With today’s fitness industry marketing, obscure and expensive training machines that “guarantee” quick results and life-changing results, we wonder, did some of the most famous midsections in history need the same ones? tools? Did Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, or the late Serge Nubret need the AB Rocket, or the Ab Belt, to sculpt the fitness industry’s “perfect” six-pack? The answer, obviously, is no. Our idea of fitness has been watered down so much by “as seen on TV” ads that we’ve forgotten the basics of creating a chiseled midsection. Let’s forget about marketing gimmicks and take a look back at a time when hard work and diet got you the results you were looking for, not money and useless products.
Hanging Leg Raises
One of the best abdominal exercises one can do, and yet almost one of the easiest to do incorrectly. Hanging leg raises work the entire abdominal region, rather than targeting the upper abs like most ab exercises do. Make sure that when lifting your legs, you don’t stop just parallel! This is the most common mistake people make, and you’re really just working your hip flexors. Make sure that at the top of the lift you flex your hips up and try to bring your knees to your chest. This ensures that you are squeezing your entire midsection. Make sure you do them slowly and with control. Form is always better than number of reps. Remember, the lower abs are what distinguishes one physique from another, and is commonly referred to as the holy grail of body building!
decline sit-ups
The staple for many people’s ab workouts, decline crunches are one of the best ways to really highlight the cuts between your abs. Many people report some discomfort in their lower back when they begin to add weight, which is commonly caused by the curvature of the back when it is forced to hunch up. Be sure to add just enough resistance to make the exercise challenging enough to hit your rep range; don’t add so much that your form suffers, or you risk injuring yourself. Keeping your elbows close to your body (don’t use them to balance yourself), slowly tighten your abs and lift yourself up to the top of your preferred range of motion before slowly lowering back down, making sure to keep your back as straight as possible. possible!
bicycle crunches
A difficult exercise to master, bicycle crunches effectively work the entire abdominal region with a special emphasis on the serratus muscle (the sides). First, you lie down on the floor with your arms behind your head and your legs raised in the air. Begin by doing upward crunches while simultaneously twisting your body and bringing one of your elbows to the opposite knee. Slowly lower to the ground and repeat with the other elbow and knee. The trick to this exercise is to slowly contract your abs and squeeze at the top, when your elbow and knee are at their peak, to feel the burn in your serratus.
There are many more ab exercises that can be used to effectively target your midsection, but these three exercises should be a staple in anyone’s training regimen. They have been tested over and over again over the years and have always produced amazing results. No matter what exercises you choose to incorporate into your workout, be sure to combine them with a healthy diet and get ready for the attention you’ll be receiving this summer.