No more sit ups!

Nefertiti31
Nefertiti31 Posts: 30 Member
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
Is there any other exercises that I can do besides sit ups to work out my abs? I'm also working on planking exercises but don't feel like they work. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • Savagegirlt
    Savagegirlt Posts: 46
    You can do knee raises (while holding yourself up on a dip station).
    Edge of the chair/couch/bed leg pull ins.
    Various leg lifts (for the lower ABS)
    And plank poses (there are many variations) for extended holds....

    Good luck
  • jenlb99
    jenlb99 Posts: 213 Member
    Ohhh, planking works, if you do it correctly. Make sure your butt is down. Situps are the same; they work wonders, IF you do them correctly. The problem is with ab workouts, MOST people do them incorrectly and can often injure other areas (lower back, etc.).

    I do MMA-type training, so I'm twisting all the time, and that works my abs out quite nicely. I still plank and do situps, though, so stick with it.
  • Nefertiti31
    Nefertiti31 Posts: 30 Member
    Okay! I'll definitely continue to plank and do the suggested in the right ways. Thanks!
  • Nefertiti31
    Nefertiti31 Posts: 30 Member
    Double post. Sorry
  • cooter2533
    cooter2533 Posts: 108
    leg scissors make your abs nice and sore
  • thatsnumberwang
    thatsnumberwang Posts: 398 Member
    Try adding leg moves to your planks, like bringing your knees up to your belly button (alternating legs). Bicycle crunches are also pretty effective if you take them slow.
  • ruststar
    ruststar Posts: 489 Member
    Pushups, squats, lunges, and any other full body exercise will work your core muscles just fine, no situps or crunches required.
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
    There's an aqua exercise version of a sit up where you use a noodle/float under your armpits and you let your knees fall below your hips while your spine is straight. Take a deep breath. Then breathe out while bringing the knees up to the chest in a vertical "sit up" position with the spine still straight. Repeat letting the knees fall below your hips while your spine is straight and breathing in again.
  • MrFatLegs
    MrFatLegs Posts: 149 Member
    planks are killers! you might be doing it wrong if you don't feel anything.

    and try these i call them "mad russians" but i'm sure it has a lot of names...

    Make sure your feet are a few inches off the ground, and you lean your back back until you feel your abs tighten, if you're leaning to far forward you'll just relax your abs and wont get a good workout. i do about 6-8 1 minute sets.

    TheRussianTwist.jpg
  • Nefertiti31
    Nefertiti31 Posts: 30 Member
    Try adding leg moves to your planks, like bringing your knees up to your belly button (alternating legs). Bicycle crunches are also pretty effective if you take them slow.

    I definitely do leg lifts while I'm in position. But since this is the first time that i'm trying this exercise, I'm wondering if it's effective. Since most of you say that it is, I'm going to continue and track the process. Is there a way to log in planking? Or a substitute for it?
  • medoria
    medoria Posts: 673 Member
    Bicycles, squirms, hollow man, window wipers, leg raises, heels to the heavens works great for me.
  • Nefertiti31
    Nefertiti31 Posts: 30 Member
    Bicycles, squirms, hollow man, window wipers, leg raises, heels to the heavens works great for me.

    O___O! I've never heard of those. Have to look those up and see.
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
    I love sit ups and hate "crunches". I'm shortwaisted.. I used to do crunches as part of my daily workout routine and they didn't do a thing for me that I could tell. So I tried pinning my feet and do full sit ups, and I saw a huge difference right away. Currently I do 35 full sit ups a day.
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