5 Simple and Effective Abs Exercises | Core Workout

Building an amazing core sounds complicated but it isn’t provided you stick to your core workout consistently. It’s simple enough - include core exercises in your daily routine, eat nutritious food, and avoid junk food. 

Core workouts improve stability and mobility but that’s not all; they boost your confidence as well. A six-pack workout is great for avoiding injuries irrespective of whether you do it at home or the gym. For most physical activities like running, squatting, doing yoga, etc., you require a strong core.

Fasten your belt and do those best ab exercises regularly to see results. Watch some of the best workout videos in HD with FITCOACH to workout from home and reach your body toning goals.

5 Best Ab Exercises

1. Plank

Plank is the flat stomach workout exercise you should be doing every day. Make sure to squeeze your core, back, fists, quads, and glutes – all the parts involved in this exercise – as hard as you can. Maintain diaphoretic breath – deep breathing based on moving the diaphragm while holding the plank. Remember that no matter however long you can hold the plank, you’re doing it wrong if it’s too easy for you.

How to do the Plank

1. Lie face down on an exercise/yoga mat
2. Place your forearms directly under your shoulders on the mat and prop yourself up
3. Your body should be in a straight line from head to toes and the forearms should be parallel to each other
4. Make a fist with your hands instead of letting your palms touching the mat face down

Hold for at least 30 seconds in each set. Do 3-5 sets.

2. Six Inches

One of the simplest yet most effective core exercises you can do for strong lower abs. Six inches is an isometric exercise, which is much harder than it sounds. This exercise is the opposite of the plank and trust us when we say this – you will only be able to hold it for about half the time. If you have lower back pain, you should probably avoid this exercise or at least consult your chiropractor before doing it.

How to do Six Inches Exercise

1. Lie on your back on a yoga mat
2. Place your hands under the small of your back to support your back. You can use a rolled-up towel as well. Or simply place them next to your body
3. Engage your abs and raise your feet six inches off of the ground and hold for as long as you can. 

Quit if your lower back begins to ache

3. Spiderman Press-up

Have you seen how Spiderman climbs the walls? It is exactly like that except much more difficult than it is for him. The spiderman press-up targets your core muscles along with the chest and triceps, which is why it should be a part of your abs workout. The exercise makes you support yourself on three points when you move your leg forward. Maintaining stability requires your core muscles and abdominals to work much harder, which makes it an effective exercise for abs workouts for men and women,

How to do the Spiderman Press-up

1. Lie on your stomach and get into a press-up/push-up position
2. Lower yourself toward the floor. As you do this, bring your right knee toward your right elbow. As you do this, your left elbow will stretch outward; make sure your palm shifts accordingly
3. Press back up and let your leg go back to the original position
4. Repeat on the other side

Do up to 15 reps without rest

4. Dead Bug

Performing the Dead Bug as a stomach exercise prepares you for dynamic motions such as running – it keeps your torso in position as it rotates with your stride. This is a great exercise if you are just beginning your flat stomach workout. Sometimes, when you don’t know the right position, your plank hold can work your shoulders more than the core. However, the dead bug focuses on your core. Moreover, the dead bug improves left-right coordination in your extremities, which is good for your cognitive function as well. Nonetheless, you should do both these exercises.

Ensure that your lower back doesn’t lift off from the floor. Use a rolled towel under the small of your back for support. Remember to breathe regularly. 

How to do the Dead Bug

1. Lie face-up on the mat
2. Lift your arms exactly over your shoulders
3. Bend your knees at 90 degrees to your thigh and bring them over your hips
4. Lower your left arm above your head and simultaneously stretch out your reght leg toward the floor. Pause for a brief moment and bring them back
5. Repeat with the opposite side

Complete 15 reps in a set

5. Bird Dog

The bird dog is one of the simple core exercises for a flat stomach. It neutralizes the spine and relieves back pain to improve stability. More importantly, it strengthens your core, hips, and back muscles in addition to improving posture and increasing range of motion. 

Everyone can include this exercise in their abs workout because it aligns the spine, alleviates lower back pain, and prevents injury. Make sure that you do not hyperextend your elbows; bending them fires up your triceps. Keep your neck long – keep looking down.

How to do the Bird Dog

1. Get on all fours (tabletop position) on the mat. Your wrists should be directly under shoulders and knees under your hips
2. Engage your core and lift your left arm and the right leg just like in the Dead Bug exercise. Flex your foot completely and let the palm of your hand face toward the floor
3. Pause for a brief moment and then bring your knee and elbow underneath your body so that they touch
4. Repeat on the other side

Do 5-10 reps on each side.