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More Ab Exercises
"Get a six pack!"
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- Machine Crunches
- These stress the entire rectus abdominus wall to the max. The
intense isolation works the intercostals as well.
- Adjust the seat height, so that your toes are comfortable beneath
the restraint. Hold on to the upper body restraint(s).
- Now, with an appropriate weight chosen, crunch down and go to
town. Be sure to keep your abdominal muscles stretched and go
slow to really feel the burn.
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- Ab Roller Crunches
- Performed correctly, these machines can help you isolate the
abs with minimal discomfort to the rest of your body.
- Follow the example in the picture to the left.
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List of other ab exercises...
- Sit-Ups - They are the most basic and common adbominal exercise.
Sit-ups work the entire rectus abdominus. You can perform them twisting
to one side then the other to hit the obliques and intercostals. They
can be performed on the floor or on an incline sit-up bench. With your
feet hooked under the restraint and your fingers interlocked behind
your neck, crunch your body together!
- Roman Chair Sit-Ups - These relatively new exercises are designed
to isolate the entire abdominal wall, especially stressing the upper
half. If done with a twist to one side or the other, these can really
work the obliques and intercostals. Simply sit at the Roman chair, hooking
your toes around the restraint bar. Cross your arms and crunch! Slow
and deliberate motions will really get those abs burning.
- Leg Raises - These are fundamental for building ripped abs.
Lie on an ab board or on the floor. Bend your legs at a 15-20 degree
angle and crunch your legs toward your abs in a semicircular arc.
- Bench Leg Raises - These are just leg raises that are done
with your hips at the end of a bench so that you can get a far better
range of motion and intensely work your lower abdominals.
- Hanging Leg Raises - Quite a bit more intense than regular
leg raises, these place stress on the entire abdominal wall, but primarily
the lower half. Hanging from a chin-up bar with your legs bent at about
15-20 degrees, lift your legs until your feet are higher than your hips.
Then, slowly lower your legs back down to starting position.
- Knee-Ups - These are to be performed on the end of a flat bench.
Grasp the sides of the bench with your hands behind your hips and extend
your legs with a 15-20 degree bend. Slowly bend your legs and bring
your feet toward the bench, then extend them again.
- Hanging Frog Kicks - These are a more intense version of knee-ups.
While hanging from a chinning bar with an overhand grip, move your knees
up to your chest while bending your legs completely. Hold this position
for a really great burn then slowly lower your legs back to the dangling
position.
- Pulley Crunches - These are a really cool way to work your
abs. They not only stress the rectus abdominus to the max, but they
also involve some muscle tensing of the lats and serratus anterior muscles
at your sides. Use the upper cable of a pulley machine with the rope
handle attachment. While on your knees, grasp the ends of the rope with
both hands and pull downward with your arms and abs until you touch
the floor about 4 inches ahead of your forehead. Hold this position
for a two count, then slowly raise back up so you can do it again! Remember
to exhale during the contraction. You can do this exercise with one
arm at a time or from side to side to involve the intercostals and obliques
more.
- Side Bends - This is a great exercise to completely target
your obliques. While standing, grasp a dumbell in one hand and allow
it to hang at your sides. Put your other hand behind your neck. Let
the dumbell pull that side of your body down as far as possible, bending
only at the waist. Then use the obliques of the opposite side to pull
your body back erect. About 30 reps on each side and you will be feeling
it!
- Seated Twists - Ready to tone your transverse obliques under
your regular obliques? These are the answer. Reportedly these can help
trim the waist line and are a great warm up exercise. While seated straddling
the middle of a flat bench, place an unweighted light bar or broom stick
across your lats, behind your neck. Grasp the ends of the bar with your
hands. Forcefully twist at your waist left to right in a rhythm...they
get tiring!
- Standing Bent-Over Twists - These are very similar to seated
twists except that instead of sitting, you are actually leaning forward
twisting from side to side with your hands grasping the ends of the
bar across your shoulders.
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