I am always looking for new ways to work my abs to develop better midsection strength and power as well as sculpting a nice six pack. And I know the RMO readers are too.
In this post I want to show you some alternative abs exercises and workouts that I have been working with in the past few months in the hope of giving you something different to do with your abs when you get bored of the usual suspects.
Alternative abs workouts for a better six pack
The crunch is a very effective exercise but it can get boring. It is also good to mix up your workout so that your body does not become accustomed to what you are doing. Here are some awesome alternative ways that you can hit your midsection and abs muscles.
1. Yoga asanas and stretches
A few days ago my girlfriend forced me go to a yoga class at our gym. I thought it would be good for my muscle recovery and flexibility. Boy was I wrong! It was a hard workout that left me sore, sweating and very exhausted.
The great thing about yoga is that all of the exercises are done with your own body weight so you can move at your own pace. The breath is used in order to make your internal energies flow properly and as such yoga is a very healthy exercise at the same time as being challenging.
Many of the exercises involve the abdominal muscles. One exercise (asana) we did involved lifting your legs up in a reverse crunch style way for about five minutes. It was hard but left my abs and lower back feeling amazing.
If you are looking for a new abdominal workout that works the muscles on a deeper and more isometric level then yoga is for you. Make sure you go to a class that has a well trained teacher - they need to know their stuff.
2. Capoeira kicks and acrobatics
A few months ago I started experimenting with Capoeira. This is a Brazilian martial art that involves a lot of acrobatics, high kicks and fast movements. The thing about acrobatics and high kicks is that your abs need to do a lot of work to get your legs to where they need to be. Seeing as the legs are the heaviest thing on your body the resulting effect is a lot of abdominal soreness!
You don’t have to go to a Capoeira class to reap the benefits. You can do 20 minutes of high kicks in your backyard and get a good abdominal workout. However, the best thing you can do is go to a proper class and throw yourself into the intensity of the art. This way you will get both the cardiovascular and the anaerobic benefits that it offers.
3. Heavy squats
I have to throw this in the mix. One of the best ways to get amazingly strong abs is to do heavy squats. Now you might be thinking, “hang on, squats don’t work the abs all that much” and you would be right. But, the testosterone that is released by your body after some heavy squats is one of the best ways to increase muscle mass in other areas.
Simply put, if you do heavy squats the other unrelated muscles will also grow. It creates a perfect internal environment for muscle gain. The abdominals are affected extremely well by heavy squats.
4. Overloading with one exercise
The other day I talked about how I had been “overloading” my triceps with an overhead cable extension. It worked extremely well. You can read about it here. Well, I have also been doing it with reverse crunches with some excellent results.
The idea is simple. Strap some light weights to your feet and pump out 15 of the best reverse crunch sets that you have ever done. After about set 5 you will be ready to throw in the towel but if you keep going you will reap some amazing muscle growth rewards.
Remember, only do this type of training once in a while so that your body does not get too used to the idea. Keep it guessing.
Any other exercises?
These are just some simple ideas to supplement your regular abs workout. Try picking one each week and rotating them over a month and see if it makes any difference. Can anyone think of any others?
April 29th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Please it is very impotant to post acurate facts. Squats are without question a perfect way to build, strengthen and define your abdominals. As are deadlifts, kettle ball presses and other multi-joint exercises. see the abdominal muscles have to contract during each one of these movements to stabilize and support the spine and in doing so will do so dozens of times during each set. Knowing core conditioning is like training other body parts I train my abs once a week. At thirty seven i can not remember not having a defined mid section. Hey check out my ab training at http://abfitt.blogspot.com
April 29th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Richard, what do you mean by it is important to post accurate facts? Is something in this post inaccurate?
RT