Press leg raises. Crazy Ab Workout That'll Make It Burn Basic Ab Workouts

Harmony, perfection, beauty, grace- every woman wants to hear all these words addressed to her figure. However, before you get a few steps closer to the ideal, you will have to seriously work on correcting the body. At the same time, it is better to start creating your image on your own from problem areas. After all, when our figure in some places acquires vague and sagging contours, we want to get rid of such a shortcoming as soon as possible.

One of the most beautiful and sexy parts of the female body is considered to be the stomach. A nice flat tummy, if it is open, simply magnetically attracts male gazes. Modern women of fashion, knowing about the merits of their figure, are in a hurry to put on short tops as soon as possible and demonstrate to the whole world their flat, elastic skin belly. At the same time, if for some reason the stomach began to grow, protrude, become overgrown with fat, sag, this can provoke the occurrence of complexes, on the basis of which depression will develop. To avoid such a development of events, measures should be taken in advance and a possible (or already arisen) problem should be studied in the most thorough way.

Muscles that determine the correct shape of the abdomen

A large belly gives a lot of inconvenience to any person, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. The belly is very difficult to hide under clothing, difficult to hide with elastic underwear, and can be hazardous to health if the waist and ribcage are pulled tight with a rigid corset in an attempt to reduce the size of the belly. Moreover, contrary to popular belief that the stomach sticks out only in fat people, people who do not have a large fat layer can also be subject to changes in this part of the body. Therefore, excess weight is not the only reason that affects the shape of your abdomen.

There are two main problems, the elimination of which will help to make the stomach beautiful and flat - a thick fat layer in the abs and relaxed flabby muscles. Moreover, if you do not engage in active training and do not do exercises for the press, fat can be deposited both in the abdominal cavity and on the muscles. Thus, by regularly pumping the press, you solve two problems at the same time - you train your muscles and get rid of body fat. However, in order for training to really bring the desired result, you need to evenly distribute the load on all the muscles that determine the correct shape of the abdomen.

A number of muscles influence the condition of the abdominal wall. The abdominal Persian, which forms the abdominal wall, consists of the transverse, rectus, and oblique muscles. rectus muscle controls the process of flexion and extension of the spine, transverse- encircles the abdominal cavity and promotes convergence of the lower ribs, oblique muscles the press form the waist, and deep back muscles affect posture. When training, paying attention to each muscle group, soon your stomach will take on exactly the shape that you dreamed of.

The reasons for the deterioration of the abdominal muscles

The main reason you may be unhappy with your stomach is the lack of regular exercise with a sedentary lifestyle. In this case, it is very important to understand that no diet, no dietary changes will bring your abs to the right tone. Eating less may reduce belly fat, but this will not help strengthen the abdominal muscles. Sedentary work from day to day gradually weakens all the muscles, making the stomach saggy, flabby and bulging.

In young girls, students, schoolgirls and all those who have to sit daily for several hours a day, the rectus abdominis weakens. The same, weakening of the rectus abdominis muscle, occurs with incorrect posture. The constantly lowered chest gradually gets used to the monotonous position and the muscles that do not receive load lose their elasticity.

Weak abs worsen overall health

In the human body, everything is provided for to the smallest detail. The main vital organs are protected by the chest. The remaining internal organs are located in the abdominal cavity and are protected by an elastic abdominal wall. The main purpose of the press is to prevent displacement of the internal organs and ensure their normal location.

Every day, each of us makes a lot of movements - we run, jump, ride a bike or just do household chores. During the period of mobility, the internal organs are inevitably subjected to powerful shaking. At the same time, if due to a weak press, displacement of some organs, this may lead to circulatory disorders and other physiological processes. Is it worth risking your health if it’s enough just to do exercises for the press at home.

Of course, the lack of physical activity on the abdominal muscles will not lead to the fact that all internal organs will simply “fall” to the pelvic floor. In order to protect our body from such trouble, nature has invented a simple and effective way to save a person from himself. A weak incapacitated press is replaced by accumulated fat, on which the internal organs rely.

