Best Exercises To Build Your Abs

Let your six-pack pop-out

Let’s face it, we all want well-defined six-pack abs, but it is probably one of the most difficult things to achieve, and more importantly, to maintain.

First and foremost, you are not going to see the results of your abs training until and unless your body fat level is under 15%. Many people try to target specifically the mid-section of the body but my friend, as of now, there is no way you can spot reduce your fat.

Your body loses fat all across your body simultaneously, and for a lot of people, belly fat is lost very slowly as compared to the rest of the body parts. And to lose your body fat, your nutrition must be in check.

If your nutrition is in check, and your body fat level is roughly under 15%, then it is very likely that with proper ab training, your abs may pop-out.

Following are some exercises that you can do to get a well-developed six-pack ab.

For Lower Abs

Reverse Crunch

This is an excellent exercise to target your lower abs, though it also works on upper abs a little bit, the main emphasis stays on the lower abs.

How to perform:

Lie down, better if only the back is laid down, and the legs are in the air, try to crunch your lower abs, it will automatically elevate your legs. Take your legs to the top.

At the top, i.e., when your thighs make an angle of 90 degrees with the ground, lift your hip above, and then reverse the movement, but make sure that your abs are contracted, don’t put your feet back to the ground.

How to progress:

1. Keep your knees bent (easiest version).
2. Use weight with your legs (not recommended if you can’t grip it tightly).
3. Keep your legs straight.

Hanging Leg Raises

If reverse crunch is getting easier for you, why not take it to the bars?

How to perform:

Hang from a bar, keep your abs tight, and bring your legs up until it is parallel with the ground. Avoid taking the help of a swing.

How to progress:

1. Keep your knees bent (easiest version).
2. Straighten your legs.
3. Use weights.
4. Touch the bar with your toes.

For Obliques

Russian Twists

Obliques give your six-pack a great definition and also helps as stabilizing muscles in a variety of exercises.

Russian-Twists is an ab exercise that wants your abs to be contracted all the time and simultaneously and most importantly, work your obliques.

How to perform:

Lie down and lift your legs and upper body in such a way that it makes a V-shape(not exactly V, but yes you can say that).

Now, twist your torso left and right, try to touch the ground with your hands, but make sure you do so only by twisting your torso and not by the help of your swing.

How to progress

1. Increase the angle of the V by mostly bringing your back near the ground.
2. Straighten your hands.
3. Use weights like a dumbbell as resistance.

Windshield Wipers

Another great exercise to target your obliques.

How to perform:

Lie down, lift your legs such that they make an angle of 90 degrees with the ground, then twist your torso with the help of your legs just like the wipers of the windshield of a car i.e., bring your legs down on the left side, then up again, then right side, then up again.

How to progress:

1. Keep your knees bent (easiest version).
2. Keep your legs straight.
3. Use weights.

Reach ups for Upper Abs

You don’t need to do a bunch of exercises to train your upper abs as they are used in many other exercises, especially, in calisthenics, which may indirectly train them.

But that also leaves us with the reason to keep it strong too, and for which we must include at least one upper ab exercise too.

How to perform:

Lie down, if possible, keep your legs lifted a little bit, now try to touch the ceiling, i.e., come up as far as possible, by lifting your back from the ground.

How to progress:

1. Use weights as resistance.

Boat Hold(Static exercise)

You must include static, as well as dynamic exercises in your workout regime, and this static exercise is an excellent exercise to burn out your abs.

How to perform:

In a lying down position, lift your shoulders, upper back, and legs above the ground, and hold the posture.

How to progress:

1. Keep your knees bent (easiest version).
2. Straighten your legs.
3. Take your hands backward to increase the lever.

Let’s summarize,

For lower abs,

1. Reverse crunches.
2. Hanging leg raises.

For obliques,

1. Russian twists.
2. Windshield wipers.

Upper abs,

1. Reach ups.

At last, finish up with a static exercise, boat hold.

So, those were the ab exercises you can do to make your abs pop-out, condition applied, your nutrition must be in check.

I hope you found it useful. Thanks for reading!!

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