Hard abs are not only a boost to your confidence, they also help your exercise and health in numerous ways. Try these exercises from The Biggest Loser Club for the rock hard abs of your dreams.
For a long time, crunches were the only way to train the abdominals. We now know that this is a superficial form of exercise that does not take into account the inner muscles that make up your core. Deeper, smarter training exercises are necessary if you want to build your abs from the inside out.
The elusive six-pack
For most of us, getting that visible six-pack is a big challenge that involves serious weight loss. The abs are hidden behind a layer of fat, and to see them this layer needs to be very thin – like 15% body fat thin.
But even if you're not aiming for the six-pack, the abs are still an important area to exercise. The various, interrelated abdominal muscles are large muscles that help with a number of health concerns, not least for people who spend a lot of time behind a desk. Since they are large muscles, exercising them also fires up the metabolism which again leads to more weight loss – both while you are exercising and afterwards.
Core muscles
From the innermost layers in your mid-section to the outer, the muscles you want to train are:
- transverse abdominis
- internal and external obliques
- the rectus abdominis
The first 3 are important core muscles that can’t be seen and are difficult to feel but are central to maintaining good alignment, to a strong back and your mobility.
The rectus abdominis is the outermost muscle and the one you usually associate with the abs, or the six-pack.
Together all these muscles serve functions like:
- correct body posture
- stronger back
- breathing
- supporting internal organs
- child birth
The best abs exercises
A study of the effectiveness of 13 different abs exercises at the San Diego State University found that the traditional crunch is the least useful exercise when it comes to building your core and toning your abs. In fact, when it comes to strengthening the core, crunches can do more harm than good because they only exercise the outer layer of muscle.
Oblique curls
On top in the study was the oblique curl with alternate knee lift, a relatively easy exercise that most of us can do. It requires no equipment and can be performed as easily in the park as in a training studio. For a bit of variation you might want to try the oblique twisting curl – a similar exercise that demands a little less coordination on your side.
Hanging knee tucks
The second best abs exercise according to the report is a more advanced exercise called hanging knee tucks. It requires the use of some gym equipment or a bar and can be a fairly tough exercise to get started with, as you have to be able to carry your whole body weight while doing it. It is an excellent exercise for training all of your abdominal muscles.
An easier version of this exercise is using the so-called captain’s chair, where instead of holding on to a bar, you rest your elbows and underarms on the armrests.
Crunches with the ball
The exercise ball is a highly diverse training tool that is good for many types of training but especially for exercising the core muscles.
The third most effective exercise in the report was doing crunches on a ball. This is an exercise of medium difficulty that most exercisers can do with some practice. Notice how in the video our trainer, Alani, uses weights to keep his feet still, a trick that can be very helpful in the beginning.
Reverse ab curl
The fourth exercise that was proven to be very effective on the core muscles was the reverse ab curl, an exercise that doesn’t require the use of equipment but can be challenging in the beginning.
How to get rid of that tummy fat
Spot exercise alone won’t give you a flatter tummy but there are some activities you can do if you are serious about that six-pack: