Work outs for abdomen and sides ??

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What are some real good exercise tips for targeting your middle area ??

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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Targeting fat loss or strength improvement?
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    To strengthen my core-
    Pilates mat and apparatus
    pull ups
    hanging leg lifts

    To lose fat, which will eventually come off my core as well as the rest of my body because you can't target fat loss-
    calorie deficit
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    You can't spot reduce
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    It depends on what your goals are. For women with diastasis recti, stretches and vacuum exercises help. For core strength, my favorite abs specific exercise is a roll out using an ab roller - it's basically like a plank but dynamic. Compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and military presses also recruit the core.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Onyx_MCG wrote: »
    Planking and side planks. Also crunches and HIIT training
    ^ Ignore this. As has been said several times already, you can’t spot reduce.
  • RealWorldStrengthLLC
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    You can't spot reduce.
    However- to build stuff to reveal:

    Planks
    Knee to elbows - held with elbows at 90 degrees on pull-up bar
    Alternate knee to elbows
    Squats
    Deadlifts
    Asymmetric farmers walks (great for obliques)
    Oblique crunches
    Unsupported Sit ups
    Russian twists
    Leg lifts
    Weighted sit ups
    Flutterkikicks (build a great Adonis belt)
    Hanging leg raises
    Toe to bars
    Etc

    Core workouts are practically endless. The above are all great.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    I do a number of strength-training exercises on a stability ball, which adds/enhances a core-strengthening element to my workout. The exercises I do that are core-specific are waist-side crunches, dead bugs, deep-abs ball transfers, and planks with knee-bends.

    None of the above will result in targeted fat loss. Agree with everyone else here telling you that can't be done. But anecdote?

    I've had two bladder surgeries in the past year. After each one, I was able to sit up in bed on my own, unassisted, in the recovery room within moment of regaining consciousness. The nurse standing by told me I had "some really strong trunk muscles". They may still be hiding under belly fat, but that doesn't mean they aren't there!
  • JAYxMSxPES
    JAYxMSxPES Posts: 193 Member
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    For strength development, one of my favorite exercises is still the ab wheel. No matter how much volume I have with the compound lifts, the ab wheel just seems to work your obliques and abs in a way the compounds don't.