In order to build strong abdominal muscles, it’s important to engage your core with a variety of different exercises. Here are three challenging abdominal exercises to strengthen your core and more importantly, they are not crunches!
Wall Dead Bug
A challenging variation on the much loved Dead Bug exercise. This is another core-stabilizing exercise which is really important for your back. For this exercise to be effective, you really need to focus on slow and controlled movements. If this exercise is too challenging, you can do a regular dead bug.
Lay on your back with your knees above your hips, bent at 90 degrees.
Tuck your rib cage down and press your back into the floor.
Raise your arms above your head and push against a wall to create tension in your core.
Then slowly extend one leg at a time while pushing against the wall and keeping your core actively engaged.
Stability Ball Body Saw
Although a more advanced core exercise, a full body saw with a stability ball is a great option for anyone looking for a more challenging plank variation.
Using a stability ball requires your core to work even harder — the shake is real!
If you don’t have a stability ball at home, you can do a regular saw by placing tea towels under your toes.
Start off in a plank position with your hands on the stability ball and your toes on the ground, shoulder width apart.
Think about creating one long line from your head to your toes.
Make sure your core is actively engaged and you are not sagging in your back or collapsing into your shoulders.
With the movement initiating from your shoulder girdle, slowly roll the ball away from your body, pause, and then roll the ball back to the starting position.
This doesn’t need to be a big movement. Saw only as far as you are able to maintain proper form.
Anti-Rotation (Paloff) Press progression
Strengthening exercises can focus on strengthening muscles either through movement or by resisting movement. The anti-rotation (or Paloff) press progression is a series of core stability exercises that help to strengthen the abdominal muscles through resistance. Although you will feel some of this exercise in your arms, try to focus on keeping most of the work in your core.
Progression 1
Attach a resistance band to something solid and position yourself far enough away to create tension in the band. If you are at a gym, use an adjustable cable machine.
From a kneeling position, hold the band in both hands and begin to slowly move it away from your body, pause and then slowly bring it back to the starting position.
Focus on keeping your torso stable and using a proper breathing pattern.
The idea is to resist the external pull from the band with a strong core.
If your arms begin to fatigue, try using a lighter resistance.
Progression 2
To add more of a challenge, as you move your arms away from your body, extend them upwards to shoulder height and then slowly lower them down and back towards your chest.
Focus on keeping your torso stable and using a proper breathing pattern.
Progression 3
To add more of a challenge, perform progression 2 from a split stance position.
Looking to build a strong resilient body? Head over to our #linkinbio to book an appointment today!