Muscle Groups - The Abdoninals Part 2

Hello!
         
         So in the first part of this I showed you what makes up your abs and how you can stretch them. In this second part I'm going to move onto some exercises you can do to help work these muscles, as well some advice to help you show them off better!

         Before I get into the actual exercises it is important to look at how much you should be doing. It is generally agreed that you shouldn't do too much work on your abs. By no means should you ignore them but realistically you only need to spend 5 to 10 minutes of a training session working them, this may surprise you considering the fact that there are hundreds of different exercises that you can do to work them. If you have ever done an abs class at the gym you may find that they tend to mix them in with workouts for other parts of the body, this makes sense because if you have ever done 5 minutes of intense core workout you know your going to struggle to do much more.

         I'd also like to bust a couple of myths here while I can, you will not burn off stomach fat by doing lots of crunches. It is impossible to target one area of the body for fat loss, and unfortunately the last part of your body to loose fat, so to get results you need to combine this exercise with others (including cardio) and a balanced diet. Another myth is that once you have got your results you can stop working. Even with a muscle regularly used like you abdominals, regular exercise is needed to maintain them, with attention needed on keeping your body fat low!

Exercises

         I'll be splitting the exercises into 4 different groups, Upper abs, Lower abs, (these focus on the rectus abdominis), the obliques (both internal and external) and transverse abdomini.

Exercise 1 - Traditional Crunch (Upper abs)

         This is the most well known exercise for working the abs, while not quite the standard sit up it is very similar. The starting position is to lie down with the knees bent, you can use some weights or a bar to hold your feet in position if necessary.

Starting Position

         Next you need to lift your shoulder blades off the floor in a crunching motion, you don't need to reach your knees like in a sit up. To increase the difficulty you can hold a dumbbell plate against your chest for extra resistance.

Finishing Position

Exercise 2 - Hanging knee raise (lower abs)

         Lower body movement is needed to work the bottom of the abs, as the name suggests you need to hang  from a pull up bar for this exercise with your hands at shoulder length apart and arms straight.

Starting Position

         Now you need to lift your legs to your chest and hold it, then lower them back to the starting position. It is important not to let your body swing and to use your body not your moment to lift your legs up.

Finishing Position

Exercise 3 - Side Jackknife (obliques)

         The starting position for this exercise is similar to the side plank but with your waist on the floor. Another words you need to lie on your side leaning on your arm.

Starting Position

         Now without moving anything else raise your legs off the floor a couple of inches, hold at the top and lower, now swap sides and repeat. You can either have you hand against your side or behind your head for some additional difficulty.

Finishing Position

Exercise 4 - Plank (Transverse Abdomini)

         This is another one of the well known exercises for your core, it's simple but incredibly effective which is why its so well known. To perform the plank just assume a press up like position, but with your forearms on the floor. Keep your back straight and tense your stomach, now hold this position for between 30 - 60 seconds. While it may sound easy by the end of 60 seconds (provided you've kept your shape) then it should be very difficult, to make this harder you can increase the time or have your legs on a platform.

Position mid-plank

         That's all of the exercises for now, though I may post some more difficult ones at a later date. Just remember what I said before, don't spend too much time on these exercises and mix them with other workouts for the best results. If you've got any thoughts leave me a comment!

Cheers,

Rich

References:
iMuscle App for iPhone and iPad
The new abs diet - David Zinczenko