3 TOP AB EXERCISES

People are becoming increasingly concerned with their health and achieving a healthy lifestyle. As such, more and more people are visiting the gym to keep fit and achieve desirable and ton figures through bodybuilding. Abs are one of the main areas of focus for most body builders. Although there are many exercises that can be done to build the abs muscles, some exercises are more effective than others are. The most effective abs exercises include;

 

Planks

Planks are excellent exercises for working all the core abdominal muscles. The normal plank is done when the body is put in a plank position; with abdominal muscles tucked; resting on the forearms and toes. Plank exercises are done in sets whereby the individual holds the position for a certain duration. An average set lasts between 30-60 seconds. Various alterations can be made to the plank to increase intensity such as the side plank that targets each side of the body.

 

Crunch

The crunch is another abs exercises that works the abdominal muscles intensively. Crunch exercises focus on contracting the abdominal muscles. A standard crunch is done with the individual lying on a flat surface with their knees bent and feet touching the ground. The person then lifts their shoulders and contracts the abdominal muscles while keeping their lower back flat on the surface. There are different variations of the crunch exercise some which use gym equipment like weights and others are performed on a fit ball. The most effective crunch exercises include the bicycle crunch, reverse crunch and ball crunch.

 

Vertical Chair Knee Raise

This exercise is also known as the Captain’s Chair exercise. It is one of the best core training exercises that takes abs workout to a more intense level. It is performed on a raise machine with the individual hanging between two parallel bars propping their back against the back pad. The individual then slowly lifts their knees towards their chest and holds his legs parallel to the flow before slowly releasing the feet back to their initial dangling position. The exercise is performed in 2-3 sets of between 12-30 repeats. To increase to intensity of the exercise dumbbells can be held between the legs while performing the exercise.