What kind of protection do you prefer, a beautiful, elastic, flat stomach or a thick layer of body fat?

The choice is yours.

Having decided to start training to strengthen the press, do not forget to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for their implementation.

First, decide where exactly you want to do it and how. If you prefer privacy, then your own room will be a very appropriate place to make your stomach flat and beautiful. Lovers of activities, surrounded by their own kind, can use the gym, where a press simulator will help you solve the problem.

The next point that you should pay attention to is the correct compilation of a set of exercises. To get good results, choose a program, which will take into account the study of all groups of abdominal muscles. Some exercises are suitable for training the upper press, and completely different exercises for training the lower press. If you do not know how to properly compose a complex, consult with a competent person, with an instructor or trainer.

During class carefully watch your breath. Inhalation should be done at the peak of muscle tension, and exhalation with complete relaxation. Also, don't be too hard on yourself.

Too much physical activity will not bring benefits, but will only complicate your task. Start exercising gradually, taking into account your strengths and capabilities of the body. The main thing is to be regular And don't give up halfway through what you've started. Remember, everyone has a press!

The combination of exercises for the press with diets

As a rule, most people prefer to do abdominal exercises twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. The duration of classes depends on your abilities and is selected individually. Preferably physical activity on empty stomach. A short exercise after waking up will help to activate the forces faster and prepare the body for the working regime. The second time to do the exercises, choose the daytime or early evening.

If in the fight against excess weight you use any diet, be sure to consider this circumstance. Switching to an unusual way of eating for yourself, you create a stressful situation for the body, which can worsen and deprive you of your last strength due to uncontrolled sports. Increased physical activity during this period can harm your health.

However, the combination of properly calculated exercises and a balanced diet will give excellent results and help you get your figure perfect faster. Make sure your food contains enough all necessary trace elements as well as proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

What are the swing press techniques

To effectively train the press, you need to alternate exercises with different execution techniques. The main difference between the exercises is that some of them are aimed at working out the lower press, while others are aimed at the upper. Exercises are radically different in technique and train different muscle groups. So, for example, for training the upper part of the press perform exercises with lifting the torso with a fixed pelvis, and the lower press is trained by raising the legs and pelvis with a fixed chest.

To strengthen the oblique muscles of the press, which affect the formation of the waist, perform lateral tilts and various turns of the torso. In this case, it is important to achieve a good stretching of the muscles, which will make them flexible, elastic and elastic.

In addition, it is desirable to include in the complex transverse abdominis muscle exercises, which are performed in a prone position or standing on all fours and consist in actively retracting the abdomen on inspiration and smooth relaxation on exhalation.

From the exercises below, you can independently create the desired program that will make your stomach flat and beautiful.

Exercises for training the upper press

Subsequence

1 approach: do the first and second exercises.
2 approach: do the third and fourth exercises.
3 approach: do the fifth and first exercise.

The number of repetitions is 15-20 times in one approach.

At the initial stage of developing the abdominal muscles, do one approach for each exercise. You can reduce the number of repetitions in the approach to 8-10 times. You may also need to rest for 15-20 seconds after each exercise.

As your abdominal muscles and endurance develop, shorten the rest periods between sets and increase the number of repetitions per set to the recommended number (15-20 times).

If you are at a more advanced level, complete the entire planned load with minimal rest periods between parts of the workout. They should be no more than five seconds. As the abdominal muscles develop, include weights in the work, do exercises on an inclined board, or change the pace of the exercises. We also recommend increasing the number of approaches in each exercise up to 3 times.

Exercises for training the lower press

If you have just started don't do too many repetitions. This will lead to rapid fatigue and, as a result, to a loss of interest in training.

Doing exercises for the press you should feel muscle tension in the abdominal cavity. If this feeling is absent, most likely you are doing something wrong. In this case, pay attention to the correctness of the exercises and focus on the abdominal muscles.

