Abdominal Exercises Uk

If you want to learn how to get six-pack abs, you need to combine a healthy diet and consistent fitness routine with these best abs exercises…

Ask most men what body part they most wish to improve and their abs will feature high on the list. A rock-hard six-pack not only looks good but proves you take training seriously and know what you’re doing by burning excess body fat and building hard, lean muscle mass. 

Some people think that the best way to build a six-pack is to do endless crunches. If they were right, this article would be incredibly short.

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The reality is that you need the best abs exercises to work all your abdominal muscles – the deep-lying transversus abdominis, the internal and external obliques and the rectus abdominis, the muscle that makes up the visible six pack. 

Of course, if your body fat levels are too high, you won’t be able to see your six-pack, so you need to combine effective abs exercises with a healthy diet and – to lose body fat – a moderate calorie deficit.

Your abdominals are a collection of important postural muscles that are responsible for flexing your spine forwards, as when doing a crunch. The group also assists with breathing, stabilising the torso during exercise and protecting your internal organs from impact. 

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When people talk about the abs they’re often referring to the rectus abdominis, a paired muscle that runs vertically on each side of the front of the abdomen, separated down the middle by a band of connective tissue called the linea alba, or white line. It’s this line, and those that run horizontally across this muscle group, that creates the six distinct parts of a ‘six-pack’. In fact, there are four vertical sections, but the bottom pair are just above the pubic bone and are therefore not typically visible. 

The abs are like every other muscle group in that they need to be targeted directly from a variety of angles for maximum muscle growth. Heavy compound lifts, such as the squat, deadlift and overhead press, are among the best moves because they’re highly effective at burning fat and require your core to work hard. That’s why this training programme includes many different moves to constantly challenge your abs from every possible angle. 

The rectus abdominis is a long, flat muscle that runs down the front of your stomach and is better known as your abs or six-pack. It’s an important stabilising muscle and is responsible for flexing your spine, as when performing a crunch. It also assists with breathing and has an important role in forcefully expelling air from the lungs. It also protects your internal organs.  

Lower Abs Workout

The external obliques are the largest and most superficial of the obliques, which run either side of the rectus abdominis. Their function is to pull the chest downwards. They also have limited actions in the flexion and rotation of the spine. 

The internal obliques lie under the external obliques. They have two major functions: as antagonists to the diaphragm to inhale and expel air from the lungs, and to rotate and bend the torso. This happens when the right internal oblique and left external oblique work together to flex and rotate the torso to bring the left shoulder towards the right hip.   

This is because it packs a lot into one move: working the whole kinetic chain (your muscles, bones and nerves), and requiring stability at the end of the range of movement and strength to get back to the start position.

Ab Exercises With A Weight Bench

Time under tension is important for building muscle, and there’s no better way to keep your abs under pressure for an extended period than with a controlled v-sit.

The full version requires good hip flexibility, but this modified version can be done by anyone and works your obliques, hip extensors and balance as well as the abdominals.

But if you fail to include any lower abs exercises into your workout regime, all you’re doing is ensuring that your two-pack never spreads south and turns into a solid set of six.

The 7 Best Ab Exercises For Women

Are you doing crunches until the cows come home but still finding you haven’t sculpted the perfect six-pack? The chances are you’re not working your abs hard enough.

The fix is simple: start adding extra weight to the crunch to force your abs out of their comfort zone so they have no choice but to strengthen.

You can’t underestimate the importance of having a solid core. Not only will it allow you to lift heavier in all the major lifts and move more effectively on the sports pitch, you’ll also have the foundations to build an impressive six-pack.

The Complete Guide To Ab Exercises & Core Training

This upgrade on the plank will work your core and obliques – those muscles either side of your abs – really hard, as well as recruiting muscles in your shoulders and quads as you raise and straighten your arm and legs to form a star shape.

Doing cunches is a good start if you’re trying to build an impressive six-pack. But adding weight and explosive power to the move with the medicine ball crunch and throw makes for a tough and highly effective abs builder.

Not only are your abs forced to work harder to crunch your torso up with the extra resistance from the med ball and generate enough force to propel the ball forward, but they also need to keep your torso up so that you can receive the ball back.

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Abs advice: If you don’t have a training partner, chuck the ball into the air at the top of each rep, catch and repeat.

This surprisingly tough abs move works your entire core region, as well as your shoulders,  lats, chest and arms, making it a great exercise to build a strong, v-shaped upper body.

The key to the move is to not rush it: the slower you can do it, the longer you place these target muscles under tension so they have an effective stimulus to grow back bigger and stronger.

Best Abs Exercises

Abs advice: Make the move harder by holding a plank or doing press-ups at the bottom before walking back up to the start position.

Abs advice: This is a good move to build core strength before you advance to more testing exercises such as the band fall-through. 

This is an ultra-effective abs move because there’s tension on your abs even in the start position. Starting each rep with your abs under tension ensures the muscles never get the chance to relax and switch off – in fact, they have to work increasingly hard throughout each individual rep and as the set progresses. 

Ab Exercises With A Resistance Band

Any kind of leg raise exercise helps increase the flexibility, agility and strength of your hip flexors. The hanging leg raise is particularly effective at stabilising the lower back, as well as developing the rectus abdominis and frontal oblique. It helps burn belly fat too, and as long as it’s done correctly and as part of a balanced programme, it won’t strain your lower back and spine.

The bicycle crunch is an exercise you can perform at a range of intensities, and intensive sessions are perfect for torching calories. As well as burning belly fat, it’s a go-to exercise for building core strength and providing impressive abdominal definition.

Abs advice: For maximum benefit, make sure your shoulders leave the floor and don’t pull on your neck – so your abs do all the work.

In 1 Adjustable Core And Ab Exercise System Trainer

Als known as the ‘V-up’, the jackknife strengthens the upper and lower abnominal muscles, particularly the rectus abdominis and transversus abdominis. It also works your glutes, calves, thighs and chest and helps improve posture and flexibility.

Abs advice: Keep your back in a neutral position and as you raise your arms and legs, hold the position for three seconds.

With close to a decade’s experience in fitness publishing, editor Isaac has a keen interest in – if no discerning talent for – all things exercise and sport. An occasional ultramarathon runner, he enjoys running really long distances very slowly. At the opposite end of the fitness spectrum, he’s also a fan of picking weights up off the floor.

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Six-pack abs are impressive to look at, and often conjure up images of hours spent in the gym - however, obtaining a strong core is surprisingly easy, if you know how.

Visible abs are actually made in the kitchen - a diet leading to a low body fat percentage is the most important things - but there are various workouts that will successfully harden and transform your abdominals.

Sit Up Bench Folding Abdominal Crunch Home Fitness Indoor Trainer Exercise Workout Machine

According to a study done by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), there are three abdominal workouts that are most effective in achieving a strong core and washboard stomach muscles.

For this position, you lie on your back on a yoga mat with your legs in the air