Ok so as promised I'm back with the second of today's posts, my favourite exercises to really annihilate your core muscles and put you well on the way to those hallowed 6 pack abs, with the 'v lines' that everyone seems to love so much. Apart from the aesthetic effect, having a well chiseled core is very very important when it comes to working out and exercise in general. Having a strong core is key when weightlifting, it helps you keep a strong posture and therefore helps you execute your lifts perfectly without damaging yourself. Its also important for sports players, sports like football and hockey require a strong core in order to demonstrate strength whilst in possession of the ball. In boxing its important to keep a strong core, it gives you a powerful basis to work from and can also soften the blow of a body shot. The benefits to having a strong core really are endless! A lot of people will leave ab exercises out of their workout, some because they find them too difficult, others just due to a lack of knowledge regarding them. Its also always important to be selective of your exercises, you need to make sure that you're not just working the same parts of your core. Your abdominal area consists of four different major muscles, these are:
Transversus abdominis - This muscle is your deepest abdominal muscle, it cannot be seen or touched from outside the body, this muscle will have a major effect on your posture; its very, very important that this muscle is kept strong.
Internal Obliques - These are a pair of muscles, almost as deep as the transverse abdominus, they lie on either side of your torso. Together with the transverse abdominus, they have a tremendous effect on your posture. They're involved in rotation of the spine.
External Obliques - These are a more superficial muscle, lying further out than the internal obliques. They still have an effect on your posture, but not as much as the deeper muscles.
Rectus Abdominus - This is the most superficial part of your abdominals, the outer muscle, which give the aesthetic effect of the six pack when worked properly.
So now I've run you through the four major parts of your abs, its time to get into the exercises. Its good to have knowledge of the four muscles as you can learn which exercises are affecting where in your torso, and therefore not spend all of your time working the same part and neglecting the others. Anyway, here's a few of my favourite exercises for your abs, I'll also explain which areas they target the most whilst running through them. As always, any exercises that you're still not sure about, feel free to research further.
Plank (This will target your Transversus muscles, working deeper than other exercises and helping with stability)
Suicide planks - Beginning in a plank position, and then proceeding to move into a press up position, repeating to failure. (These target the same muscles as a normal plank, just with slightly higher intensity)
Side Planks with T raise - Beginning in a side plank position with dumbbell in free hand, proceeding to raise the dumbbell in an arc until your body lies in a T shape, repeating to failure. (Works internal obliques)
Reverse Twist - Lying on your back on a swiss ball, making sure that your hips and shoulders are still in contact with the ball. Move your arms out in front of you and hold both hands together. Proceed to twist your arms to the side, hold when you feel the exercise in your obliques, return to start position. (Also works internal obliques)
Balance sit - Lie down on your back on the floor. From this position, raise your legs off the floor and also raise your upper body off the floor. Hold this position to failure. (Works Transversus muscles)
Swiss Ball Jackknifes - Begin in a press up position with your feet on a swiss ball. Proceed to pull your legs in towards your body, rolling the ball with them. (Works rectus abdominus and transversus muscles)
Mason twists - Whilst on a bench, hold the same position as a balance sit. Hold a kettlebell with both hands, proceed to twist from left to right to failure. (Works both the Transversus and internal obliques)
Swiss Ball Resistance twists - Set up a resistance cable pillar so the attachment is at the bottom of the pillar. Pick an attachment that is easy to keep hold of. Place a swiss ball a foot or so away from the pillar. Whilst lying on your back on the swiss ball, pull the attachment so it sits behind your head. Proceed to perform a crunch (Works rectus abdominis muscles)
Deadbugs - Whilst lying on your back on the floor, bend your legs in towards your body, and raise your arms above you, preferably holding a barbell with no weights on. Proceed to lower your arms and legs at the same time, making sure to keep your lower back pressed into the floor. Repeat 15-20 times. (Works rectus abdominis muscles)
Killer twists - Holding a medicine ball, keeping your legs slightly bent, begin holding the ball on one side of your body adjacent to your hip. Proceed to move the ball in an arc, twisting your body until the ball is above shoulder height on the opposite side of your body. Repeat both sides. (Works external obliques)
Leg Raises into twists - Begin lying on a bench, making sure that you have a decent grip on it. Proceed to raise your legs upwards, at the top of the movement, then proceed to move your hips off the bench, twisting to the left, to the centre, to the right. Drop legs and repeat to failure. (Works external obliques and rectus abdominis)
So there you go, my favourite ab exercises, targeting every section of your abdominal muscles. Giving you the aesthetic effect of your 6 pack and V lines, whilst also working deep in your core to help with your posture. Of course you don't need to perform all of those exercises in the same workout. Just try to make sure you're performing at least one exercise for each abdominal group and you'll definitely see results. At this point, I'd also like to thank two people for a couple of these exercises. You can find them both on twitter - the first is @Greg87King - who has been with me since day one of my training, helping me with different workouts, you'd be hard pushed to find a better instructor. The second, whom most of twitter are well acquainted with, is @DannyBoyRoe - he also has a 6 pack abs workout which you can find on Youtube (trust me, its worth a look) - you'll notice from there that the balance sit was lifted from him, brilliant exercise.
I'd also like to bring your attention to Fitness Made EZ. You can find EZ on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FitnessMadeEZ), Twitter (@FitnessMadeEZ) and also on Youtube (www.youtube.co.uk/glyphmedia) . He's been a big help with this blog, and he ultimately inspired me to begin writing these posts. His pages are full of bullshit free, down to earth advice on health and fitness. Many people could stand to learn a lot from this man. When it comes to this subject, he's definitely someone that you should be checking out. Also, if you're a fighter, he's definitely a source that you'll need to research, with a lot of experience. He also sells his own Gym wear, just check out www.flexdem.com - I've already ordered some merchandise from him, and I suggest that others follow suit. Oh yeah, and he occasionally gives freebies away!
As for me, I welcome any feedback, questions/suggestions that anyone would like to give me. Perhaps you could give me some pointers? Its all about sharing the knowledge that you've got, don't hold it to yourself and waste it! So if you've read this, and you have Twitter, please feel free to follow and tweet me @_Bazinga_Punk_ - Failing that, drop me a comment under this post and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Makes my day to hear all the good feedback. If I get enough decent feedback I'll also create a Facebook page for updates on this blog, thats all down to you! So until next time,
Keep testing the limits!
Alex.
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