During a workout tension in the muscles of the legs and lower back should not be a priority. You are currently strengthening the press and working on this particular problem. Therefore, the main tension should be experienced by the abdominal muscles.

Starting to practice, try to distribute your strength in such a way that they are enough to complete the entire set of exercises, and not just one or two. The expected effect can only be obtained if you do all the exercises every day without exception.

Practicing regularly, gradually increase the load without dwelling on the same results for a long time. This will allow your muscles to grow and strengthen, which is very important when doing ab exercises.

Performing a set of exercises, taking into account all the above information and listening to our recommendations, after 1.5-2 months you will not recognize your figure. Your charming flat tummy will become perfectly shaped, toned, elastic and beautiful. It will be the subject of your pride and confirmation that you are watching your figure and your health.

fitness expert, instructor of the Bereg studio

To see the cubes on your press, you need, firstly, to monitor your diet. It really depends on how your abs will look. Secondly, it is necessary to perform exercises, and not necessarily only on the abdominal muscles. If you're not primarily training your abs, then exercises designed for the legs, back, and other large muscle groups will have an effect, and the abdominal muscles will also be fine. It is definitely worth noting that you do not need to come to training in a stressful state - such classes are absolutely useless, since you will not be focused on the exact execution of the exercise. Come rested, in a good mood, and then you will definitely achieve the desired result.

As for the execution technique, it should be noted: any exercises on the abdominal muscles should be done while exhaling and pulling the stomach in. This will improve the effectiveness of each exercise.

And I would like to add: do not follow the number of repetitions performed, rely only on your feelings. The moment you start to feel your muscles, how they are tense and how they work, only then start counting the number of repetitions in your approach. You can do 5 sets of 20 repetitions, or you can do 3 sets of 15. And most likely, the last option will be much more effective for your muscles, since in this case you were maximally involved in the process and did not allow yourself or your muscles to relax .

To be beautiful, healthy, with a figure that the opposite sex stares at is real. Do I need to go to the gym or fitness center to do this? To save the budget - do physical activity at home to strengthen the press. This has a large number of advantages in relation to time. The start of classes, their intensity and duration, you can adjust yourself. If you are not yet ready to show off the relief muscles, find out if you can remove the stomach by pumping the press at home.

Press technique

In order for the stomach to become beautiful and toned, you need to have knowledge of what exercises for the press at home should be done, to observe the correct implementation of them. Paying attention to the technique of the work performed in the press area, you can quickly get closer to your goal. For this you need:

1. Distribute the load evenly. You can not download the press every day, trying to quickly reach relief cubes in the abdomen. The abdominal muscles need rest for two days after training. It is optimal if you will be engaged in pumping the press 2 times a week.
2. It is desirable to pump the press at the beginning of the workout, starting from the bottom, gradually moving to the upper and oblique muscles.
3. When you perform abdominal exercises technically correctly, you will feel the tension of the necessary muscles. Otherwise, pay attention to how correctly the position of the torso and limbs is chosen during training.
4. Exercise should be varied. By using only side crunches, you will increase the obliques of the abs, and the waist will become even larger.
5. You need to increase the load gradually - from lesson to lesson, giving the body a mandatory rest.
6. In parallel with training, follow a proper low-calorie diet.

Home complex for the press

Even people who are not physically inactive, leading an active lifestyle, may be surprised to discover that effective exercises for the press at home are standing side crunches and leg swings. The movements available to perform will help you quickly remove unnecessary centimeters from your stomach and pump up the press to cubes. We offer a complex that includes effective exercises for the press. It must be performed from 10 minutes to a quarter of an hour a day, giving rest to the abdominal muscles for two to three days.

