You want abs that are as hard as rock? Most people have to work hard to get and keep their core tight. Some people may be lucky with their genes. (And we hate to say it, but a big part of getting those great washboard abs is exercise plus a healthy diet!) You don’t get abs all of a sudden. But there is a way to get them if you want them.
You’ll need to keep working out your core if you want to get that marked and long “11” look, a full-blown six-pack, or just stronger abs. Good news: there are a lot of ab workouts you can do to reach your goals, and you can do different levels of them if you are having trouble starting. Many of them only need a short amount of time every day. You can do it if you set aside a small amount of time every morning, afternoon, or evening. Are you ready to get sweaty and feel good about it? Take a look at these great exercises that will definitely load your abs.
1. Passé Abs Will Build A Strong Core
It’s not true that passé abs are passé. This hot workout works like this: Put your legs out in front of you and sit down. As you do that, lean back and rest your arms on your sides. Bring your right leg into a passé position by pulling your knee in, pointing your toe, and putting your right foot on the inside of your left leg.
Slightly crunch up. Next, bring your right knee to your right shoulder and lift both legs off the back and up toward your chest. Then, drop your legs back down to about 2 inches off the mat while still in the passé position. You will work on both sides at different times.
Andrea Rogers, creator and founder of Xtend Barre, told Shape, “This move is one of my all-time favorite ways to shape my abs.” “It makes the abdominal muscles stronger and the pelvic and lumbar region more stable.” You can also turn things up a notch by speeding things up.
2. Weighted Squats Are Underrated.
Many people think that standard ab exercises are the only way to get great abs, but that’s not true. In fact, weighted squats and many other full-body exercises work your stomach muscles as well. You can really feel the heat in your belly and legs with these.
Decenn Condron, owner of Condron Fitness and a teacher, trainer, and person who does crunches and sit-ups, told Shape that these are the exercises that most people choose for their abs and core. “I’m more of a fan of something that is way more practical than lying on the ground straining your neck.”
In his talk, Condron said that one of the main jobs of your core muscles is to support your squats, pulls, and other actions. “Many studies show that muscle fiber activation rates in the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal and external obliques are higher during the squat than during many ‘traditional’ crunch-type exercises where the performer is lying on their back,” he said.
3. Barbell Back Squats Will Crush Your Core
If you still think that squats only work your legs and hips, you are very, very wrong. Squats really do help build core strength, which in turn can help you do more squats. So why not add some back squats with a bar???
Lift a barbell so that it is centered across your shoulders. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. For one rep, sit back like you’re in a chair and bend your knees. Then, press back up from your feet. Do this a set of times. Don’t forget to work your abs at the same time.
Trainer at Equinox and NASM-CPT Edwin Wealth told GQ, “Think about keeping tension in your abs at all times during the movement.” “Once you know how to do the move correctly, you can add more weight to the barbell.” But if you go up in small steps, you won’t hurt yourself.
4. Towel planks and knee tucks will tighten you up.
Towel planks and knee tucks are a fun way to change up the standard plank by using towels or slide pads as exercise aids. “Fit and healthy abs should be able to resist outside forces, flex, extend, and rotate,” said Marta Montenegro, an exercise physiologist, certified strength and conditioning expert, and associate professor at Florida International University. “This move does all of these things.” “You’ll also burn more calories because it uses more muscles than just the abdominals.”
All you have to do is put towels or moving pads under your feet while you’re in a plank. To do this, just move your toes so your knees are near your arms. Your left knee should point toward your right arm, and then the other way around. For a set, you can switch sides. Before going back to the plank pose, you can also bring both knees together.
5. The Rocking Plank Will Rock Your World
Planks, planks, and more planks! You can plank in more than one way. To make your core work even harder, you can change up the basic plank in a lot of different ways. One exercise that can really heat up your abs is the moving plank.
Heather Lilleston, cofounder of Yoga For Bad People, told Self that this “simple strong plank” is great for training the body’s muscles to hold the whole body evenly. In this pose, you rock forward and back on your wrists.
Stand with your arms out straight and your elbows stacked above your wrists. Your shoulders should also be stacked above your elbows. After that, slowly rock back and forth from your feet to your wrists. “The slower, the better,” says Lilleston; that’s the trick. You can use your wrists instead of your hands if you need to make changes.
6. Hardstyle Planks Are Hard But Worth It
Let’s be honest: “Hardstyle” planks are really tough. To be honest, they probably wouldn’t work your abs as hard if they were easy. In fact, this exercise will make you shake no matter how many times you do it. Still, you should push yourself to hold it for longer as you get stronger.
Start by lying on your back with your face down. Then, raise your arms up to make a plank shape. Your arms should be almost straight below your shoulders, and your hands should be in fists that are straight across from each other. After that, hold the plank for 10 to 20 seconds for each set.
Edwin Wealth, a qualified personal trainer at Equinox, told GQ, “The key is to squeeze your whole body as tight as you can, including your quads, glutes, core, back, and fists.” He also said, “Take deep breaths to help you sweat.”
