Abdominal Exercises for Men: Building a Strong CoreDoing specific abdominal exercises for men will develop the abs to be a showpiece of your shirtless body, and will help to build a strong core necessary for other resistance training exercises. Strong abs also help to support your spine and actually improve the health of your lower back. Focus on the AbsThe abdominal musculature is made of muscles groups you can see on your stomach and even some you can’t see. The largest and most prominent is the rectus abdominis also known as the “6-pack,” the long, partitioned muscle running down the center of the abdomen. Next to it on both sides are the external obliques or “love handles,” and underneath them, the internal obliques. You can’t see the transversus abdominis, which is under the rectus abdominis, but this important respiratory muscle acts as your body’s girdle and helps push air out of your lungs. All of the abs are important stabilizer muscles that act as a vital support system for other weight training exercises. So it is time to stop ignoring them. Exercises to Hit the Upper and Lower AbsThe most effective abdominal exercises for men and women are supine (lying down) rather than standing exercises. The best of the best exercises when it comes to strengthening the rectus abdominis and obliques is the “crunch” — the mainstay of abdominal workouts — and all its variations. Compare Abdominal Equipment at Amazon When doing crunches, aim to do 8 to 10 reps of each set. Do each repetition with slow, controlled movements, focusing on contracting the ab muscles as tightly as possible. You can do these exercises daily since the abs are difficult to fatigue unlike other larger muscles in the body, but do them last, after the rest of your weight training exercises are completed, since tiring them out early will affect the rest of your workout. Here are variations of these abdominal exercises for men:
The Crunch – Lie flat on your back on a mat or the floor, feet flat and knees bent. Hold your hands at the sides of your head or on your chest, but don’t cup your hands behind your head and use them to help lift your head during the exercise. Your legs and feet should not be supported, that is, don’t hook your feet under a bar or chair. Pull your abs in to help flatten your lower back on the floor. Roll (“crunch”) your shoulders and chest just until the shoulder blades are off the floor. At the top of the crunch, focus tension on your abs and hold the position for a few seconds, then return to the start position. Again, do crunches in a slow, controlled motion, and avoid momentum or speed.
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Cable crunch – This crunch is popular among abdominal exercises for men. To do this ab workout, put the pulley at a high position and attach a rope. Turn away from the pulley and kneel on the floor. Pull down on the rope until your hands are next to your chin. Contract the abs while exhaling and pulling down. Hold for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Use a lighter weight to target the abs. If you feel strain on your lower back during this workout it means the back muscles are doing the work and not your abdominals. Variation of exercise: you can also do a Seated Cable Crunch by sitting on a flat bench facing away from the pulley. The Crunch Beats the Sit-UpYou might notice that even when discussing ab exercises for men, sit-ups are not on the list. That is because full sit-ups done with weak ab muscles will recruit the hip flexors to do much of the work, as well as cause the lower back to arch – all bad form. The crunch is easier, more effective, and safer than the sit-up as long as you are doing them correctly. For example, it isn’t necessary to reach your chin to your chest as researchers have found that only up to the first 45 degrees of the crunch movement is contracting the abs to the max; beyond that the hip flexors take over. This small range of movement, about 30 to 45 degrees, is about the level of lifting your shoulder blades off the floor. Remember for best results to choose only exercises that target the abs and obliques, and minimize the involvement of the hip flexors or strain the lower back. You can vary your routine of abdominal exercises for men every three weeks to give your muscles a constant new challenge. Use bodyweight exercises, free weights, cables, and ab machines for an all-around ab workout program. Home Gym Workouts: Tips for Your Training Regime Return from Abdominal Exercises for Men to the Home Gym Reviews Index Page
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Bench crunch – Lie flat on your back with your feet resting on a bench, heels about six inches apart and toes pointing inward. (This toe technique keeps the hip flexors relaxed and allows the abs to do the work.) As you perform the crunch (same as above), press your heels downward into the bench to contract the glutes and hamstrings.
