3 Ab Exercises That Are a Waste of Your Time
An excerpt from the May 13th issue of my "Body Breakthrough" Newsletter.
Serious about getting stronger, six pack abs? If so, chances are good that you are religiously doing your abdominal training, making sure that you hit them at least three times per week, in hopes of seeing results.
But will you really?
Well, you can't train your way towards six-pack abs if your diet isn't in check. But for the sake of this article, I'm going to assume that you're eating well for your goals. Our focus here is making sure that you are training effectively and efficiently. If you aren’t careful, you could be burning up precious minutes in the gym that are just not going to bring you the results that you’re looking for.
Let’s have a quick peek at three of the main abdominal exercises that are quite simply a waste of your time.
Front Crunches
The first exercise that is very LOW on my list of ab exercises that will get you results is the front crunch. Front crunches utilize very little overall core activation and, more than anything, can just be a strain for many in the neck and back region.
Even if you use an crunch machine, you’re still not going to see maximal progress. It burns few calories and offers very little in the way of benefits.
Although I do utilize the front crunch from time-to-time, it's in addition to much more productive ab and core exercises. First, I would recommend mastering all forms of planks, mountain climbers, renegade rows, leg raises, dragon flags, Turkish Get-ups, Pallof Presses, Cable Chops, and Landmines (not all in one workout)...just to name a few. Until then, skip over the front crunch if you want to see success.
The Straight Leg Sit-up
The next abdominal exercise is one that I want everyone to say "good-bye" to from their workout program is the sit-up with a straight leg.
Back in the 70's and much of the 80's, this movement was in vogue. And still today, it's one that many beginners use, but most advanced exercises know better. The movement itself is going to call the hip flexors more into play than anything, which is really not going to get you the results that you’re after.
If you really want to include a "sit-up" type of movement, try a decline sit-up. This will be far more effective for taxing the abdominal muscles that you are trying to work. Just don't go down too far. Your lower back should never arch off of the bench when in the extended position.
The Side Bend
Finally, the third exercise to consider dropping is the side bend. The side bend is often done to help reduce the "love handles," but again, is just not an ideal movement to perform. The side bend could also actually increase the thickness of the waist, which clearly is not what most people are going for at all.
If you want to reduce your waistline, focusing on diet as well as the more active core movements such as the ones mentioned above will be a far wiser choice.
So keep these exercises in mind and make sure they aren’t wasting time in your core workout schedule.
If you are doing any of the 3 mentioned above, it’s time to reconsider.
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James Cipriani
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