When we spoke to personal trainers Toronto providers, they said you only need five abs exercises to build a six-pack. However, according to them, you must also eat nutrient-rich nutrition and devour fewer late-night snacks.
Here are the five best abs exercises of all time. Add them to your workout routine or use them as an exercise circuit. Try 2 sets of each and rest for 30 seconds before starting the next one.
1. The Hardstyle Plank
You do not need equipment for this exercise. All you need to do is lay your face on the floor. Then get yourself up onto your forearms. Keep your elbows aligned underneath the shoulders with your hands making fists.
Keep your forearms parallel and hold the position for about 10 to 20 seconds for each set. The important thing is to tighten the whole body from your core, back, fists, glutens, and quads tight while taking breaths throughout your hold.
2. The Dead Bug
The next abs exercise is to lie in a face-up position on the ground. Now, stretch your arms above the shoulders. Next, lift your knees over the hips bending the knee with your calf at a 90° angle with the thigh.
At the same time, while straightening the right leg to the floor, lower the left arm above your head. Pause there and return to your starting position. Then repeat it on your opposite side, doing fourteen alternating reps for one set.
The important thing is to make contact with the ground using your lower back and keep breathing as normal. In addition, the exercise helps you train your left and proper coordination, improving your cognitive function.
3. The Hollow Extension Forming a Cannonball
Lay on the floor, forming a cannonball shape hugging the knees to your chest. Next, extend your arms and legs outwards, pressing the lower back into the floor. Then hold the position for 5 seconds before you uncurl to the starting point. During the extension phase, engage the body as much as possible and recover with the cannonball.
4. The Bird Dog
Start your exercise in a tabletop form with your shoulder over your wrists with the hips over your knees. Here you need to tighten your core and lift your right arm and left leg. Keep the foot flexed when you do a back kick with the palm facing your body.
Pause for about a second when the arm/leg reaches the same height as the torso. Then bring your elbow/knee to touch underneath your body. Next, do the same for the other side for one rep and 5 for one set.
The important thing is not to hyperextend the elbows and maintain a bend to fire up the triceps. In addition, keep your neck long, looking down a couple of inches in front of you. Finally, use the exhale of each breath to create tension.
5. The Dumbbell Side Bend
This is one ab exercise a personal trainer at home loves to bring into the workout routine. All you need is a single medium-weight dumbbell for the exercise. You start by standing hip-width apart with your feet, holding the dumbbell in the right hand with the palm inwards to the torso.
Stand straight with your back and activate the core bending to the side as far as you can. Still do this at the waist and no other part. Hold it for a second at the bottom of the motion and return to start one rep. You can do from 12 to 20 reps to complete one set.
Choose a weight you can handle as it will help you focus on keeping that abs tight while keeping the tempo slow. That burning sensation you feel in all these exercises creates a six-pack, not the lifts.
