5 Abdominal Exercises without doing Sit-Ups
AimeeZingLife
Posts: 47 Member
Most of these can be Googled or seen on YouTube, but add me on MFP and I will post when I'm done making a video on how to do these exercises. Or if we aren't MFP friends add me.
1. Power knees: Start with feet shoulder width apart. Bring right knee up to belly button and then put back down to the floor. Then do it with your left knee. Works the obliques. Do as many as you can in a minute to each side. You will probably get exhausted before the minute is up, but you will feel it.
2. Decline pushups: Place your feet on a bench and your hands on the floor and do pushups that way. This is my favorite, because it works everything in my upper body (pecs, serratus anteriors, biceps, triceps, back) and I only have to do 15-20 reps and I'm feeling it the next day, unlike some exercises, such as situps, in which you have to do tons of reps to get results. If you want to make this exercise more challenging for your abs do it on an exercise ball.
3. Pump ups: Lay on your back, and kick both of your legs up so they are pointing to the sky. In this exercise pump your heels up to the sky and then bring your butt back down to the floor.
4. High pulley crunch. Kneel below a high pulley that contains a rope attachment.Grasp cable rope attachment and lower the rope until your hands are placed next to your face. Flex your hips slightly and allow the weight to hyperextend the lower back. This will be your starting position. With the hips stationary, flex the waist as you contract the abs so that the elbows travel towards the middle of the thighs. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second. Slowly return to the starting position as you inhale.
5. Butt ups: Begin a pushup position but with your elbows on the ground and resting on your forearms. Your arms should be bent at a 90 degree angle. Arch your back slightly out rather than keeping your back completely straight. Raise your glutes toward the ceiling, squeezing your abs tightly to close the distance between your ribcage and hips. The end result will be that you’ll end up in a high bridge position. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Lower back down slowly to your starting position as you breathe in.
****Sit-ups that work fast****
However if you do want to do sit-ups or crunches. I've found that sitting on an exercise ball and doing only 25 situps/crunches leaves my abs sore the next day; whereas, if I were to do 300 regular situps I wouldn't be sore at all. This works well for using your rectus abdominals and obliques, as well as working on balance for those with balance issues.
1. Power knees: Start with feet shoulder width apart. Bring right knee up to belly button and then put back down to the floor. Then do it with your left knee. Works the obliques. Do as many as you can in a minute to each side. You will probably get exhausted before the minute is up, but you will feel it.
2. Decline pushups: Place your feet on a bench and your hands on the floor and do pushups that way. This is my favorite, because it works everything in my upper body (pecs, serratus anteriors, biceps, triceps, back) and I only have to do 15-20 reps and I'm feeling it the next day, unlike some exercises, such as situps, in which you have to do tons of reps to get results. If you want to make this exercise more challenging for your abs do it on an exercise ball.
3. Pump ups: Lay on your back, and kick both of your legs up so they are pointing to the sky. In this exercise pump your heels up to the sky and then bring your butt back down to the floor.
4. High pulley crunch. Kneel below a high pulley that contains a rope attachment.Grasp cable rope attachment and lower the rope until your hands are placed next to your face. Flex your hips slightly and allow the weight to hyperextend the lower back. This will be your starting position. With the hips stationary, flex the waist as you contract the abs so that the elbows travel towards the middle of the thighs. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second. Slowly return to the starting position as you inhale.
5. Butt ups: Begin a pushup position but with your elbows on the ground and resting on your forearms. Your arms should be bent at a 90 degree angle. Arch your back slightly out rather than keeping your back completely straight. Raise your glutes toward the ceiling, squeezing your abs tightly to close the distance between your ribcage and hips. The end result will be that you’ll end up in a high bridge position. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Lower back down slowly to your starting position as you breathe in.
****Sit-ups that work fast****
However if you do want to do sit-ups or crunches. I've found that sitting on an exercise ball and doing only 25 situps/crunches leaves my abs sore the next day; whereas, if I were to do 300 regular situps I wouldn't be sore at all. This works well for using your rectus abdominals and obliques, as well as working on balance for those with balance issues.
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****Sit-ups that work fast****
However if you do want to do sit-ups or crunches. I've found that sitting on an exercise ball and doing only 25 situps/crunches leaves my abs sore the next day; whereas, if I were to do 300 regular situps I wouldn't be sore at all. This works well for using your rectus abdominals and obliques, as well as working on balance for those with balance issues.
edited because I hit post before I typed!~!
I can't do sit ups at all except for on the ball... I LOVE Them on the ball...0 -
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Decline reverse crunches are my favorite (I think thats what they're called, though they're not really crunches).. On a sit up bench, lie on your back facing the opposite direction, with your hands above your head, grabbing the part of the bench where your legs/knees would normally go. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, raise your legs toward the ceiling, then back down towards the floor without touching the ground. For added difficulty, after you've raised your legs, lift your butt off of the bench to push them higher towards the ceiling. These may be called decline leg raises, but whatever, they are, they're a killer exercise.0
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Thanks for the great descriptions. I'm on this tonight! Yay!0
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Thanks for sharing
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I think I've tried #3 a few times, and it seriously hurts my lower spine.0
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bump :-) and thanks!0
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Dead lifts & Squats, medicine ball twists and plank
If you lift heavy weights there is no need to target your abs, they are already stabilizing you and getting a great workout. What you need to do is lose the belly fat to see them. Abs are made in the kitchen.... not crunching on the floor...0 -
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1. Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Hanging Leg Raise (toes to bar)
4. Ab Wheel
5. Planks0 -
thanks for taking the time to post these
will put info to use0 -
Bump! Always looking for abdominal workouts.0
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Love this.....Can't stand sit-ups....0
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I do a perpetual crunch... try to keep the abs crunched / tense for most of the day... when walking, standing, sitting, talking, laughing.
At first, my stomach was killing me after ten mins... now, I barely notice I'm doing it throughout the day.
Seems to work for me, as (apart from a weekly boxing class), I don't do other forms of strictly focused ab work.0 -
Really cool. Thanks for that! Adding you!0
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