Hey everyone, welcome to another week of athlete's planet! In this article, I'm going to cover how to strengthen your core and abdominal muscles. Nice abs aren't only to show off at the beach, having a strong core will help with almost every sport as well as everyday tasks. Here are some quick ab exercises using only your body weight that will give you the core strength you need to excel.
Start with a light dynamic warm up.
Next do these exercises:
Plank: Get in a plank position (body straight with elbows on the ground) and hold it for a set time. If you're a beginner start with 30 seconds, and add 15 seconds progressively as you get better. Advanced can do 1-2 minutes or more. Do 3 sets of your set time then move on to your next exercise.
For the next exercise, you're going to want to lay on the floor on your back, put your legs together and lift them just enough so that they are off the ground and you can feel your core working. Next, lift your legs all the way so your body forms a 90 degree angle, and then lower your legs again as low as you can without letting them touch the ground. Squeeze your core and hold for a few seconds, then go back up to a 90 and repeat. Do 2 sets of 8-15 reps.
Spider Crawl: This next one is another great side ab exercise for your obliques. I'll let this link explain how it's done. Do 2 sets of 15-25 reps. Spider Crawl
3/4 Sit up: I'm usually against sit ups and crunches, but this variation is one to add to the list. Again watch this video for explanation. Do 2 sets of 15-25 reps. 3/4 sit up
By now if you did it right your abs should be pretty burned out and tired. So finish off the workout with this.
Cocoons: Lay on your back and extend your arms up and your legs down while keeping both your arms and legs off the ground. Next bring your arms and legs to your stomach simultaneously and squeeze, then return to the starting position. Finish with 10-20 reps. Watch this video for a visual. Cocoons
Repeat this killer workout a few times a week and watch the abs appear in no time. Remember though, having visible abs starts in the kitchen, you'll need to keep your body fat low to make sure they are really visible.
I myself don't usually do ab specific exercises as I use my abs while working on many other exercises, but doing ab specific exercises are always a plus. My favorites are the plank and spider crawl, but they are all effective exercises.
That's it for this week, see you all next time!
Sources:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/spider-crawl
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/34-sit-up
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/cocoons
Wow Alex! This sounds very difficult! How important are your abdominal muscles when playing a sport? I know when I go to the gym I see girls working on legs and butt in one section. In another section I'll see guys working on arms, chest and back. Rarely do I ever see people working on specific core exercises! Is it really that necessary?
ReplyDeleteThat's true, rarely will you see people actually take the time to work on there core other than some sit ups or maybe crunches. I think that it is important to work them out because they are like the motor of your athletic movements. They help balance and control almost everything you do so it only makes sense to make sure they are strong.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! For my sport, core strength is very important to maintain balance and stability while executing the technique. I personally need to start doing more of these exercises to strengthen my back as well. People aren't always aware that core exercises are important for other muscle strength than just the core. I am definitely going to start doing these exercises when I go to the gym.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Core strength is important in almost every sport. Doing these will help you strengthen your back for sure and will translate to other athletic abilities. The good thing about these exercises is you can do them basically anytime and anywhere. All you need is some free space and maybe a mat and you're good to go!
DeleteOuch, I'm having difficulty just reading about these exercises, let alone trying them out. :)
ReplyDeleteRemember to give us you opinion / your take on these exercises. We can look up this information on our own easily. It's your opinion that will make this blog unique.
There was a time where I would never train my abs at the gym as I felt they were getting enough of a workout through various sports and I didn't really feel the need to. But abs are a very important muscle group to workout in order to avoid injury. Because I neglected to workout my abs my opposing muscles such as back and shoulders over developed in comparison to my abs. Therefore causing my posture to be off as my body was out of balance. know work my abs regularly through calisthenics and static flexion.
ReplyDelete