ab workouts

[i_heart_pv]

just wondering what some good ab workouts were besides your standard crunches and sit-ups?

[Adam Redmond]

Winshield Wipers and Bubkas are great for the core of your body. Also you can lay on your back and lift your legs 6 inches off the ground and as much of your upper back off aswell. Try to hold tha as long as you can, it becomes easier the more you do it. Another one is if you get in push up position, but instead of having your hands support you use your forearms and stay like that as long as you can. Then from that position you can use one arm and have you side facing the ground, then switch to the other side. Hopefully that was understandable. Give it a shot and see how it works. they work for me.

[fong520]

hmmm wat are winshield wipers?..
i like to do leg lifts... seems to work when i do t hem haha.

[tim hutzley]

this is a pretty good work out has a lot for abs the 4 point pillars are what Adam was talking about in the pushup position but on your 4arms. and then the oblique bridge is the same as the 4 point pillar exept you go on one arm. It will work you pretty good.

Reverse Pyramid!



I like this circuit because it does not involve any equipment, just the athlete’s bodyweight and a place to train. The goal is to try to use as many muscles as possible while emphasizing the “Coreâ€Â

[vaultguru6]

I'll swear by the windshield wipers. Nothing tears you deeper than those. It's when you're hanging from a high bar in bubka position with your ankles at the bar between your hands. You then proceed to move your legs in a sweeping motion left and right while keeping your upper body still. So your legs are moving back and forth while your hanging from the bar in a V position. Hence the term windshield wipers. The can be really tough to do if you've never done them before. The best way to start is by doing them on the ground first. Lay on your back, stretch both arms out at 90 degrees as far as you can, and lift your straight legs and point them to the sky so you're in an L position. Then sweep your legs left and right, always keeping them pointing up and trying to keep your torso still. Its great for the obliques.

[ashcraftpv]

if you can't do wipers on a bar (like most of my freshman), then do them lying on the floor with your arms spread out to the side for stabilization. once it becomes too easy on the floor, move to a bar.

[vaulter0512]

Budkas and winshieild wipers are great!! we also do these abs called knee ups......middles.....striaght leg....v-ups..and another one we do is with a med. ball.

[swtvault]

hmmm wat are winshield wipers?..
i like to do leg lifts... seems to work when i do t hem haha.

In all actuality leg lifts are the complete opposite of ab exercises. The reason you feel the burn in your abs is because your lower back is contracting so hard that your abdominals are actually stretching! Really though, leg lifts in excess will actually weaken your abs. Usually what happens when people do those (or sit-ups incorrectly) in excess, they develop lordosis (sway back.) I know of several tests to check abdominal strength, and people that religously do those exercises tend to fall in the bottom of the barrel. I am not saying that leg lifts are bad, because lower back strength is extremely important! What I am saying is that a whole lot of people are under the impression that those are ab stengthening exercises. Ask any health proffesional, and you will probably get a similar response.

[Lax PV]

We have a couple that we do.

1 we call a "Candlestick" ...you lie on a bench and hold your hands on the reverse side. Then lift your entire body up straight like a board. Its similar to a "lag lift" only with the entire body... I think if you watch part of Sky Systems II when they are training you see someone do it.

We have another one that we call the "Law" (long story...). Its a Bubka-like hip lift on a pull up bar or anything like that (we usually use the squat racks in the weight room). The only twist is that you start in an L-sit position, then use your lats and core to lift your legs to the bar so you are sitting in the V-sit position, then complete the Bubka... just dont let your feet touch inbetween. I have seen 8 done in a row, thats the most so far...

and of course... windshield wipers

[fong520]

We have a couple that we do.

1 we call a "Candlestick" ...you lie on a bench and hold your hands on the reverse side. Then lift your entire body up straight like a board. Its similar to a "lag lift" only with the entire body... I think if you watch part of Sky Systems II when they are training you see someone do it.

We have another one that we call the "Law" (long story...). Its a Bubka-like hip lift on a pull up bar or anything like that (we usually use the squat racks in the weight room). The only twist is that you start in an L-sit position, then use your lats and core to lift your legs to the bar so you are sitting in the V-sit position, then complete the Bubka... just dont let your feet touch inbetween. I have seen 8 done in a row, thats the most so far...

and of course... windshield wipers

is the candlestick thing u mention wat rocky does in rocky 4. when hes like hardcore training??... thats my fav rocky movie btw wooo

[Lax PV]

ill have to check it out, i havnt seen rocky four in a reallllllly long time

[Robert schmitt]

In all actuality leg lifts are the complete opposite of ab exercises. The reason you feel the burn in your abs is because your lower back is contracting so hard that your abdominals are actually stretching! Really though, leg lifts in excess will actually weaken your abs. Usually what happens when people do those (or sit-ups incorrectly) in excess, they develop lordosis (sway back.) I know of several tests to check abdominal strength, and people that religously do those exercises tend to fall in the bottom of the barrel. I am not saying that leg lifts are bad, because lower back strength is extremely important! What I am saying is that a whole lot of people are under the impression that those are ab stengthening exercises. Ask any health proffesional, and you will probably get a similar response.

For most people they wouldn't consider it a low back exercise per say. You are 100% correct however. what you are working out by doing a "leg lift" (flexion at the hip) is the illiopsoas muscle or hip flexor not the abdominal muscle. The action of the abdominal is to bring the rib cage towards the pelvis by creating forward flexion in primarly the lumbar and thoracic spine it is physiologicaly impossible for the abdominal muscle to lift the leg, as soon as you start to move at the hip it is the hip flexor that is being used.

The hip flexor is the combination of two muscles the psoas muscle and illiacus muscle (sp)? the psoas muscle originates from the anterior portion of the lumbar spine inside the abdominal cavity(hence it could be considered a low back exercise)and will cause some flexion of the lumbar spine. As the psoas extends down to the femur from the lumbar spine it becomes continuous with the illiacus muscle which originates from the illium forming the illiopsoas muscle which inserts into the femor causing hip flexion (forward bending at the waist)