The tests demonstrate how strong abs stabilize the body in each of them. It’s a key muscle, and using proper form when it's engaged by contracting it during ab workouts will make sure you’re targeting it.Ĭan you get off the floor without using your hands or elbows? That’s a basic test of ab strength.Ĭavaliere runs through three more measures, each testing a different plane of motion (sagittal, frontal, and transverse). If looking in a mirror reveals bloated lower abs, that means you’re not strong enough to contract the transverse abdominis muscle (which runs horizontally around the waist, like a weight belt). They’re also helping provide stability in other exercises, particularly, the "Big 3" lifts you probably build your routine around: bench presses, squats, and deadlifts.Ĭavaliere points out that if you're consciously bracing for these exercises-instead of just doing the moves, and allowing your core to lend support-and you feel you could probably add more weight, it probably means your abs are weak and need attention. Cavaliere suggests changing your anchor point to pull back against something to engage your hamstrings instead, since you'll end up taking your lower back out of the equation.Ībs don’t just work when you’re targeting them. Fixing your form will again get this exercise focused on the right muscle group. If you need to anchor your feet, if your shoulders trail when do the movement, and if you slam your back down to the floor after each rep, you have weak abs. Cavaliere points to situps as a key example: If your lower back starts to hurt with as you perform reps, it’s again because your hip flexors are doing the work instead of your abs, which in turn puts stress on your lower back. To be clear, you should not get back pain from ab workouts. That’ll help build a stronger set of abs in the long run. Cavaliere says that to fix a movement like ab scissors, curl your shoulders off the ground, engaging the abs and making your hip flexors work as assistance muscles rather than the primary target of the exercise. Your legs are driving the movement instead of your abs-so you need to fix your form. (Want some alternative ideas? Scope out these weighted abs exercises for a strong, sculpted core.If you’re doing ab exercises-say, ab scissors, laying on your back and crossing your legs over one another-and you feel fatigue in your legs and hip flexors, that means you’re working the wrong muscles. "However, one unique aspect to the ab roller compared to similar devices in its category is that you can add weight and make the crunch more difficult." Of course, the weights are not included, so you'd have to shell out extra cash to make the device more effective. Plus, "the crunch is not the most effective way to train your abs because the range of motion is limited and the stress placed on the abs is low," he adds. The extra support is nice, but one of the best things about crunches and sit-ups is that they can be done anywhere, anytime, and using a piece of equipment to do them takes away that level of convenience. "While this setup does make it easier to focus on your abs without straining your neck, the exercise itself is literally just a crunch," says Wolf. The Ab Roller is an age-old apparatus in the fitness world that's generally used to do crunches with a little extra head support. "Midline stability exercises, or exercises focused on preventing movement in the spine (like a plank), are an essential part of any abs program and are often neglected with other devices." What's more, the Bender Ball makes exercises like crunches (with it under your lower back), for example, harder rather than easier, unlike the majority of other As Seen On TV abs products. Here's what the means for your workouts: "The range of motion exercises are effective because they can include the full movement potential of the spine, including rotational movements," says Wolf. "The Bender Ball will actually give you results, primarily because the exercises done on it include both moving through ranges of motion and midline stability," explains Ethan Wolf, C.S.C.S., owner of StrengthRx Crossfit Los Angeles. Plus, it's pretty effective at developing core strength when used consistently. This little guy gets high marks because you can use it for so many different types of exercises.
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