If you want to be proud of yourself when you take off your shirt, this article is definitely for you. When the time comes for the next ab day, you might want to try some of these incredibly effective exercises to make sure you hit those abs as hard as possible. Make sure to drop your carbs too because as we all know you need to shred, not pack on as much fat as you can. Put down the fork, put away that chocolate chip marble cake and let’s begin.
Ab wheel rollouts
We suggest you do this exercise when you want to make sure that your core strength is up to par, but be warned – your abs will straight out hurt the next day and the slightest sensation like tickling or sneezing will produce eye-watering pain! However, the results will be worth it, as your core muscles will end up being rock-hard. Who wants soft abs, right?
This exercise can be performed in a bunch of different styles, but the default one is with an ab wheel. However, I recognize that not everyone owns ab wheels nor does every gym have them, so you can also use alternatives such as round dumbbells, barbells, or a TRX-like suspension trainer.
Let’s say that you actually have an ab wheel – get down on your knees on a fitness mat, take the wheel by the handles and roll forwards as much as you can! Your abs will start hurting immediately but it will be worth it! Remember to keep your back straight and do 10 reps of it, for two sets. If you tried it and you feel absolutely nothing, try doing these from a standing position, doing the roll and then returning to a standing position. It will definitely start hurting and your abs will be a step closer to being perfect!
Cable ab rotation
This exercise might be familiar to you because of its other, more unusual name – the “Wood chopper”. It received this name because it looks awfully similar to the motion that a lumberjack performs when he’s cutting down a tree with an axe. This exercise will mostly benefit your side abs, so do it in combination with other, front-abs exercises.
To perform this exercise, approach a cable pulley and adjust it so that it is at waist-height. Grab the handle with both of your hands and turn your back to the machine. Alternatively, you can also do this exercise while facing it sideways. Then, rotate your torso while keeping your arms as firmly locked as possible. Stop when your torso comes in full line with your legs. Then, rotate your torso back again until you reach your starting position. Do this exercise for 13 reps per set, for a total of two sets.
Rope crunch
When you’re done with the cable ab rotations, you can still use the pulley for another exercise for your abs. Put a rope on it and raise the pulley to head height. Then, take the rope and drag it down to knee level, getting on your knees in the process. Put the rope on the sides of your your neck, like you were about to hang yourself. Then, move your elbows strongly towards your thighs, like you were about to pray. If you want to boost the effect of this exercise even more, push out your elbows a bit and do the full range of motion available, touching your head to the mat. This exercise should be performed for a high number of reps, anywhere from 15 to 20 of them, for three sets.
Continues on next page….
