5 Of The Best Abdominal Exercises for Getting Six Pack Abs
Everyone has their own opinions about the best abdominal exercises. There are, however, one principle that cannot be ignored when it comes to picking great exercises for building six pack abs:
You need to both exercises that isolate the abdominal muscles and full body exercises that help burn fat. If you’re simply doing static exercises that isolate the abdominals, you’re selling yourself well short.
Here then are 5 of the best abdominal exercises that most people are not doing.
1. Mountain climbers.
With this exercise you get down into the pushup position, then basically “run” on the spot. Just pretend that your climbing up a hill on all fours, but only simulate the movement while remaining in one place. Simply bring one leg up while shooting back the other.
This is a great full body exercise, an excellent fat burner and it really engages the abdominal muscles.
2. Static jumps.
Closely related to mountain climbers, with this exercise you also assume the pushup position. Instead of alternating between bringing your legs forward, here you “jump” forward with both legs at once, landing your feet beneath your chest while keeping your hands planted on the ground. Kick back to straighten your legs and repeat.
Done correctly, this is once again an excellent full body exercise. It may sound easy now, but do it a few times and you'll soon change your mind! One of the best abdominal exercises you can do.
3. Hanging leg lifts.
You’ll need something like a pull up bar to do this exercise. Grab the bar and hang there with your arms and legs extended. Now raise your knees, bringing them in towards your chest. Do not jerk, use a smooth, controlled motion. Another, tougher variation of this exercise can be done by keeping the legs almost straight and then lifting them in front of you until they’re level with your waist.
You can also do a few pull ups in between every few repetitions of this exercise.
4. Towel slide.
For this exercise you need a smooth surface that will allow a piece of cloth, like a towel or old shirt, to slide freely. In other words, a tiled floor will work, a carpet won't.
For this explanation we’ll assume you’re using a towel. Assume the pushup position with your feet on the towel. Now, while keeping your legs and arms straight, slide your feet in towards your hands (until they’re more or less in line with your waist), then slide back into the full pushup position and repeat. Keep your mind focused on your abdominals to make sure they do the work here.
To turn this into a more involved full body exercise, do some pushups after every two or three slides.
5. Jack knives.
This is another great abdominal exercise. Get down on your back, keeping your legs straight and your arms extended over your head. Now, lift your legs while keeping them straight, and at the same time lift your arms (also keeping them straight) to touch your legs in the air above your waist. Never jerk when you do this exercise, maintain a smooth controlled motion. When you can’t do any more reps without jerking, it’s time to stop.
And there you have 5 of the best abdominal exercises almost no one is doing!
Next, discover more of the best abdominal exercises and tips on how to get 6 pack abs.
Tags: abdominal exercises, best abdominal exercises, six pack abs