• Scissors. Lie down with your back firmly pressed to the floor, place your hands along the body. Raise your straight legs at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees. Pull in your belly. Make alternating movements up and down.
• plank. Lying face down on the floor, rise up, focus on your toes and elbows. The back, legs, head should form an even straight line. The abdomen is maximally retracted. Try to keep your balance in this position for about a minute. You can gradually increase the time. All the muscles of the press and additionally the back work.
• Hull lifting. Lying on your back, spread your legs slightly to feel a firm stop and bend at the knees. Raise your straight arms perpendicular to the floor. Try to lift your shoulder blades 20-35 degrees off the floor and freeze for a few moments. Return slowly to the prone position, feeling tension in the abdominal muscles.
• Cot. Lying on your back, firmly press the pelvis and lower back to the floor. Raise your body and straight legs at the same time, stretching your hands to your feet until you feel heat in the abs.
• Fold. Sit on the edge of a chair with your hands on the back. Bending your legs, pull your knees up to your chin.
• Vacuum. Standing, draw in your stomach as much as possible and fix for 15-20 seconds. Relax. Repeat this exercise at least 15-20 times.
• Lying twist. The lower back is firmly pressed to the floor, the legs are slightly bent at the knee joints. Raise the torso of the body, hands are behind the head. Turn right and left alternately. Pay attention that the press itself is tensed, and not the muscles of the cervical region and the arm.

How to download the press at home

Many begin to pump the press at home to remove the stomach. If you do it regularly, paying attention to the exercises 2-3 times a week, then the results will become visible pretty soon. Learn how to properly pump up the press at home using home exercise equipment.

On an incline bench

What can be done to improve the effectiveness of exercises for the press in a horizontal position? Use an inclined bench, not only the rectus abdominis, but also the oblique muscle is pumped on it. This is an effective way to burn belly fat faster:

1. Lie on the bench with your back, fixing your legs behind the rollers.
2. Put your hands together in a “lock” and place them behind your head.
3. When performing the approach, the neck must be straight, become a continuation of the spine.
4. Tighten your stomach strongly, as you exhale, tear your shoulders off the bench and slowly begin to raise your torso.
5. Freeze for three to five seconds when the torso and legs are at a "right" angle.
6. As you inhale, slowly lower your back onto the bench.

For the upper press on the horizontal bar

To pump up the upper press, it is not necessary to go to classes in a professional gym. To complete the complex, a horizontal bar standing in the courtyard of the house or a home-made crossbar, which you can install above the doorway of the apartment, is suitable. To avoid injury, you should pay attention that the thumb, while grasping the crossbar, should be at the bottom.

1. Hang on your hands, bending your legs. You can't rock the hull.
2. Exhaling, slowly raise your bent legs to waist level, tensing only the abdominal muscles.
3. Lower your bent legs as you inhale.
4. Do several approaches, commensurate with your strength.
5. Having mastered this stage, go to the next one, where the legs are raised to the level of the chest, to the chin, thereby complicating the task and giving an even greater load to the press.

Following this pattern, you can change the position of the legs, lifting them perpendicular to the torso or doing "scissors", "bicycle". Proper breathing is important.

Exercises for the muscles of the lower press on the ball

For women, strengthening the muscles of the lower press is especially important. The anatomical structure of the figure makes it difficult to pump up the lower abdominal press. Having built a set of exercises so that most of the load falls not on the legs, but on the lower abdomen, where non-aesthetically looking fat accumulates most, use the fitball as an aid.

1. Twisting. Lie on your back, hold the ball with your feet and raise them 25-35 degrees. Hands next to the body. Holding the ball tightly, describe an arc with your feet, alternately touching the floor with the side of your feet.
2. Sit on the fitball with your feet resting. Take steps forward, gradually rolling the ball under your back. The head must keep balance. Having rolled the ball to the shoulder and cervical region, tensing the abdominal muscles as much as possible, slowly return back.
3. Passing the ball. Lie with your lower back close to the floor. You can bend your legs a little, hold the ball behind your head with your hands. Raising your shoulders, exhaling, shift the fitball between the soles of your feet and slowly, while inhaling, lower yourself. Repeat in reverse order.

With trainer roller or wheel

Even a beginner can pump up the press in 8 minutes of regular training if he uses an effective, albeit simple device - a wheel or roller. Having a small size, this simulator is convenient to use for inflating the press even in a small room.

