Abs workouts
The Best Abs Workout: Circuits For Upper Abs,
Lower Abs, And Obliques And Core
WORKOUTS
Bolt on these targeted abs workouts to your
main session to sculpt a rock-hard six-pack
25 MAY 2020
If you’re looking to train your abs, the good news is that there are a huge
variety of exercises that will help you achieve that goal. Even if you’re not
doing moves that focus on them directly, the location of your abs means that
they are worked hard by compound exercises that hit both the upper and
lower body. Your core is also key to any exercise in which you have to keep
your body stable, such as static holds like the plank or tricky balancing acts
like the single-leg Romanian deadlift.
Whether your goal is a six-pack or just a little more definition around your
midsection, compound lifts like squats, overhead presses and deadlifts will
help get you there, and they’ll build strength all over your body at the same
time. That said, there’s also room for more focused abs work too, especially if
you have designs on achieving a cover model-style six-pack.
The four-move circuits below provide both isolation exercises and compound
moves, and the three options target different areas of your abs to ensure
you’re hitting them from every angle. The first workout concentrates on your
upper abs, the second focuses on the lower abs, and the final routine works
the often neglected side abs – or obliques – along with your deeper core
muscles.
Though each circuit works as quick stand-alone abs blast, you can also tack
them on to the end of your main training session to ensure your abs are
getting the attention they merit.
The really good news is that you don’t need access to a gym to complete these
workouts, so you can keep pursuing your six-pack dream during the COVID-19
lockdown. This is one area of the body that you can absolutely whip into shape
at home, with minimal equipment required to get you really feeling the burn
in your midsection.
We say minimal, rather than no, equipment, because for the workouts below
you will need a pull-up bar for moves like the hanging leg raise. Bars are
affordable and usually easy to find, though during the lockdown demand has
exceeded supply at times, so check our pick of the best pull-up bars for
options that are still available. The dumbbell crunch calls for a dumbbell, but if
you don’t have one then any kind of weight you can hold by your chest will do
– it doesn’t have to be too heavy.
How To Do Each Abs Workout
DO THREE CIRCUITS IN TOTALEach of
these abs workouts is a mini-circuit you can do at the end of your main
workout. The circuits are designed to work the maximum number of muscle
fibres as quickly and effectively as possible, so you’ll do all four moves in
order, sticking to the reps and rest periods detailed. The first move of each
circuit is the hardest, then they get progressively easier as the number of reps
per move increases. This works your abs harder and places them under
greater tension for longer, which is ultimately what stimulates muscle growth.
After the final move, rest for the allotted time, then repeat the circuit. Do
three circuits in total.
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Upper Abs Workout
1 Dumbbell crunch
Reps 10 Rest 10sec
Lie on your back, holding a dumbbell or weight plate across your chest in both
hands. Raise your torso, then lower it, maintaining tension in your uppers abs
throughout.
2 Tuck and crunch
Reps 15 Rest 10sec
Lie down with your hands by your head and your legs raised with your knees
bent at a 90° angle. Simultaneously raise your torso and draw your knees
towards your chest. Keep your fingers by your temples throughout and
initiate each rep smoothly without jerking your torso up. Don’t let your feet
touch the floor between reps.
3 Modified V-sit
Reps 12 Rest 10sec
Lie with your legs raised off the floor and extended away from you so they’re
parallel with the floor, and your arms straight by your sides, held off the floor.
Keep your arms straight as you raise your torso and bring your legs in,
bending at the knees, so that your chest meets your knees at the top of the
move. Then lower under control.
4 Crunch
Reps 20 Rest 90sec
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet planted, and your arms
crossed across your chest. Raise your torso using your abs, then lower. Your
upper abs will already be close to fatigue but try to hold the top position of
each rep for at least one second to make them work as hard as possible.
See related
Six-Pack Diet: 27 Foods That Will Help To Reveal Your Abs
The Best Abs Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer
Lower Abs Workout
1 Hanging leg raise
Reps 10 Rest 10sec
Fair warning, this tough exercise sets the tone for what is going to be a brutal
workout involving four different hanging exercises. Start in a dead hang with
your legs straight and your knees and ankles touching. Keep them together as
your use your lower abs to raise them, then lower back to the start under
control.
2 Hanging knee raise twist
Reps 12 each side Rest 10sec
Start in a dead hang with your legs straight and knees together. Twist your
body and raise your knees to one side, then return to the start. Continue,
alternating sides.
3 Hanging knee raise
Reps 15 Rest 10sec
This slightly easier variation on the hanging leg raise still puts a lot of
pressure on your lower abs. Start in a dead hang and raise your knees
powerfully to activate more of the muscle fibres in the lower abs. Lower back
to the start under control to prevent swinging.
4 Garhammer raise
Reps 20 Rest 90sec
Start hanging from the bar but with your knees already raised to around your
midsection, then lift them as high as you can. Lower back to the start under
control, keeping your abs engaged throughout.
Obliques And Core Workout
1 Decline plank with foot touch
Reps 10 each side Rest 10sec
Get into a decline plank position, supporting yourself on your forearms with
your feet raised on a bench. Your body should form a straight line from heels
to head and the aim is to maintain that position throughout the exercise. Lift
one foot off the bench and move it to the side to touch the floor, then return it
to the bench. Continue, alternating sides.
2 Seated Russian twist
Reps 12 each side Rest 10sec
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and heels on the ground. Your torso
should be at the top of the crunch position, forming a 45° angle to the ground.
Twist your torso from side to side, moving in a smooth and controlled
manner.
3 Bicycle crunches
Reps 15 each side Rest 10sec
Lie on your back with your hands by your temples and your legs raised with
your knees bent at a 90° angle. Bring your right knee up towards your chest
while raising your torso and twisting so your left elbow comes to meet your
knee. Then lower and do the same on the opposite side. Keep your shoulders
and feet off the ground to force your abs to work hard to stabilise your torso.
4 Plank
Time Max Rest 90sec
Maintain a strict plank position, with your hips up, your glutes and core
braced, and your head and neck relaxed. Breathing slowly and deeply, hold the
position for as long as possible.
Abs Training Tips
Look beyond deadlifts
In this CrossFit-and-strongman era, it’s a common claim that deadlifts are all
the abs work you need. Dead wrong. In fact, the most recent study to compare
key exercises found that press-ups and plank holds beat even heavy back
squats and deadlifts for core activation. Although the weighted movements
produced the most force on the lower back, the bodyweight moves proved
most effective for the rectus abdominis and external obliques.
What’s the frequency?
Once upon a time, the myth was that, as “endurance” muscles, the abs should
be trained every day. Now it’s more common to encounter claims that you
only need one dedicated core workout a week – but the truth lies somewhere
in between. “Two or three abs workouts a week might be optimal for most
people,” says trainer Jonny Jacobs. “Breaking it up into separate days – for
static, anti-rotation work and dynamic movements – is one good option.”
Bringing flexion back
You should know by now that doing hundreds of sit-ups is doing nothing good
for your back, but that doesn’t mean you ought to ditch spinal flexion entirely.
In 2017, back health expert Dr Stuart McGill co-authored a paper explaining:
“If flexibility is important… the trainer may want to select full-range curl-ups
and crunches…if maximal muscular development is the goal, including the
crunch and its variations may help.” Translation: A few are fine.
Read more about:
ABS WORKOUTS
CORE WORKOUTS
CIRCUIT TRAINING
CORONAVIRUS