The right exercise for the right muscle: Abs

Everywhere I go people want washboard abs. Male or female, if you take a look at your standard action hero or model they have abs. Abs, abs, abs.

It would be awesome if exercise alone could lead to a washboard stomach, but diet is the key for building a good six pack. Nevertheless, training abs leads to a strong core which protects the spine and prevents lower back pain. In this installment of The right exercise for the right muscle we examine the best exercises for the abs.

 

 

Rectus Abdominis

1. Chin up
2. Hanging leg raise
3. Swiss ball crunch

Internal obliques

1.  Ab wheel from feet
2.  Bodysaw
3.  Tornado ball slam

External obliques

1.  Turkish get up
2.  Hanging leg raise
3.  Bodysaw

Erector spinae

1.  Kneeling cable lift
2.  Tornado ball slam
3.  Lumbar extension

Sit ups are nowhere to be seen and that is little surprise – that exercise has earned a middling reputation as an ab exercise in the past couple of years. Interestingly the chin up features as the top exercise for the rectus abdominus; as it stabilizes the body during the movement.

The hanging leg raise features as a top exercise for both the rectus and the obliques and it should be considered a go-to exercise for ab development. Athletes who are unable to complete a leg raise can strengthen themselves up by doing hanging knee raises.

The ab wheel is also a great exercise. Greater abdominal activation occurs when it is performed from a standing position but athletes can get good results performing from a kneeling position, which is much easier.

You will need a pull up bar for the chin-ups which you can find on bidorbuy. Roll outs require ab wheels – also available on bidorbuy. Kettlebells are also a necessity for Turkish get ups.