If you try and rank the best exercises for the abdominal muscles, not matter what you do, you’re going to start a debate. This is primarily because, as muscles, we each feel them work differently.
Muscle strength or appearance?
No-one doubts that a good-looking stomach is important if you’re looking for that athletic aesthetic. A lack of unnecessary fat tissue, flat, but with the outline of the muscles, we all know what we’re looking for here. It does not have to be a legendary "six-pack", but it is important that a strong stomach isn’t something we neglect when we are training. The strength of the abdominal muscles must go hand in hand with the appearance - they are vital as stabilizing muscles, and they used in many activities day-to-day and are necessary in virtually every sport.
Everyone has "their own exercises"
Discussions about which exercises "shred" and which completely "don't work" are probably one of the most popular topics of conversation in gyms. And it must be admitted that feeling a lot of abdominal exercises is a very individual thing. Classic crunches performed, for example, can be a punishing exercise for some, and a complete waste of time for others. So how do you choose a set of exercises for yourself? Unfortunately, it’s just trial and error. Remember that we need to devote time and attention to each new exercise we test and that It's not enough to do five repetitions sloppily and conclude that it doesn't work. Train precisely, as close to perfectly as you can for several sessions and then, if we do not see the effects, it is time to look for a different set of exercises.
The abdominal muscles like variety
So, for several months now, you have been doing the same abdominal exercises during each training session and you are satisfied because your muscles are clearly tense. Now maybe the time it’s worth trying something new and surprising your muscles. In the case of the abdominal muscles, "boredom" and ineffectiveness develop quite quickly. There is also little possibility of stagnations as adding weight to these can be tricky, exercises are performed completely without weight, and trying to add in weights may even result in a bad technique. Now it’s time for a change.
Include NEAT and isometric exercises in working on your abdominal muscles
We wrote about NEAT recently - it is a spontaneous physical activity that we perform during the day. This is not a workout, but an exercise related to daily activities. It’s down to us whether there will be a lot of work here or we if will save ourselves and be lazy (simple choice: stairs or elevator, car, or a walk to the shops etc.). Each additional activity helps you burn excess calories and therefore affects the appearance of your belly. If you also add isometric exercises (a few seconds of contracting the muscles without shortening their length) during everyday activities, you’ll really feel the difference.
According to scientists...
Scientists examined the most popular exercises for the abdominal muscles - classic crunches, rope pulls, lifting the knees to the chest, "pocketknife" clasps and a few more. Out of total of 12 exercises that were tested for abdominal muscle tone, four exercises achieved the best results in the study:
Oblique abdominal tension with bicycle legs
Lying on your back with your hands clasped behind your head, you raise your upper body, tensing your abdominal muscles. Bend the legs at the knees and slowly make the movement as when pedaling a bicycle. At the same time, while moving, bring the right knee to the left elbow, and then the left knee to the right elbow. Keeps the torso is always raised. We maintain this position with the help of tense abdominal muscles and really put them to work here.
Raising the knees while hanging on handrails
Rest your forearms on the handrails, and the back is supported. We bring our knees up to our chest slowly, using only the strength of the abdominal muscles. This is an exercise in which it is very easy to cheat - just swing your legs and it will be easier. The point is not to have the repetitions counted, but to tire your stomach. Effects depend only on your honesty. Advanced option: the more you straighten your legs at the knees, the harder it gets.
Abdominal strains while lying on the floor with raised legs
Lie on your back, hands clasped behind your head or alongside your body. Legs slightly bent at the knees, raised perpendicular to the ground. The movement then consists in lifting the torso up towards the feet without changing the position of the legs. The range of motion is very small, but the effort is big, just like the results.
Abdominal strain on an exercise ball
Lie on an exercise ball so that your buttocks and part of your torso rest against it. The shoulders and head are to be off the ball. Keep your legs bent at the knees and feet resting on the ground provide balance. Keeping your hands clasped behind your head, you tense your abdominal muscles by lifting your head and shoulders. A more advanced option: hold a weight with your arms straightened perpendicular to the ground and lift your torso, trying to lift the weight as high as possible.
WHY CHOOSE A BARBELL FOR THE HOME GYM
The Bar is one of the most important items in your gym. Pressing, squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press - these popular exercises require the use of a barbell and are considered foundation exercises for increasing overall strength.
Types of bars
There are three types of bars that are the most popular:
Straight bar - a bar with a length of 120 cm to 220 cm, at both ends of which we symmetrically mount the load in the form of plates of different weights and often secure it with a clamp.
Broken bar - shorter and bent (stronger or weaker) - allows for anatomical positioning of the hands and protects against wrist overload This is mainly used for exercising the biceps and triceps muscles.
Truss - the characteristic appearance of this bar allows you to practice in slightly unusual grips, e.g., bending your forearms in a hammer grip. Liked by people with a bit longer training experience who already have good muscular feeling and are looking for precise exercises.
In addition to these, you can find more specialized bars, such as the duffalo bar, which gives the impression of sagging under the weight and can provide the exerciser with relief from the shoulder girdle when training squats with huge weights. Strongmen and other big weight specialists also like hex bars that look more like a complicated exercise cage, not a bar. The yoke barbell, on the other hand, was created with advanced leg training in mind, because when put on the arms, it forces the quadriceps muscles to control the movement quite specifically. As you can see, the ordinary bar has many complicated variations, all with different purposes in mind.
What's best for you?
Of course, it is worth having different types of bars on hand, but are they necessary? You may find out later that you are only using one or two types. So, think about what type of training you prefer and what your training goals are.
If you want to perform dynamic exercises and have many reps in a set, a shorter barbell - 150 cm or even 120 cm will be more convenient.
For deadlifts, squats, or shoulder presses, we choose a straight bar and here a longer version is ideal - minimum 180 cm – for example. Maybe a shorter barbell is enough at first, but as you progress through your training, you'll find that a longer bar is more comfortable.
If you have problems with your wrists, e.g., from long-term computer work, use a flat barbell to exercise your arms. Bars with a stronger bend is intended for advanced exercises, so be sure to correct any form errors before using this.
The lattice may not be the number one purchase, but it will also come in handy when you want to experiment with different grips and build your arm muscles more comprehensively too.
A prosaic matter - a place
The Olympic bar is over 2 meters long. This is a lot if we are going to practice at home. And you also must consider the freedom of movement not only while exercising, but also turning around, putting down the barbell, and putting on weights. So, before you decide to buy the largest of the available bars, think about whether you will be able to use it comfortably and how it would fit in with your training space.
What clamps?
The choice is wide - from light, plastic ones to powerful, Olympic ones, made of steel. Universal spring clamps are very popular in gyms - they are light and can be put on quickly. Unfortunately, they tend not to last too long, and they tend to loosen after repeated use. An alternative is the lightweight plastic clamps, however, these are not usually made of the strongest material, so use it wisely be careful. Many trainees believe that for exercises with high loads, we should be using the most reliable clamps possible. So, it's worth having a pair of strong steel clamps if you can. REMEMBER - although we think that we perform the exercise extremely precisely, we will always be cutting corners and loosing form. Take care to conscious of this and remember even a two-kilogram plate falling on the foot can be agony and discourage further exercise
Barbell rack – The dream home gym
When you start using plates heavier than 5 kg for exercises with a barbell, it's time to think about a specialized barbell rack. Preferably one with adjustable height handles. You be able to use it for exercises in a standing position and during bench press. It is much safer than putting the barbell on the stomach, thighs or over the head as well as great for storage.