing your hands on the floor, rest on your forearms. Stay in this position for up to a minute in order to strengthen those core muscles and create a strong base for other exercises. Don’t let your bottom stick up in the air or starting moving toward the floor. Tighten your muscles and keep everything in place for as long as you can. You’ll find that not moving can be harder than you think.
Which Is the Best Ab Workout for Me?
The best ab workout varies for each person. Remember to do only what you feel comfortable doing. Although you want to push yourself to try new exercises, don’t try any exercise that you feel could injure you. Know your own body and what it currently can and cannot do. The good news is this: a good ab workout can be modified in order to make it less stressful on certain parts of your body. Although this might not provide you with the most effective exercise that will strengthen your abs quickly, it will keep you safe during your workout so that you can consistently move toward your goal.
Nobody can tell you which workout is going to be the best ab workout for you. You’ll need to try them out for yourself and see which one seems to be working most effectively. Be sure to take a look at which muscles your exercises are utilizing so that you don’t do too many of the same kind. You want a well-rounded workout that covers all of your bases, not just one abdominal group.
Good luck with your ab workout, and happy exercising!
