The ultimate workout goal is to get those six packs nicely carved into your abs. The core muscle is one of the most muscles that needs training and is pretty much used with every other workout. Whether you’re doing squats or high knees, you’ll hear your trainer always repeating the same three words: engage your core. If you’re looking to get those six packs or just wanting to strengthen your core muscles. Here are a few great workouts to get your muscles engaged:
Diversify Your Ab Routine
One of the things about abs is that you need to do the same workout around a million times for it to be effective as your muscles get used to the movements quite quickly. Instead of doing 100 crunches, you should work on all parts of your mid-section by using various workouts such as planks, sit-ups, flutter kicks, etc. Or, if you’re unsure of which workout focuses on which muscle, you can use an abs machine as it not only focuses on all muscles but provides unique and challenging ways to work out your abs. According to a Melbourne gym equipment review at Traininghardcore, using the machine abs allow you to maintain the correct form even when you get tired, preventing your muscles from straining. That’s because the machine abs provide support for the back, shoulders, and neck, which reduces the risk of injuries that could happen while working out.
Planks
You’ll rarely find an ab workout that doesn’t involve a form of this miraculous core workout, and that is for a good reason. Planks work on maximum effort with minimum movement involved as it requires you to engage and strengthen your core to help support your body while resting your palms and toes on the floor. Only when the body is in a straight line from the shoulders to the ankles, do the core muscles work. The different variations include resting on your elbows, and harder levels include extending an arm or alternate shoulder taps to only have one hand at a time resting on the floor. This helps your balance rely more on the core muscles, making it tighter.
Dead Bug
While planks are very effective, it is best when combined with a set of 3 exercises with one of the other two being a dead bug. As the name indicates, you’ll be lying with your back to the floor with your arms extended at a 90 degree angle to the floor, and your legs raised with bent knees. The key is to coordinate the movement between your right arm and left leg or vice versa, by lowering your right arm and left leg at the same time and then return to the starting position before you alternate to the other two limbs. The coordination involved while alternating both arms and legs allows you to engage your core, making the most out of a core workout.
V-Ups
The third workout to be added to the set of planks and dead bugs, are V-ups. This one is rather advanced and can take a while to perform in perfect form, but does wonders for your abs – Bruce Lee was a big fan of this exercise. After just a few repetitions, you’ll start to feel your core not only tighten, but engage the muscles as you move. In order to do the V-ups correctly, lay your back flat on the floor while extending both your feet and arms. Lift both your arms and feet at the same time while pulling yourself off the floor. Your body should form a V-shape as your hands move closer to touch your toes. Make sure that your legs are straight and your knees aren’t bent.
Advanced Core Workout
If you’re looking for a more advanced workout, then you can definitely use the bar at the gym to your advantage. While hanging from a pull-up bar, lift your toes to the bar while keeping your legs together. You should make sure your core is tight and that you’re bending at the hips, not at the waist. Lifting your toes upwards will only be possible if you’re fully engaged your core, making it an excellent workout, but this also requires stronger arms and should not be tried if you’re a beginner.
Mixing up your workout is essential so you don’t get bored and your muscles don’t get used to the workout. But, doing ab workouts every day, even if it’s not ab-day is essential as you need to engage your core to get the correct form in most exercises. With practice, you’ll be showing off those six-packs in no time.