How You Should Really Train Your Abs

How You Should Train Your Abs?

You may have heard that crunches and sit ups are not the best way to train your abs. That's true–while those exercises help to strengthen the core, there are better ways to go. 

If you want to get visible abs, you will first need to get rid of the fat layer on them. That means eating pretty strict diet. Also genetics plays a huge role here: If you're really lucky, you may have visible abs even without doing crazy diet tricks.

Others though, have to work really hard if they want their abs to show. And a lot of times the effort you put into that dieting may not really be worth it. You can still have a strong core, even if your abs don't show.

What kind of exercises should you do to build those strong abs?

Why Crunches and Sit Ups Aren't the Best Ab Exercises

Crunches and sit ups are usually the first ones that come to most people's minds if they're thinking about ab exercises. While they definitely work your abdominal muscles, they're not the most amazing exercises for abs.

The reason is that when you're doing these exercises, your abdominal muscles work in isolation.

But as this study shows, you r abs work more if you recruit other muscles into your movements as well. The study of 20 people who participated in the training program showed that they were able to activate their core muscles significantly more by doing exercises that required also shoulder and leg work at the same time. For example, overhead squats and other squat variations are a few of them.

Train Your Abs: Compound Movements with Sandbag

Big compound movements that are done with free weights, like sandbag, barbell or alike, are really the best ways to build strong midsection. Compound means that many muscle groups are working at the same time.

So, you may be surprised to find out that squats, deadlifts and overhead squats work harder on your abs than many traditional ab exercises like crunches and sit ups.

Train Your Abs: Overhead Squats with Sandbag or Barbell

Overhead squats are my favorite way to work my legs, arms and core all at the same time. Your core works really hard because it has to keep the body stable against the weight. If you could put your hand on your belly while doing the overhead squats, you'd definitely feel how your abs are working.

• Hold the sandbag from the handles and press it up over your head.
• Your stance should be about hip width apart or slightly wider. Your toes and knees should be pointing at the same direction.
• Keep the weight on your heels, press the butt back and do a squat. Make sure that your heels stay in contact with the ground.
• Make sure you have a good shoulder mobilty before trying this exercise! Try squatting with holding something light overhead, like a PVC pipe or even a jump rope. You should be able to keep your elboows straight.

Train Your Abs: Squats with Sandbag or Barbell

If you can't do overhead movements because your shoulder mobility isn't that good or you simply need to build up some strength before you can do overhead movements, regular back squats are great for building abdominal strength as well.

• Hold from the handles of a sandbag and press it up, then put it on your shoulders.
• Your stance should be about hip width apart or slightly wider. Your toes and knees should be pointing at the same direction.
• Keep the weight on your heels, press the butt back and do a squat. Make sure that your heels stay in contact with the ground.

Train Your Abs: Compound Movements with Kettlebells or Dumbbells

Kettlebells and dumbbells are also great for building a strong core. Honestly, all kettlebell movements from swings to snatches to front squats are great for improving the abdominal strength.

But one of the best exercises you could do for your abs are so-called Farmer's Carries (walks with weights). You can do them using one or two kettlebells or dumbbells. Again, the reason why they work the abs really well is that your muscles have to resist moving in different directions when you walk with those weights. Try to keep your posture good all the time and avoid too much swaying from side to side.

Train Your Abs: Farmer's Carry with Kettlebells or Dumbbells

• Pick up one or two moderate to heavy kettlebells or dumbbells. Don't be afraid of heavy weights! Too light weights aren't going to make you stronger.
• Stand up tall, chest proud and stomach tucked in.
• Walk about 40-50 steps one direction, then walk back.
• If you used just one weight, remember to switch sides.

Train Your Abs: Overhead Carries with Kettlebells or Dumbbells

If you want to kick the regular Farmer's Carries up a notch, try overhead carries. For those, you'll only need one weight.

• Pick up one weight, kettlebell or dumbbell, and lift it up. Keep the arm is straight.
• Stand up tall, chest proud and stomach tucked in.
• Walk 20-50 steps one direction, then walk back.
• Switch sides half way through and walk back.

Train Your Abs: Compound Movements with Bodyweight

But there are ways to do big compound movements and still work your core even if you don't have weights in hand.

Do you want to know what non-traditional ab exercise always works my abs like crazy and makes me pretty sore?

Train Your Abs: Pull Ups or Chin Ups

Chin ups. Every time I do them, my abs definitely feel it the next day

• Find a bar that is high enough, so that you can hang on it (you can keep the legs bent).
• Put your hands on the bar. If you do it overhand, you're doing chin ups. The regular hold means that you're going to do pull ups. For most people, chin ups are easier.
• Straighten he arms so that you're actually hanging on the bar, then activate your upper back and shoulder blades to pull yourself over the bar.
• If you need to use resistance band, simply wrap it around the pull up bar and then around your knee. That will help you to get over the bar way easier as the band will do some of the work for you.

Train Your Abs: Toes to Bar

Another great ab exercise that you can do with just your own bodyweight is Toes to Bar.

• Hang on the bar so that your feet are off the ground. I the bar is not high enough, simply bend the knees.
• Lift the legs up and try to touch the bar with your toes.
• If your toes can't reach the bar, lift the legs as high as you can.

Conclusion

Compound movements are the way to go if you really want to build strong abs. The more muscles you recruit during one movement, the more you work. The studies show that the most efficient movements aren't the ones where the muscles work in isolation, but the ones that recruit more muscle groups at once.

That means that you don't have to spend hours on working your legs, then arms and then core. You can get all done at once and get the most results in the least amount of time.

Sandbags, kettlebells and dumbbells are all awesome workout equipments, but there are also some bodyweight workouts that are great for building strong abs.

Disclaimer: This post has some links in it it, but they are for products that I personally use and recommend.