1. Rest your hands on the handles of the roller (wheel), kneeling. Try to smoothly move it forward, tilting the body forward and slowly returning to its original position.
2. Sitting on the floor, bend your knees and place your feet on top of the roller handles. When riding the roller, with the help of your legs, tilt your body forward.
3. Place your feet 40-50 cm wide, body straight. Holding the roller with both hands, bend down and place the roller on the floor. Pressing on it, try to roll forward until your chest touches the floor.

Answers to frequently asked questions

№1 How long after giving birth can you download the press to a girl?

When childbirth takes place naturally, there are no complications after them - you can start pumping the press from six to seven weeks. In more complex cases - only after consulting a doctor.

№2 How much to download the press to remove the belly of a man?

After 2-3 months of active training, alternating with cardio loads and a balanced diet, the stomach may decrease or disappear, depending on the initial data of the body.

№3 When is it better to download the press in the morning or in the evening?

For classes to strengthen the abdominal press, any daytime is suitable. The peak of activity of the human body, when there will be more benefits from exercise, occurs at 7-11 am and 4-6 pm.

Video: how to quickly pump up the press at home

The set of exercises offered by the YouTube video block will help you learn how to pump up the press at home. Easy-to-follow recommendations with illustrative examples of exercises will be an incentive for your figure to be slender and beautiful “harnesses” on your stomach, which you can capture in a photo. Do you need to do exercises every day, and if not, how many times a week you need to download the abdominal press in order to achieve the planned results, you will find out by watching the proposed video.

Every girl dreams of having a flat and attractive tummy that attracts the attention of others. Much more pleasant positive attention when everyone looks at you and admires than the realization of the fact that the views of others attract your sagging sides and far from perfect abs.

Remember that there is no magic exercise, performing which every day for 5 minutes, you will get a perfect stomach and a toned figure. Our body is a complex complex in which everything is interconnected, and if you want to achieve results, you can’t get hung up on one thing.

After you realize this, it will be much easier to work on yourself and the effect you need from classes will not keep you waiting.

Here is a list of the most useful exercises for the abdominal muscles, which will help you quickly and efficiently put yourself in order.

1. Planck

An effective exercise, the existence of which many do not even suspect. But by doing it, you strengthen the press, hips, shoulder girdle and buttocks.

The back during execution should be perfectly straight, with an increase in tension, immediately stop the exercise so as not to injure yourself.

Tighten your buttocks, this will greatly facilitate the exercise.

Do not bend your legs at the knees, this will create an excessive load.

The figure shows a classic plank with an emphasis on the elbows. Never place your elbows wider than your shoulders. Thanks to this rule, you will not harm your joints.

The execution time is until the first unpleasant sensations arise, but no more than two minutes. It is advisable to do it no more than once a day. Here the principle - the more repetitions, the better - does not work.

2. "Twisting and cycling"

Lie on the floor, put your hands on the back of your head. Remember, never interlock your fingers, this can injure the cervical region! Try to touch the opposite knee with your elbow, while the leg that is not involved in the process is straightened.

The number of repetitions - 3 sets of 10-15 times.

3. "Twisting the elbow to the knee"

Lie on the floor, put your hands on the back of your head. Don't interlock your fingers. Then, cross your legs as shown in the picture. Touch your right elbow to your left knee. Next, switch legs and reach, respectively, with your left elbow towards your right knee.

The number of repetitions is 15 times on one leg and 15 times on the other.

4. "Twisting"

Lie on the floor, while bending your legs at the knees. Put your hands on the back of your head, do not interlock your fingers. The loin should not come off the floor. Straining only the abdominal muscles, pull the head, neck and shoulder blades forward, but not at the expense of the arms! You should feel how the press is tense. Slowly lower yourself back down.

The number of repetitions - 2-3 sets of 20-25 times.

5. "Double twist"

Lie on the floor, arms along the body. Then, tensing the abdominal muscles, simultaneously pull up both legs, while lifting the torso towards. Hands should touch the legs, as in the picture. Return to starting position.

