If you are a man on a mission to obtain svelte, rock-hard abs, you will be excited to know that one of the most effective exercises you can do for your mid-section can be done at home without any special equipment. In a recent study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and conducted by the Biomechanics lab at San Diego State University, the basic bicycle maneuver ab exercise topped the list of 13 most common abdominal exercises. A couple of other exercises that made the top ten are easy to do at home, along with a few that require a trip to the gym.
All Around Best Bicycle Abs
This exercise targets your entire abdominal wall including your obliques, the muscles that define your waist. Lie flat on a mat with your lower back pressed down and your abdominals contracted. Place both hands behind your head without interlacing your fingers. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Resist the temptation to hold your breath. For an additional challenge, have a partner stand over you and place their hands on top of your knees and offer resistance.
Lower Abs Reverse Crunches
Taking the seventh spot in the ACE abdominal study, was reverse crunches. Like the bicycle maneuver, this exercise can also be done at home and requires no additional equipment. Reverse crunches target the lower rectus abdominus muscles. To begin this exercise, lie down on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Place your hands on the floor beside your hips. Cross your feet at the ankles and lift your feet off the ground until your knees are in a 90-degree angle. Exhale as you contract your abdominals and slightly lift your hips off of the ground. Inhale on the return to the floor. To increase the level of difficulty, hold a dumbbell between your knees or put on five to 10 lb. ankle weights.
Stability Ball Ab Crunches
Basic abdominal crunches performed on a stability ball ranked third in the ACE study. Not only does this exercise target your entire abdominal wall, but it does it without involving your hip flexor muscles which makes it one of the best overall effective ab exercises. To begin this exercise, sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the floor. Slowly walk your feet out in front of you until the ball is resting comfortably in the curvature of your spine. You can either place your arms across your chest or behind your head. Exhale as you slowly lift your upper torso up off the ball until it reaches no higher than 45 degrees. Inhale as you return to starting position. To increase the intensity of this exercise, hold a dumbbell on your chest.
Captain's Chair Ab Crunches
The second best abdominal exercise you can do, according to the the ACE study, is the captain's chair abdominal crunch. The captain's chair is a standard piece of equipment found in most workout facilities. Position yourself in the chair so that your back is firmly pressed against the pad and your hands are gripping the handles. To begin the exercise, allow your legs to hang freely below you. Exhale as you slowly lift your knees up and in toward your chest. Inhale as you slowly release the legs back to the starting hanging position. To make this exercise more difficult and increase the tension on your abs, keep your legs extended straight out as you lift them up as high as you can.
References
- Ace Fitness: Best Worst Ab Exercises
- Exercise Goals: Abdominal Bicycle Crunch Maneuver Exercise
- "Ultimate Core Ball Workout"; Jeanine Detz; 2005
- "The AbSmart Fitness Plan"; Adam Weiss, Washinton, D.C.; 2009
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