The Best Work Out With Regard To The The Muscles That Make Up The Abs

By Gary Kittrell


Many fitness enthusiasts desire to develop their abdomen more than any other area. Some fail to realize that the abdominal area is not merely one muscle. The abdomen is made up of a group of muscles. Because of this fact, one should utilize a group of different exercises in order to get the best work out for this group of muscles. There are many different exercises to choose from that are excellent for developing the abs.

The most popular exercise for the abs is the crunch. The crunch is done by lying face up on the floor. Then, with knees slightly bent, one would proceed to raise the upper-body towards the knees to crunch the abdomen. To raise the level of difficulty, one could place an exercise ball between ones legs and perform the crunch.

A nice variation on the popular crunch is to bring the left foot up and rest it on the right knee across the body. Repeat the crunching action while in this position. Follow this by placing the right foot across onto the left knee across ones body. Alternating the crunch exercise provides different stimulation for the muscle group which is an excellent work out for the abdominal muscles.

Another variation to the crunch exercise is the reverse crunch. In this exercise, one would lie on ones back and engage the abs by lifting the lower body upwards towards the chest instead of lifting the upper torso off of the floor towards the knees. Utilize slow and controlled motion to optimize the workout. As with most exercises, the effectiveness comes from using proper form.

The hanging knee lift is an exercise that is also excellent for the abdominal muscles. The hanging knee lift is executed by holding a chin-up bar and elevating the bottom half of the body bringing the knees into the chest. To perform this exercise properly, one should refrain from moving the upper body and lift the lower body at the pelvis, not the hip. Bending at the hip is a good hip flexor exercise, but does little for the abdomen.

Another workout for the abdominal muscles is known as the bicycle. In this exercise, one would lie on ones back and motions the legs in the same motion as one would when riding a bike. The hands should be interlocked and rest comfortably behind the head and the abs should be contracted the whole time in order to get the maximum benefit from this exercise. Also, one should twist the body while moving the legs to cause each elbow to alternately touch the opposite knee in the bicycle motion.

One alteration to the bicycle exercise is to alternate between fast and slow speeds. This presents the abdominal muscle group with alternating resistance which helps with development. Another alteration is to pause during this exercise and then extend one fully extend one leg holding it at a 45 degree angle above the floor keeping the other leg in a crouched position. After a few seconds, switch and hold the other leg at a 45 degree angle above the floor while keeping the first leg in a couched position.

Alternate the days when performing these exercises and alterations. One should not work the same muscle group with the same exercise too consecutively. Also, keeping the movements slow and controlled is the best way to avoid the risk of injuring ones abdomen. The best work out for the abs can be obtained by using a group of the best abdominal exercises.




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