The number of repetitions - 1-2 sets of 10-15 times.

6. "Scissors"

One of the most famous and simple exercises. Lying on the floor, stretch your arms along the body. Do not raise your head, otherwise there will be an excessive load on the cervical region, and no one needs this. Raise your legs completely straight off the floor and imagining that these are scissors, cut through the air from left to right and vice versa.

The number of repetitions - 2 sets of 15-20 times.

7. "Reverse twist"

Lying on the floor, raise your legs so that they are perpendicular to your torso. Stretch your arms along the body, do not raise your head. After that, trying to strain the abdominal muscles, stretch your legs to your chest. If this is too hard, you can bend your knees at first.

The number of repetitions - 2 sets of 10-15 times.

8. "Alpinist"

A good thing not only for training the abdominal muscles, but also for cardio training. Get into position as if you are doing a push-up. Do not bend your back and lower back, there should be one straight line from head to toe. Raise one leg as shown in the picture and pull it towards your chest. The abdominal muscles should be tense. After lowering your leg, pause, lift the other.

The number of repetitions is 2-3 sets of 15-20 times.

9. "Twisting with the touch of the toes"

An exercise that looks very simple, but is difficult to perform. Lying on the floor, raise your legs vertically. Then, reach for them with your hands to make a kind of letter V. Touching your toes, lower yourself to the starting position.

The number of repetitions - 1-2 sets of 8-10 times.

10. "Vacuum"

An extremely useful thing, which, unfortunately, few people use. This exercise will allow you to tone the transverse muscle, which is responsible for making the stomach look flat.

The starting position is the same as in the figure, the body is relaxed. Draw air into your belly and then exhale completely. Try to exhale even after the air is completely out. While doing this, tighten your abdominal muscles.

Execution time and number of repetitions - 3-5 times for 20-30 seconds.

It is often believed that the best exercise for the press is this. Peter Francis, professor San Diego State University, set himself the task of using scientific methods to answer this question and determine the most effective exercise for the press.

His study (1) assessed the effect of 13 of the most popular ab exercises on the direct engagement of the abdominal muscles. With the help of equipment for electromyography, the load in the upper, lower and lateral groups of abdominal muscles was measured. In addition, all three dozen participants in this scientific experiment measured the load in the muscles of the thighs to determine if the movement was performed by the muscles of the legs.

Fitseven has already written about this - we recall that often exercises for the press are performed fundamentally incorrectly, and the load from the abdominal muscles is shifted to secondary muscle groups (for example, on the legs or on the lower back).

Effective exercises for the press

Each subject of the above study performed 10-12 repetitions of a certain abdominal exercise, strictly following the rhythm of two seconds to rise and two seconds to lower the body - we recall that an excessively fast pace of exercise definitely reduces the level of involvement of the abdominal muscles. The impact of each of the exercises was determined both on the rectus muscles of the press, and on the lateral and oblique muscles of the abdomen.

The result of the impact of each exercise on the abdominal muscles was compared with classical twists. If the exercise score was defined as, for example, 200 units, this means that the exercise involved the abdominal muscles twice as effectively as crunches (100 units). If the result was 50 units, then the exercise is twice as bad.

Exercise “Vacuum of the abdomen”

Separately, we will make a reservation that was not included in the structure of the study, since it involves muscles in the work, it is quite difficult to measure the work of which using the electromyography method. Recall that with the correct implementation of the “abdominal vacuum”, not only the internal muscles of the press and body, but also the muscles of the diaphragm are included in the work.

In other words, although this exercise definitely develops the abs and makes the stomach much more elastic, the effectiveness of the vacuum for the press is due more to the development of neuromuscular connections and the overall strengthening of muscle tone than direct hypertrophy of the muscle fiber.

Press: rating of the best exercises

Below are the results of a comparative study of popular abdominal exercises. It should be noted that although the primary task was to determine the best exercises for both the rectus abdominis muscles and the lateral press, in the end it turned out that only extremely well-trained people can isolate a certain zone - this is almost inaccessible to beginners. That is why it has its own characteristics.

