Types Of Abdominal Exercises And The Benefits They Provide

There are many myths and a lot of misinformation out there about this popular exercise: crunches. Some people say that you shouldn’t do abdominal exercises every day , while others say that abdominal exercises will only improve your figure.

Then there are those who say that you only get results if you do at least 1000 crunches every time.

In the article below you can find out which types of abdominal exercises there are and what you can achieve with them if you do them. 

Tips for doing abdominal exercises

Before we teach you the different types of abs, it might be helpful to learn a few basics first.

Point 1 

It is very important that you perform the exercises correctly. But… what is the right way to do abdominal exercises?

For example , it is important that you are careful with your back and especially your neck. These are the two body parts that can hurt you the most if you do the exercise incorrectly. Keep your arms as wide as possible so that you’re doing the crunch with your stomach instead of other parts of the body.

Point 2

Be aware that by doing these exercises alone you will not lose fat (even if you do 1000 reps a day). The exercises should be accompanied by aerobic exercise and a good diet.

It is not necessarily necessary to do many repetitions of the same exercise when you train. It is better to do a few different exercises each time targeting different muscles, such as your:

• Obliques
• Upper Abs
• lower abs

Point 3 

The abs are muscles that need to be trained several days a week and rest on the other days. If you train these muscles too often and too hard, you can suffer from muscle fatigue and injuries.

When training the obliques or the upper abs, be careful not to bend your head forward or close your arms as you lift your body.

Why is it necessary to do abdominal exercises?

To prevent back pain

Exercise is the most effective treatment for neck or back pain. Be careful though! The exercise should always be specific, so that you don’t damage the body parts even more.

If you don’t have a serious problem with your spine, abdominal exercises can only strengthen your back.

To improve your posture

If you have strong abs, this will not only give you a more beautiful figure, but it will also improve your posture by improving your ability to stand up straight. When we have weak abs, we tend to hang with our shoulders and backs forward and this causes even more aches.

To prevent a bloated stomach

The abdominal muscles serve as a way to expel toxins, fats and fluids from the body. The muscles ensure that our stomach and intestines stay in top shape. If we have nicely defined abs, our gut is able to function better and we can avoid constipation.

To avoid slackening

Of course, having beautiful abs is an important part of our physical beauty. Doing these exercises can help us prevent our stomachs from slackening and drooping.

This is  something that often happens after pregnancy, when we gain or lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, because the skin tissue becomes weaker as we age or because our muscles are too weak.

What types of abdominal exercises are there?

You probably already perform the exercises that we discuss below without realizing it. Read the description of each exercise and find out what this exercise can do for you.

Standard abdominal exercises

Standard abdominal exercises are exercises that isolate the abdominal muscles.  This means that you only train your abs with this exercise.

• To perform these exercises, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• You can also keep your legs straight in the air or put them on a platform.
• Keep your hands behind your head.
• Tighten your abs and lift your torso as high as possible, keeping your lower back flat on the floor or mat.
• Then drop down again.

Abdominal exercises with a rope or elastic

The elastic contracts, providing resistance when you perform your abs.

• Kneel under a pulley with a rope or elastic.
• Hold the rope or elastic with both hands and pull it down behind your head until both hands are level with your chin.

• Then bend your hips and allow the weight to straighten your back.
• Lean forward slightly so that the abs contract.
• Point your elbows out.
• Keep your hips still and maintain the tension in your muscles.

Abdominal exercises with weight

These exercises are performed with a dumbell or a barbell.

• Lie on your back on an inclined bench. To make sure you don’t move, clamp your feet.
• Place the dumbbell or just the disc without a barbell on your stomach.
• Keep your arms out to the side, then lean forward, lifting your torso as high as possible.
• Then go back to the starting position.

Abdominal exercises with a balance ball

This is a very interesting exercise, where you tighten the lower abs and also strengthen your torso by using certain other muscle groups.

• To perform these abs exercises, sit on a ball and move the ball forward by walking with your feet.
• As you do this, turn your back from left to right.
• Another way is to lie on the ball with only your lower back.
• Keep your knees and hips bent.
• Let your head and shoulders hang forward.
• Keep your hands behind your head and bend forward to your waist.

Reverse Abs

These exercises are meant to strengthen your lower abs.

• Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms at your sides. Your palms are flat on the ground.

• Raise your legs so that the feet are directly under the ceiling.
• Raise and lower the legs without bending them or touching the floor.
• You can also bring your knees up to your chest and then straighten your legs again so that they are level with the floor.

Abdominal exercises with a twist

These exercises are intended to train the obliques, or your side.

• To do this, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Keep your hands behind your head.
• Lift your torso as you would a standard abs, but then rotate your torso to the right while still in the air.

• Lower your body and repeat the exercise, but this time twist your torso to the left.
• Remember to always point your elbows out.