Crunchless Abs.. any ideas??

TrishaB74

I was just wondering if there are any other type of exercises I can do to strengthen and tone abs, other then crunches and sit ups?

hahandel

Planks

LadyVivica

I tried Hip Hop Abs which is marketed towards not doing situps and it was ok for me and the moves made sense but it is basically just doing cardio while tucking in your tummy. I stopped doing it because I wasn't getting much out of it and went back to situps and leg lifts and I feel better doing it the old fashioned way :bigsmile:

Planks are great too!

kensky

I don't do any isolation work (crunches). My abdominal muscles got noticeably stronger by focusing on compound weightlifting moves like squats and overhead press.

oats4breakfast

Leg raises, v-ups, flutter kicks, hanging leg raises, overhead squats, reverse crunches, planks, side planks, tuck jumps, jumping rope .... there's a ton of things. Look them up.
You can do a myriad of things by simply lying on your back and lifting your legs at different heights and speeds. Lift and hold at 10", then 20", then 30" then drop. Do one leg, scissor kick. Raise them up and down, in and out, side to side. Knees in to chest. Hold some weight in your hands straight up while you do this too for a different twist. ..... there's another, russian twists. Turkish get-ups. The list is endless.
If you have one of those exercise/swiss balls, try crunches on those - they're different than doing on the ground and you won't get bum sores (if that's why you don't want to crunch).

gauchogirl

P-L-A-N-K-S are killer good.

MB_Positif

I don't do any isolation work (crunches). My abdominal muscles got noticeably stronger by focusing on compound weightlifting moves like squats and overhead press.

^^^^^This! And running!

LadyVivica

Especially side planks, omg the first time I did those, my abs were sore for 2 days!

norabeth

Strength training and yo go. Balancing poses really make you use use core.

lulukittie

In addition to what everyone else mentioned, certain yoga and pilates moves really hit the abs--I'm thinking "boat pose" or "the teaser." You can google them for examples/videos.

TinkrBelz

planks, ab vacuums, and in my zumba classes that I teach, I do a lot of hip-hop ab moves....just a lot of dancing and pumping my hips. You can see my obliques and my V..if I did not have stretch marks from 6 kids, my tummy would be amazing...no crunches or sit ups at all.

myrahonbarrier

great ideas...thanks!

ishallnotwant

I love planks, too! Regular and side, make sure to use proper form and hold if for a bit and you'll really feel your abs engaging! You can start with 30 seconds at a time and move up in 10 second increments as it gets easier for you.

TrishaB74

Thank you for the quick responses! There were a few that I've never heard of, so I will look into them. Sounds like Planks work best for alot of you. I appreciate all the great ideas! :-)

MissC787

Thanks for the post. It was helpful to ma also. My abs are sore right now from the sit ups and crunches I did yesterday. I am thinking I would like to try these planks though.

jennkain97

I don't do any isolation work (crunches). My abdominal muscles got noticeably stronger by focusing on compound weightlifting moves like squats and overhead press.

this.

basically, any sort of free weight exercise you do will strengthen the abs if you use proper form. and you definitely want to use proper form for safety's sake!

crisanderson27

I don't do any isolation work (crunches). My abdominal muscles got noticeably stronger by focusing on compound weightlifting moves like squats and overhead press.

Seriously...what she said...and just because public worship doesn't quite illustrate my point well enough...

:flowerforyou:

rudegyal_b

tuck jumps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wellbert

crunches are silly.


Weighted full barbell squats and deadlifts work the abs isometrically (as they are designed to function) and well, hit your entire core. They load the abs with far more weight/work than pretty much anything.

Natx83

Squats and deadlifts. Problem solved. I'm on my way, by the southern hemisphere summer comes around I'll be much closer to a full 6 pack and I will not have done one single crunch or situp haha

VMarkV

I don't do any isolation work (crunches). My abdominal muscles got noticeably stronger by focusing on compound weightlifting moves like squats and overhead press.

Seriously...what she said...and just because public worship doesn't quite illustrate my point well enough...

:flowerforyou:

Again
I like front squats since they really force you to use correct posture (or the weight falls) keeping abs tight, shoulders back, chest up, chin up, toes out, etc.

TrishaB74

UPDATE>>>>

I researched the plank that everyone suggested and found several different ways of doing them. I started doing the regular ones. Today is third day and I have never felt this kind of burn (good burn) in my tummy area! I remember years back when I was hooked on the 8 minute ab dvd. Planks is where it's at. I figure once I can last longer in the regular position, I'll spruce it up a bit with side and then ad a bit of weights to it. Not bad for a girl just starting out :-) Thanks again for all the suggestions.

sleepytexan

squats and deadlifts.