Good Strength Training for Abs (without crunches) ?

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briananoelani
briananoelani Posts: 34 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone have any recommendations for what machines/floor exercises I can do at the gym for abs? I currently have arm, leg, and back routines but I'm having some trouble finding ab exercises that don't strain my neck.
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  • logicalinks
    logicalinks Posts: 89 Member
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    It doesn't involve weights (unless you want to add some as a more advanced option), and you can do it easily at home.... planking. Best thing I've ever done for my abs/core. The longest I've held one is 2.5 minutes. I hope to get to 4 minutes, but it's gonna take a while. Good luck!
  • briananoelani
    briananoelani Posts: 34 Member
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    Oh wow, good for you! I'll add it to my list :). Have you done any of the alternative planks like side planks?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Deadlifts and squats. They're central to most good strength programs. Are you doing them?
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    briananoelani wrote: »
    Oh wow, good for you! I'll add it to my list :). Have you done any of the alternative planks like side planks?

    Awkward Airplane. From your hands and knees, stretch your left leg out behind you, foot flexed. Stretch your right arm out in front of you while keeping your back level, like you’re balancing a pint of Blue Moon on it. Hold for a couple breaths, then move your leg and arm out to the sides, keeping them off the ground. Don’t spill that beer, and hold for a few breaths.

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Front Squats, Romanian DLs, Hanging leg raises
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Deadlift, squats, leg raises, planks...

    Here is an article..( i didn't even look at it, but thought it was funny since the title is "Ab Workouts without Crunches)...lol.

    http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20664616,00.html

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    around the world
    plank
    push up- any sort of unstable/un equally blanced push up.

    moving from push up to plank/up downs
    monkey push ups/dive bombers
    hanging leg raises
    pikes
    flutter kicks
    hello dolly's
    scissor kicks
    holding 6"
    the 100 (it's a pilates thing)

    many many things
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Ugh... people should do a little more than DL's and Squat's. Prescribing those 2 exercises on this site is like doctors prescribing anti-biotics. You have a runny nose, take this Zpac. You want to improve core strength, overall strength, have a nice *kitten*, and solve world hunger, squat and deadlift. While those two lifts do actively engage your core muscles; they are not the end-all-be-all to core training. For an overall stability and healthy (injury prevention) stand-point, you should do some separate core training. If you do squat & deadlift it doesn't have to be a ton because of the activation involved but some is a really good idea. You will want to do a mix of exercises, albeit not all at once, that target abs, obliques, quadratus-lumborum (lower back essentially), and the gluteals.

    -Planks in the form of... side planks, front planks, front planks with hip extension, or a "superman" (not really a plank but it's similar enough)

    -Cable Machine: Trunk Rotation, cable chops, cable lifts

    -Back Raises on a 45-degree bench

    -Hanging knee raises

    Those are not the end-all be-all to core training of course, but those are some basic exercises that can easily be implemented.




  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Planks, pushups, supermans, windshield wipers, russian twists, deadbugs/penguins, flutter and scisscor kicks, scorpions, lots of other yoga poses, wood chops, turkish getups, etc.

    I know tons of variations to the ones above that could keep you occupied for a few months.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    Ugh... people should do a little more than DL's and Squat's..
    While those two lifts do actively engage your core muscles; they are not the end-all-be-all to core training.

    No one here said they were. But they are foundational exercises, and it's common for people here to skip them, which is why i asked her if she's including them. If she's not, adding them would be my first priority, not adding lots of supplementary ab exercises.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    bench press, dl, squats, OHP, pushups, pull ups, chin ups, barbell hip thrusts (OMG), HANGING LEG RAISES, lying leg raises, bodyweight flys...

    actually pretty much everything resistance-related works your abs lol
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    Ugh... people should do a little more than DL's and Squat's. Prescribing those 2 exercises on this site is like doctors prescribing anti-biotics.

    that's not really fair.

    I never even heard of deadlifting til I had been active on this site's forums for about 2 months.

    I'll continue to mention the basics so new people that still think that crunches and curls are basics can be saved from a lot of wasted effort :(

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    The best thing you can do for your core is compound lifting movements. Beyond that I do plank variations, cable chops (I prefer kneeling), swiss ball jacknives, and hanging leg raises.

    Sit-ups and crunches are just about the worst thing you could do and the only reason to do them really is if you have to PT qual for armed forces/law enforcement/emergency responder, etc.

    I do a lot of Oly stuff so my core is pretty engaged throughout my primary workout...so I focus on that first and foremost. If I have time and I'm not completely shot to *kitten*, I throw in some extra core work. I also do plank variations pretty much daily...usually how I start my day off.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    fence.jpg

    Doesn't hurt the neck in the least bit...

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    briananoelani wrote: »
    Does anyone have any recommendations for what machines/floor exercises I can do at the gym for abs? I currently have arm, leg, and back routines but I'm having some trouble finding ab exercises that don't strain my neck.

    Weighted back squats have been great for mine, also, hanging leg raises, front squats, and pendlay rows.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    The best thing you can do for your core is compound lifting movements. Beyond that I do plank variations, cable chops (I prefer kneeling), swiss ball jacknives, and hanging leg raises.

    Sit-ups and crunches are just about the worst thing you could do and the only reason to do them really is if you have to PT qual for armed forces/law enforcement/emergency responder, etc.

    I do a lot of Oly stuff so my core is pretty engaged throughout my primary workout...so I focus on that first and foremost. If I have time and I'm not completely shot to *kitten*, I throw in some extra core work. I also do plank variations pretty much daily...usually how I start my day off.


    I hear this a lot. What is the reason that crunches and sit ups get such a bad reputation?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    curved spine people usually pulling on their neck and using more hip flexor than abs.

    It's just ineffective and causes more problems than worth the potential pay off.
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
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    Loaded get-ups and walks are great core exercises, and I don't think that anyone mentioned them yet. Farmer walks (walk around with something really heavy in your hands), walking/skipping around with a sandbag on your shoulders, turkish getups with a kettle bell or a dumbbell.

    The ab-wheel is great, too. You can buy one for peanuts if they don't have one at your gym or if you mainly train at home. When you manage sets of 12 standing up, you know that you have a solid core.
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    curved spine people usually pulling on their neck and using more hip flexor than abs

    This is not really a bad thing, since most people have really weak hip flexors and could really use some training for those muscles as well. It is of course not a very good ab exercise if you do that, but I wouldn't condemn it quite as quickly as is the trend these days.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    edited December 2014
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    JoRocka wrote: »
    curved spine people usually pulling on their neck and using more hip flexor than abs.

    It's just ineffective and causes more problems than worth the potential pay off.

    I dont disagree that performing an exercise improperly can lead to injury and that a sit-up is hip flexor dominant. We would not say dont do squats because if done improperly it can lead to injury. Working hip flexors along with some abdominals is not a bad thing either IMO.

    "Just about the worst thing you can do" seems to imply something more than just being ineffective.

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