Working out your abdominal muscles is key to having a strong, healthy core. Doing so also can improve your appearance, as you may want to impress others on the beach when summer comes around. Make use of the abdominal machines at your gym or workout facility for structured exercises to help you reach your fitness goals safely.
Weighted Crunch
Weighted crunches help you to build abdominal muscle at a faster rate than unweighted ones. The crunch machine at your gym will allow you to escalate or de-escalate the amount of weight resistance you want to work against while keeping your form stable and correct. Set the weight plates to your desired resistance level. Set the bar to your chest height. Rest your arms on the bar and push downward from the seated position using your abdominal muscles; do not come to a complete rest during your set of repetitions.
Abdominal Rotation
Performing weighted abdominal rotations targets your obliques, which can be difficult to train. Set the weight plates to your desired resistance level. Grab the over-the-shoulder harness and turn to the left or right from the seated position. The weighted resistance works your obliques in the direction your turn. Push from the obliques and not with your arms or back muscles.
Hanging Leg Raise
Use your gym's elevated raise apparatus, which is usually attached to a larger network of machines and looks like a protruding U-shaped bar onto which you can rest your arms. Alternatively, you may slip your arms through hanging sleeves if the machine features a swinging setup. Grab the raise bar's handles and keep your legs straight down beneath you. Bring your knees up toward your chest and extend your legs again. Do not fully relax your legs during the set of repetitions.
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