A traditional sit-up, where you raise your trunk up from the floor with your knees bent or straight, involves the hip muscles disproportionately over the abs. What this means is the hip muscles get more of the workout and the abdominal muscle group gets less. With a traditional sit-up, your abs are not getting trained in the right way. As an unwanted side effect, there is unnecessary and potentially harmful strain put on the lower back during this type of sit-up. So what are some good abdominal exercises? Read on to find out.

The American Council on Exercise conducted a study that determined that the classic sit-up is not effective if you want to achieve strong, defined abs. This conclusion was intriguing, to say the least. In fact, out of all ab exercises, the traditional sit-up was among the least effective abdominal muscle exercises. That is right; least effective. Alright, so the sit-up is not only ineffective, but it has the potential to be harmful. So if this is one of the worst abdominal exercises, then what is better and safer?

First, there is the traditional crunch. To do a crunch, you will need to lie on the floor with your knees slightly bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abs by drawing your bellybutton back towards your spine and cross your arms over your chest. Next, raise your shoulders off the floor while keeping your back straight. Don’t forget to breathe and remember to exhale through your mouth while performing crunches. With your shoulders raised, pause for a moment and exhale. Now slowly lower your shoulders back to the floor without allowing your head to touch the floor.

No great abdominal workout would be complete without leg lifts. To do a leg lift, lie on the floor with hands at your sides and your legs flat. Lift your legs straight up so that they are pointing at the ceiling; then lower them down again without letting them touch the ground. Continue lifting and lowering your legs for as long as you are comfortable. As an alternative to this exercise, you can also hold yourself up on a bar and do leg lifts by raising your knees to your chest.

You perform a v-up when you lie flat on a mat with your hands extended back over your head, touching the floor. Now raise your torso and legs simultaneously, while keeping your legs straight. Extend your hands towards your feet and if possible, touch them. Hold this position for a few seconds and then return to the flat position.

So there you have it; some good and effective ab exercises that are invaluable when working to tone your core. Give each of them a try so you can get an idea of which ones you enjoy the most. Your abdominal muscle group will respond with just a few simple lifestyle changes, such as diet and a combination of abdominal cardio exercises. Remember that the most effective workout is the one that challenges you the most.

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Tags: 100 abdominal exercises, abdominal exercise, abdominal exercise tips, abdominal training, belly exercises, six pack abdominals, six pack abs
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