Let’s be honest here – when you imagine the focal point of the human body, which part seems to stand out? The core, of course. Ladies love itand men love to have it… the legendary “six pack”. Reality to some, fantasy to many. One of the reasons for this is that the exercises you do in hopes of obtaining it are futile. Many of you waste your time on crunches and similar activities, but those will not get you far. What will, however, are some of the following exercises that got me a core to be envied by other men, and loved by women.
Planking
No, not that ridiculous trend that makes people laugh at you or even worse – fall off a building. We’re talking about getting into a position where your ankle, hip, and shoulder should be in one line, and where your chin should remain off your chest, while you’re resting your weight on your forearms. Holding in that position in 2-3 one minute sets has proven to be 130% more effective than just regular crunches.
Bicycle Crunches
While I don’t recommend regular crunches as mentioned before, improving on them is what I highly suggest. Bicycle crunchesare almost twice as effective as regular ones. The idea behind this exercise is to fully extend one leg at a time, while bringing your shoulder, instead of your elbow, up to touch your opposite knee. You can expand on this by using a medicine ball and moving it around your legs in an “8” pattern, as you do the crunches.
Bridge
While this exercise is thought to be just for girls, I find it to be equally effective for men as well. If you’re too shy for this, you might skip it, but you’ll be skipping out on an amazing exercise – one that is not only effective, but simple as well. You don’t need a machine or any kind of equipment to do it, but I recommend a personal trainerto help you do it properly. The idea is to simply lie flat on the floor, with your arms next to your body and knees at shoulder width. From there, dig your heels to lift your hips off the floor, all the while keeping your back straight. Remain in that position for a few seconds while your breathe out, then repeat.
Deadlift
It surprises many to find out that this exercise is a killer one for the abs. While some think it’s for the arm muscles, this is actually the one exercise that engages your core as much as possible. You start by standing shins next to the barbell. While keeping your back straight, bend your knees to grab the barbell, grabbing it with your arms about shoulder width apart. As you grab it, slowly bend your knees back, while keeping your back straight, until you’re standing up. Hold it for a few seconds, then repeat.
I would say that I hope some of these exercises will help you, but I don’t have to hope… I know they will. One of the best ways to get fit is to start with strengthening your core, the rest will follow naturally.