Best Ab Exercises Work Your Abs, Not Your Neck
Muscle Groups
With all these Ab Exercisers available, what really is the best ab exercise to get those abs you want? Hands down, all experienced body builders, fitness trainers, and ab-aholics will tell you it's the ab crunch. The ab crunch works your rectus abdominus, that group of muscles up front that defines the front abdominals (also known as the "six pack" if you get them really well defined). If you alter the crunch slightly, you can work the oblique external muscles, which are the side abdominal muscles (that ripple look on the side of someone with well defined obliques).
How To do Ab Crunches Correctly
Lying on your back, bend your knees, keeping your feet flat on the floor. You can use an exercise mat for comfort, or even a thin mattress.
- Raise your chest and shoulders a few inches off the ground. Pause. Lower again. Rinse and repeat.
- Don't pull on your neck when you do this. Don't let your chin rest on your chest.
- Slow controlled crunches work your abs better. Body builders breathe out on the "work" part of a cycle, so breathe out when you crunch up, breathe in as you slowly relax down again.
- To work your obliques, aim your chest toward your right knee on one crunch, then your left knee on the next.
- Work your lower abdominals by pulling your legs toward your chest. If you do this at the same time as the upper crunch, the whole movement is like a curl.
Is there an Ab Exerciser to Help with Ab Crunches?
Yes, the simple ab roller style ab exercisers are great for crunches. If your arms are bit shorter, rather than try to hold on to the upper bar, keep your elbows straight, arms reaching up. At first you may not be able to do many crunches. Start slowly, with 5 - 10. Work up to as many as you like slowly. These ab roller type exercisers are also cheap: all priced under $50.
