Workouts

6 Ab Exercises to Build a Strong and Lean Core is 6 ab specific exercises to add to your workouts to get you that lean look and feel around your stomach.

Aside from looking lean, building our abs is necessary for moving well while working out.

We’re often on the quest to improve our physical appearance (me too, I’ll admit it). But when it comes to reducing injury and lifting heavy weights or running faster, we need that core strength. So while we’re working on the look, we may as well get the benefits that come with a strong core.

Early on in college, Ryan and our friend, Carl, used to go to the gym together. They would lift weights and skip cardio. I would do cardio and skip weights. At that time in my life, my whole goal was to be as skinny as possible. This was before switching majors from architecture to exercise science. Back then, I believed lots of cardio in the “fat burning” zone was going to be the key to my skinny success. Have you looked at the fat burning zone, you aren’t even getting your heart rate up. That doesn’t work, neither does skipping some form of strength training (weights, yoga, pilates, etc) when fat loss is your goal. I would just do cardio at the slowest pace possible until the guys where done lifting weights. Then we’d go do abs. I’d make them do abs, and they dubbed me the ab nazi for years.

At the time I didn’t recognize the value in training core strength. But I was also making them do exercises that weren’t really benefiting their core strength to help them lift more and better. Instead I was focused on the rectus abdominis (the ones that make you look like you have a 4 or 6 pack) instead of the deep core muscles (the ones that are key to go core strength). Knowing what I know now, I would have never let us do so many crunches and situps. We would have focused on those deep core muscles, which is what I’m giving to you now. So you can avoid my same mistakes.

6 Ab Exercises to Build a Strong and Lean Core

Dead bugs are by far my favorite ab exercise. I only learned about them recently as I was looking for more core exercises that actually worked my deep core muscles and not the top layer. When done right, these are tough, but so effective. Your nature’s corset (transverse abdominis) will love you for this one. And when you go to squat, run, or walk, you’ll find yourself engaging these muscles more often.

Mountain climbers double as an ab exercise and as a cardio exercise. Mountain climbers force you to keep those deep muscles engaged while moving which is key during any exercise. This move really gets after those lower abs as well, you know the area we’re constantly working to get flat. Working nature’s corset helps to accomplish that.

Pillar to plank is an advance move but a really effective one. Take your time during this one, it doesn’t have to be rushed. And in fact, the slower the better as it allows you to keep all those ab muscles tight and engaged the whole time. Just plan on this one burning, all over.

Plank jacks are another ab and cardio move. This one will get you breathing hard and burn those ab muscles, especially the lower ones. It’s important here to keep the core tight and not let your low back dip.

V ups are another challenging move. But there is an option to modify it and still get in a good workout. This one will  work your lower abs, and really all of your abs. If you want to up the intensity, grab a weight and keep it in your hands the whole time. Or don’t let your feet touch the ground (which is really hard on your lower back, so only do this is you are really strong and solid in this move).

Russian twists work your lower ab muscles as well as your obliques. This can be modified by how far you lean back during the move. the further you lean, the harder it is. You can also make it more challenging by keeping your feet of the ground or adding weight.

Add these ab exercises to your workouts this week and moving forward.

You can include them as part of your warm-up, during your workout, or at the end as a finisher. Or you can do all the move together for a very core focused workout. To do that, do anywhere from 4-6 rounds of 10-15 reps of each movement. You’ll definitely feel it.

*What does it mean to keep your core tight? Think about drawing your belly button into your spine. Or think about how you suck in when you zip and button up your pants. That’s the feeling! You should engage and keep your core tight when you go to stand up, sit down, use the bathroom, before you pick something up, and when your arms overhead to name a few times.

Until next time! -Atim

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