The Evolution Of Ab Exercises

The first ab exercise in the evolution of abdominal exercise training is a simple plank.  This exercise needs to be mastered by beginners and those at risk of lower back pain.  The goal here is to work up to a 90-second to 2-minute hold in the plank position.

The next core exercise is the side plank or side bridge.  A little more difficult than the regular plank, the trick here is to keep your body in a straight line and keep those hips raised up.  Brace your abs at all times.

Want To Work Your Abs 30 Per Cent Harder?

Once you've mastered those ab exercises, try the plank with your elbows on the stability ball.  According to Men's Health magazine, this exercise works your abs 30 per cent harder than a regular plank.  To increase the difficulty of this ab exercise, try moving the ball further away from your body.

The fourth ab exercise to work your entire core is the stability ball jackknife.  Here, you will place your feet on the stability ball and your hands on the floor or elbows on a bench.  Then you will bring your knees to your chest, while maintaining the plank position, and then return to the starting position.

Similar to the ab wheel, the next exercise in the evolution of ab training is the stability ball rollout.  Place the ball in front of you, with your hands on the ball, roll the ball out, stretching and maintaining your back in a straight line, and contract to return to the starting position.

The last ab exercise is a plank rotation.  When you take a regular plank and combine it with a side plank, the subsequent resisting rotation works to provide a total body workout.  To perform this exercise, you will start in the side plank position and, without moving your hips, rotate to a regular plank, then over to the opposite side plank position.  Continue to do this while keeping your back straight and hips raised.

Crunches are old news.  You just won't get the same total body benefits of this new type of training, so try out these six ab exercises that will provide not only an exceptional core workout, but a total body workout as well.

More Results, Less Workout Time

When Charlene finally gave up crunches, sit-ups and bicycle crunches, she was astounded by the change in her abs from interval training and the new abdominal workout program she was using.  Plus, she saved 90 minutes per week by giving up her endless crunches and sit-ups program along with the long, slow cardio workouts.  That gave her 90 extra minutes per week to enjoy her flat belly.


Sources:
www.TurbulenceTrainingForAbs.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxBMh4DKS1o