Looking for the best abs exercise? Whether you are doing it for strength or for aesthetics, having toned abs can only be a good thing and is something that more people should definitely aim for. Most people find it difficult to develop their muscles in the abdominal area but if you ask anyone who has succeeded in doing it before, you’ll find that it’s actually not that difficult. As long as you are aware of the best abs exercise out there, it shouldn’t take very long, especially if you have the proper motivation and self-discipline.
When talking about the best abs exercise, you can’t expect to hear about just one thing and one thing only. The activities that are necessary can vary from person to person, but the main idea is that you first have to reduce your body fat and then work on developing and strengthening the abdominal muscles after. If you can do both at the same time, then that would be just great.
As you may already know, one of the most popular ways to exercise your abs is by doing some good old fashioned sit-ups and crunches. Combined with a proper diet where the amount of calories consumed and the amount of calories burned are taken into account, sit-ups and crunches should do wonders for anyone who is looking for the best abs exercise.
However, do you know what would make sit-ups and crunches even more effective? Weights. Yes, lifting weights like dumbbells can really help in accelerating the fat-burning and ab developing process while contributing to one’s strength. The simple act of carrying a small weight like a dumbbell or even a single barbell plate can really boost the effects of a sit-up or crunch. In other words, doing so can reduce the amount of time needed to shed the excess fat on the belly and make the abdominal muscles sitting underneath show themselves.
An example of a crunch workout that involves using weights to increase effectiveness would be something called the weighted crunch. During a weighted crunch, one should lie supine on a bench with the head hanging off and knees and hips bent. A barbell plate should be held behind the neck while performing the actual crunches. The barbell plate can weigh anywhere from five pounds to 15 pounds, depending on a person’s ability to crunch with one.
Another example would be called a weighted twisting crunch, where instead of the behind the neck, the barbell plate could be held on one’s chest with the arms crossed over it while performing the actual crunch. Of course, it’s worth noting that both of the above mentioned exercises (weighted crunch and weighted twisting crunch) can still be performed without the use of weights. The barbell plates just add more resistance to the workout, which gives more stress to the muscles and ultimately helps in developing them faster.
As long as a particularly dedicated individual has knowledge of the basics and can follow a proper diet, any set of crunches, whether weighted or not, can count as the best abs exercise when done regularly.
Great tips about adding resistance to ab exercises. To many people train the abs completly opposite as they would any other muscle group- with high reps and no additional weight. Increasing the resistance is the way to go. This is a very helpful post.
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