The next thing you gotta think about when it comes to getting amazing abs are the best core training exercises. Just to recap, in the last article in this series I told you the best ab training exercises trained your midsection in two ways:
- As stabilizers and
- From the bottom up.
So this article is going to focus on the stabilizing core training exercises, some examples and how to add them into your routine.
How To Work Your Abs WITHOUT Working Them…
In the last article, amazing abs, I told you: “What are stabilizing exercises? It’s exercises where your force your abs to do what they do best — to keep your torso upright and straight — and add resistence when it gets easier.”
And that’s pretty much the gist of it. So anything you do where you really stress your torso, your core, to keep your spine in its fixed position while fighting against gravity or some other resistance is going to be considered a stabilizing core training exercise.
The key thing here is that these stabilizing exercises, contrary to all the “ab training advice” out there, should make up the majority of your abdominal work. The GOOD NEWS is you don’t even have to “actively” seek out a lot of these exercises because if you exercise the way I recommend you get a lot of core work already!
When you keep this in mind, you’ll find you don’t even have to do more than 5 minutes of direct “ab work” at the end of your workouts to get a razor sharp six pack. What do I mean? How are you already working your core by exercising the way I recommend?
Strength Training Is Great For Your Core!
You see, when you perform compound exercises like Squat , Deadlift and Overhead Press with heavy free weights… while avoiding machines… you are training your core indirectly!
For example, when you do an overhead press with a heavy barbell you are working much more than your shoulders and arms (if you do it properly!) Your legs are forced to be a stable base, your glutes have to tighten up to start building a solid base to press from… then you flex your abs and hold your breath creating a “virtual weight lifting belt” around your core… and your entire midsection is forced to stabilize your body and keep it in position as you press a heavy barbell overhead and the weight of it is fighting to move your torso back and away from it.
When you put a heavy barbell on your back and squat, your core has to fight to keep your torso from folding up like an accordion, etc… you get the point right? Follow the DoubleYourGains’ 3-5 Beginners Strength Training Routine and you’ll get a ton of ab work already.
What Are Some Other Stabilizing Ab Exercises?
In addition to your regular Strength Training, you can train your abs directly with other stabilizing exercises. There’s many different variations here but the idea is the same: you force your core to fight some sort of resistance to keep your torso in position.
The easiest type of ab stabilizing exercise is the plank exercise. To do a plank, simply follow the instructions below:
- Put your hands on the ground under your shoulders
- Kick your feet back behind you until the only two things on the ground are your hands and toes
- Drop down from your hands to your forearms, touching from your elbows to the tips of your fingers on the ground and…
- Hold this position, keeping your glutes tight and your back in a straight line for time (check the picture below for an example)…
The last point is important about squeezing your glutes and keeping them tight in this position. If you don’t do this I find that many people will let their butt dip down and this puts a lot of stress on their lower back. Don’t do that. Keep your butt-cheeks squeezed (like you’re pinching a quarter between them) and it will keep your back in the right position.
Here’s a couple more examples:
- Yoga Core Strength Moves – like the triangle and side plank are core stabilizing moves…
- Swiss Ball Planks - are the evil version of regular old planks…
- Pushup Position – if you’re having a hard time with the plank then it might be easier to do the pushup position for time or…
- Do the above on your knees – if you’re having a REALLY hard time with any of the stabilizing moves above you can always make them easier by going to your knees…
- Sitting Crunch – this exercise is DEFINITELY a stabilizing exercise!
How To Add Them Into Your Ab Workout Routine?
Well, first off your strength training routine will be giving you a lot of core stabilizing work, so that’s good. So you could just start off by picking an exercise like the plank and at the end of your regular resistance training (not before), you could work the plank exercise(s).
Try to hold the position for time, and see if you can beat it over the next two weeks. Then after the ab stabilizing exercises you could move on to some direct ab work right after it — doing some hard ab exercises like the hanging leg raise (which I’ll cover in the next article in this series).
Follow the tips in this article and you won’t go far wrong because these are some of the best core training exercises out there!
