Obtaining a six-pack doesn’t happen overnight, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be accomplished! For your abs to appear, you must minimize your body fat. The key to minimizing body fat is a healthy diet and smart workout routine. This blog will shed light on three abdominal exercises to help shred your abs.
Before we talk about the three moves to shred your abs, we will discuss the muscles that make up your abs. The first muscle is the rectus abdominis, it’s the muscle we think of when imaging a great looking midsection. However, two other muscles make up your abs: the transverse abdominis and the obliques. The transverse abdominis is located behind the rectus abdominis and isn’t visible, but it can help develop your abs and strengthen your core. Obliques allow us to move in numerous directions and support the core during common motions and heavy lifting.
With Equipment
Model: SelectEDGE Ab Crunch
(2-3 sets 20-30 reps)
It’s good to have a variety of moves that work the abs with equipment and without. The SelectEDGE Ab Crunch is one of our best pieces of equipment for shredding your abs. Our design team came up with something a little unique here. The roller coaster-style shoulder pads are only anchored by the cable, so the movement is non-linear, offering more freedom of motion to recruit more of the core for each rep. This is key when using a machine – you don’t want to restrict the work your abs can do.
Without Equipment
First move: The Plank
(2-3 sets of 30-60 seconds)
The plank is a great abdominal exercise because it works the entire core. This exercise will stimulate all muscles in your abs more than other abdominal exercises. If you find the plank move too easy, then make it more difficult by widening your feet and reaching forward with your hands. When you reach forward, be sure not to tilt from your hips. For an even tougher challenge, rotate bringing your knees up toward your elbows.
Second Move: Bicycle & Cross Crunch
(2-3 sets 20-30 reps)
The normal crunch exercise is arguably the least effective way to work your abs and can actually hurt you more than help you. However, the bicycle and cross crunch are a great alternative to the normal crunch exercise.
The bicycle crunch shreds your abs more than the regular crunch. To make the bicycle crunch more difficult, you can use a medicine ball and crunch up as you move the ball in a figure-eight pattern in and out of your legs. Again, the bicycle crunch targets all three key muscles in your abs.
The cross crunch is also a great alternative to the normal crunch. A cross crunch consists of lying on your back with arms and legs diagonally out so that your body is in the shape of an “X”. Keep your arms and legs straight; bring your right hand towards your left foot, then your left hand towards your right foot, lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. The cross crunch works the key areas of your abdominals, making it a great move to shred your abs.
The key to abdominal exercises is to focus on quality over quantity. Too many ab exercises can actually harm your body. On the other hand, slow and focused exercises can do wonders for your abs. Practice these three exercises to shred your abs and reach your fitness goals!