The best exercises for the rectus abdominis

Exercises for the lateral muscles of the press

7 best exercises for the press

1. Exercise "Bicycle"

Starting position: lying on your back, lower back pressed to the floor. Raise your upper torso, then your legs; start to alternately pull your knees up to your head, as if. The right knee should touch the left elbow, then vice versa. Learn more about the technique and the pros.

2. Leg raises

The exercise is performed both with fixation of the back in the simulator (see photo), and without it. During execution, the body remains motionless, only the legs bent at the knees move. It is important to feel the work of the muscles of the press and constantly control the movement.

3. Twisting with a roller

The exercise can be performed not only with a special roller, but also with dumbbells or a barbell rolling on the floor (see photo). Get on your knees, transfer the weight of the body to your hands, “roll back” forward, then, due to the strength of the abdominal muscles, return to the starting position.
Sit on the fit ball, put your hands behind your head, then lean back. With a controlled movement, due to the abdominal muscles, lift the body, linger for a second and go down again. The hips should remain parallel to the floor when performed.

.

Lying on your back, the lower back is firmly pressed to the floor, arms along the body. Raise your legs up, knees slightly bent, ankles touching each other. With the strength of the abdominal muscles, slowly lift the pelvis, as if twisting towards the head.

6. Exercise "Planck"

This exercise is considered the best static exercise for the abdominal muscles. It is necessary to take a stable position on the elbows, fix the body, tighten the abdominal muscles - and maintain this position for 30-40 seconds. Then repeat several times. More about .

7.

The exercise is in many ways similar to classic twists, however, when performing, the hands are not laid behind the head, but are extended back. Actually, this is what complicates the exercise, increasing the level of muscle involvement in the work.

Abs exercises for men and women

Despite the fact that the structure of the abdominal muscles in men and women is absolutely the same, the strategy of his training is still different, since the performance of multi-joint basic exercises with serious working weight indirectly develops the press - as a result, classic twists seem to be excessively light for most male athletes.

On the other hand, hanging leg raises or even the aforementioned roller crunches will be completely out of the question for most girls. That is why we recall once again that the universal “best exercise for the press” simply does not exist, since each trainee has his own level of physical fitness.

Best abs exercises for men

• Hanging leg raises
• Roller curls
• Exercise “Bicycle”

Best abs exercises for women

• Lying twists
• Plank and abdominal vacuum

Are the upper and lower abs separate?

As Fitseven mentioned above, the scientific study also showed that most of the subjects were unable to separate the involvement of the upper and lower abdominal muscles during exercise. The movements, in fact, were performed due to the participation in the work of all parts of the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the body at the same time.

However, this does not mean at all that it is impossible to accurately load the lower part of the press. This only shows that an average trainee is not able to concentrate on engaging certain sections of the press in the work - no matter what exercises he performs. At the same time, it requires a special training technique and a high level of feeling that the abdominal muscles are involved in the work.

Another myth indirectly disproved by this study is the super-effectiveness of the ab roller. Even though roller exercises show slightly more engagement of the abdominal muscles than regular crunches, it is easy to see that there are more effective exercises for the abdominal muscles.

Among other things, it is important to mention that when performing twists on the press with a roller, it requires a fairly serious level of development of the abdominal muscles - if the muscles are too weak, then the main load will go to the arms and lower back. The result, in the end, will only be pain in the back and neck, and not at all a pumped press with cubes.

Press exercises: summary

• No machine or ab roller will be as effective as regular hanging leg raises or a bicycle exercise performed at a slow pace and with perfect technique.
• For most intermediate trainees, it is quite difficult to separate the work of the upper and lower sections of the abdominal muscles - especially without the ability to consciously strain certain sections of the press.
• Exercise “vacuum for the abdomen”, although it makes the press stronger, but not due to hypertrophy processes.

Scientific sources

1. Peter Francis, Ph.D, Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University,