5 simple and effective exercises for sculpted abs

Summer is always a great time to flaunt your perfect figure on the beach. If you are embarrassed to wear open swimsuits because of a small tummy, it’s time to learn some abs exercises and start training.

Alexander Karpov and I have picked out five of the most effective abs exercises.

Spinal flexions (“crunches”)

Starting position: lying on your back, legs bent at the knee joints, feet on the floor, hands supporting your head (do not pull yourself!).

Pull the shoulder blades off the floor, but the lower back remains on the floor, then return to the starting position. As a weight, you can take in your hands a weight or an expander.

The exercise is aimed at training mainly the rectus abdominis muscle (the one in the shape of cubes).

Hanging leg raises

Starting position: in a hanging/uprightposition, legs loosely lowered.

Smoothly lift your legs and further bend your spine, then return to the starting position under control. Try not to sway. There is also a more complex variant – it is lifting the legs to the bar in a hanging position.

The exercise is mainly aimed at training the rectus abdominis muscle, and since there is hip flexion (leg raises), it also works part of the quadriceps and iliopsoas muscle.

Bending with throwing the ball into the inertia platform

Starting position: lying on your back, legs bent at the knee joints, feet on the floor, hands with the ball behind your head.

Throw the ball through the “explosive” bending of the spine in the center of the platform and wait for the bounce, then return to the starting position. If there is no trampoline, you can train with a partner and throw the ball into his hands.

“Prayer” with an espander or in the crossover

It is necessary to lift the rope handle of the crossover up or fix the expander to something above (for example, a bar).

Starting position: kneeling and holding the rope/expander with your hands near your head.

Bend your spine without changing the position of your arms. Move down (elbows to knees) and return to starting position under control.

“Book” with a fitball

Starting position: lying down, arms with a fitball stretched behind the head, legs straight.

Perform a simultaneous bending of the spine on the side of the arms and legs and in the middle intercept the fitball with your legs. Return to the starting position, but with the ball clamped with your feet.