If you’ve been working hard to strengthen your abdominal muscles and haven’t gotten the results you were hoping for, the solution might be easier than you think. Build strong abs by getting the most out of your abdominal workout with these three tips.
Breathing To Strengthen Your Abdominals
It might seem hard to believe that something as simple and subtle as breathing can actually have an impact on the effectiveness of your core workout. However, by taking the time to consciously think about your breathing throughout your exercise can help the muscles to fully engage by contracting.
Before you start the movement, slowly exhale and pull your belly button to your spin as you contract your muscles. Then inhale as your muscles release. Practice this breathing technique to make your ab workout more effective.
Ditch The Crunches
Simply doing crunches is not the most effective way to strengthen your abs. There are four main abdominal muscle groups: transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, external oblique muscles and internal oblique muscles. Crunches primarily target the rectus abdominis, but it doesn’t really work the other abdominal muscles. Therefore, in order to really build a strong core, you need to incorporate a wide variety of exercises that target all four muscle groups.
Focus on Form
Focusing on form throughout your abdominal workout is extremely important. Proper form ensures that you are getting the most out of your workout as well as prevents injury. When you are doing an abdominal exercise on your back, you want to make sure your core is engaged and your low back is firmly pressed into the floor. When you can no longer keep your low back pressed against the floor, it usually means that you’re tired and need to stop. When you are doing a plank, you want to keep your shoulders inline with your wrists and elbows as well as keeping your hips lifted by engaging your core. As soon as you’re unable to keep your hips lifted and core engaged, the exercise is no longer effective.