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Three terrific exercises for shredded core

Three terrific exercises for shredded core
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PHOTO: MUSCLEANDFITNESS.COM

L.T. / Youtube.com / Ed Scow / Livestrong.com30.3.2015

Have the conventional abs crunches become more and more ineffective? Probably, and that’s due to the fact that over time our bodies get used to almost any type of workout. Today, I’m going to show you 3 exercises, which not only workout your abs, but also your whole core muscles.

Plank

So, right off the bat is the plank. It’s a great exercise that builds both strength and stability in your core. That means you exercise your upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques. Furthermore, there aren’t any curling movements at all, so if you have any problems with your lower - no worries - tension there is reduced by any means.

PHOTO: YOUTUBE.COM / SCOTTHERMANFITNESS

To start off - lie on the ground as if you’re going to do push ups, keep your legs straight and slightly apart, rest on your forearms with your elbows in a precise straight line with your shoulders. From here, you must flex your stomach and glutes, and raise yourself from the floor. Remember, your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your toes during the whole exercise. You should keep your body in this posture for at least 15 seconds or as long as you can. As a rule of thumb, indicating that you’re doing the plank correctly, is the burning sensation (in your core region) you’re about to experience shortly after the beginning of the exercise. Congratulations, you’ve just learnt one of the best fundamental exercises for core.

Leg raises

This exercise focuses a little bit more on the lower abs. The starting position is lying on the ground, put your legs together and bring them all the way up. In this exercise, again, it’s really important to remember - when crunching - rotate your hips upward in order to achieve complete rectus abdominis (abs) contraction. Do 3 or 4 sets with 12 to 15 reps each.

PHOTO: BODYBUILDING.COM

PHOTO: BODYBUILDING.COM

Side twists with weights

The weighted seated twist is a simple exercise that involves twisting the spine from side to side in a seated position. Use a broom stick, body bar or a pair of dumbbells as weight to give your obliques something to move besides your upper body. To perform this exercise, sit up straight on an exercise bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a bar across your shoulders or place a dumbbell on top of each shoulder and hold them in place with your elbows bent. Keep your spine straight and then rotate to the left. Rotate back to the center - pause - and then twist to the right. One key thing to remember is to avoid twisting back and forth mechanically using momentums’ aid.

PHOTO: ROBRICHES.COM

PHOTO: ROBRICHES.COM

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