ABsolutely Perfect

Whether we’re sporting a 6-pack on our belly or more of a keg, we’re always looking for the elusive perfect abs. Ask 10 trainers what the best exercise is for abdominals and you’ll get 10 different answers. It seems research on “core” training and abdominal work changes daily, but the key to working your abdominal muscles is really knowing where they are and actually working those muscles; not assisting with your hip flexors, arms, back or neck. Going too high on a crunch can be counterproductive because the abdominals are MOST involved up to the point that your shoulder blades come up off the floor or bench.
As always, quality over quantity is a must to effectively train your abs. Speed is not the key to perfection. Exercises performed too fast will end up recruiting the wrong muscles. I’ve seen people trying to rush through their obligatory 100 sit-ups, hurting their neck and back, while completely missing the muscles they thought they were working.
Personally, I like to work my abs every day, but I only do 3-4 sets of one type of exercise per day, varying it throughout the week. That way I focus more on the specific exercise than “getting my abs done”. Since I change my workout about every 6-8 weeks, I usually pick and choose from the following abs exercises. I’m open to new and different routines, but here are a few that work for me:
Exercise Ball Pass with Leg Lift
Lie face up on the floor with your legs extended, holding an exercise ball overhead with your shoulder blades just off the floor.
Lift your legs and place the ball between your lower legs. Return to the floor; your torso remains still thru the movement.
Reverse the motion to return to the start. Repeat for about 10-12 reps.
If your back starts to arch, don’t lower your legs as far or you’ll lose the contraction in your abs. The contraction is more important than how high or low your legs go. You can also slightly bend your knees.





Decline Bench Sit-Up
Set a decline bench to appropriate angle for your level. (Lower is easier, higher is more challenging). Secure your feet underneath the rollers.
Lie back with your torso, shoulders and head just off the bench.
Inhale and contract your abs to lift your lower body.
Curl your shoulders up to raise your torso, stopping short of a 90⁰ bend at your hips.
Exhale as your lower your torso halfway back down. Repeat 10-12 reps



Seated Leg Lift
Sit crosswise on a bench with your glutes slightly off the bench and your hands gripping it just outside your hips.
Lean back and raise your legs off the floor, knees slightly bent.
Lean torso forward while bringing your legs slightly toward the chest.
Exhale and tighten abs, then return to start. Repeat 10-12 times.




Roman Chair Knee Raise
Although I really prefer to do a hanging knee raise holding straps from a high bar, most gyms either don’t have the straps or make them hard to locate. The roman chair is usually more accessible.
Rest your forearms on the pads so they are parallel with the floor.
Inhale and bring your knees up in front of you at a 90⁰ angle and hold in the raised position for 1-2 seconds as you exhale.
Keep your elbows stationary and use your low abdominal muscles to lift; not the momentum of your hips or shoulders. Return to the start position.
You can also work your obliques by raising your knees to one side of your body, then down, then raise to the other side. Repeat for about 12-15 reps.




(The women demonstrating this exercise are my college roomates. When we got together last fall, we learned a lot from one another during our group workout)
These are my “go to “ ab exercises, but I will add more in future posts. Again, even though I know you don’t want to hear this, abdominal training strengthens the abdominal muscles, but it does NOT decrease the size of the adipose cells, skin fold thickness or abdominal circumference- You need to reduce your total body fat through both exercise and NUTRITION.