There are many different reasons to exercise the abdominal muscles. Having strong abs will give you a leaner, more toned look, strengthening your abs helps you better support your back, which can improve posture and relieve back pain, having a baby distends the abdominal muscles. What are the best exercises for the abs?
The abdominals consist of 4 separate muscle groups; a horizontal, a vertical, and 2 oblique diagonal groups. For an ab workout to be truly effective, it must work all 4 abdominal muscle groups. A great abs exercise that incorporates all 4 muscle groups is a simple crunch with a body twist.
The abdominal muscles are among the most resilient of all muscle groups in the body, so you can safely work the abs on a daily basis. There are many great abs exercises that you can perform at any time of day, anywhere, that can help train your abs to maintain slight contraction, which is what gives you the appearance of a slim, flat stomach.
One great abs exercise that you can perform anywhere at all is simply tightening your abs and releasing them (repeat 10 times). Another exercise that you can do sitting at your desk is to contract your abs and straighten your knees to lift your legs off of the floor. Hold that posture for a count of 5 and repeat 5 times.
Try adding these 3 great abs exercises to your workout:
1) The Oblique Crunch. Lie on your back, with your hands behind your head, your knees bent and pointing toward the ceiling, and your feet flat on the floor. Lift your left knee, and bring your right elbow towards the left knee. Try to keep your elbows on the same plane as each other. Return to your starting position. Repeat this great abs exercise 5 times, and then do 5 repetitions with the right knee and left elbow.
2) The Plank. To perform this great abs exercise, lie on your back with your knees bent up toward the ceiling. Keep your feet flat on the floor, and extend your arms out level with your shoulders. Tighten your abs, and raise your body up to form a straight line from knees to shoulders. (Note: the original document didn’t have any information about how long to hold the pose or how may reps to do.)
3) This exercise is one that you do not need to be in workout mode to perform, and you should consider working this great abs exercise into your daily routine. Tighten your ab muscles and your pelvic floor muscles at the same time. Flatten the curve of your lower back. Hold this posture for a count of 5. Perform this great abs exercise when you are seated, when you are standing, when you are lying down.
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