Health knowledge made personal
|
Yesterday, I polled a bunch of my twitter followers to see what their favourite ab exercises were. With their feedback I've compiled my twitter top 10 ab exercises. I've even thrown in a few of my own favourites. Warning - some of these are VERY challenging. Try them at your own risk! I dare you.
Here we go: 1. Stability Ball Roll-Outs- great ab exercise that focuses on core and spine stability. 2. Hanging Knee Raises- this can be done with arm straps holding you in place or you can simply hold a 90 degree pull-up and raise your knees from there. Killer exercise! 3. Stability Ball Ab Crunches- this is classic but a goodie. Make sure you only come up high enough to bring your shoulder blades off the ball. 4. Side Plank with Leg Lift- great core exercise for strengthening the quadratus lumborum (an important lateral spine stabilizer) while strengthening the often neglected hip abductors (ie. glutes). 5.L Pull-ups- By far, one of the most challenging ab exercises I've ever done! Create an L shape with your body by having your legs parallel to the floor as you do a pull-up. Talk about full body integration. This exercise get everything - the lats, pecs, core, hip flexors, and more! 6. Side Plank with Knee Drive- I have to give credit to the German Mannschaft (National soccer team) for this incredible side plank variation that hits not only the core but the adductors (groins) as well. This is a must for any athlete! Simply drive the bottom knee in towards your chest while keeping the top leg planted. 7. Stability Ball Grasshoppers - This is guaranteed to WOW you friends. Feet on the ball and hands on the floor (push up position). Drive one foot up and off the ball, drive it through towards your chest, and then twist and extend it straight out to the side so that it forms a 90 degree angle with your body. Tough as hell! 8. Spiderman Plank- The plank doesn't get much tougher than this. Start in a push-up position and then gently move your feet and hands as far away from your midline as possible. In essence you're creating an 'X' - like spiderman when he's stuck on the side of a building. Get as low to the floor as possible while keeping your arms straight. Brace your core and love the burn. I give you props if you can hold this for 30 seconds! 9. BOSU Deadbug- such a great and back-friendly ab exercise even without the BOSU ball. Try it on the BOSU and enter a whole new dimension. 10. Front Squats- what? Squats you say? Yes, I said it. Front squats are very different from back squats. The increased front load places huge demands on your core. Not only that but your core and lats also to work to keep your elbows and arms in proper position throughout the movement. Otherwise, the bar will fall right off your shoulders! There we go! The Twitter 10 ab exercises. If you have no idea what some of these ab exercises look like then hold tight - I'll be shooting a video shortly to demonstrate. Enjoy! YURI |
Write a comment:
|
