How to exercise abdominal muscles

During the fitness process, it would be very enviable if you could develop a charming vest line or mermaid line. Therefore, abdominal muscle exercises are often listed as a must-do exercise. But not everyone knows much about abdominal training. There are some movements and postures that appear to be training the abdominal muscles, but in fact these movements do not really exercise the abdominal muscles. So next I will explain how to exercise your abdominal muscles.

(1) Traditional crunch:

Lie on your back with your lower back flat on the floor. Place your hands beside your head and arms open. Lay your legs flat on the ground with your knees bent. Slightly pull your chin toward your chest, contract your abdominal muscles, exhale and lift your upper body, but your lower back must not leave the ground (Figure 5), hold for 2 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position.

(2) Leg raise and abdominal crunch:

Lie on your back with your lower back flat on the floor. Place your hands beside your head and arms open. Lift your legs to 90 degrees with your upper body, cross your legs, and bend your knees slightly. Exhale, contract your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body, and keep your lower back off the ground (Figure 3). Hold for 2 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position. Be careful to keep your chin slightly tucked toward your chest.

(3) Reverse crunch:

Lie on your back on the floor with your lower back pressed against the ground, your hands on both sides of your body, your legs raised to 90 degrees to your upper body, your legs crossed, and your knees slightly bent. Tighten your abdominal muscles, then exhale and slightly lift your hips and lower back off the ground (Figure 4), hold for 2 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position.

If we want to train our abdominal muscles, we should first understand the function of the abdominal muscles. The abdominal muscles include the rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, and transverse abdominis. When they contract, they allow flexion and rotation of the trunk and prevent anterior tilt of the pelvis. The abdominal muscles also play a very important role in the mobility and stability of the lumbar spine, and can also control the movement of the pelvis and spine.

If you want to achieve the desired results as quickly as possible during exercise, it is recommended that you try training of different intensities during the exercise process to avoid physical fatigue. But one thing that needs to be reminded is that no matter what exercises you are doing, the most important thing in strengthening your abdominal muscles is to have enough patience.