So having a strong core and a functional core is really important just for quality of life.
You dont need to spend hours at the gym doing exercise after exercise to start seeing results either.
If crunches are your go-to abs exercise, consider these instead.
6 Quick Tips to Make the Most Out of Your Abs Workout
Think of an abs exercise,anyabs exercise.
Did your mind automatically go to the crunch?
The crunch is a spinal flexion exercise, meaning you are bending forward and extending backward, Tamir explains.
Its just not a very functional way of training your corewe dont just bend forward and backward.
There are a lot of other motions we do in everyday life, Gentilcore says.
The movement patterns to add in?
Ones that really work on improving your cores stability.
More is not better, so yo, yo stop training your abs every day.
And thats just one reason people are tempted to work their abs way too much, says Gentilcore.
A lot of people tend to overtrain, says Tamir.
Instead, think of your core like any other muscle.
You wouldnt schedule daily squat sessions, right?
(Our quads hurt even thinking about it.)
To give your core muscles time to recoverwhich is necessary if your goal is to get stronger.
Train with core-specific exercises no more than two to three times per week, says Tamir.
Shoot for 9 to 12 sets per session.
Youre challenging your core with the rest of your strength-training program.
You dont need to isolate them every day.
Avoid arching your back to get your core muscles in the best position to turn on.
Lots of people default into an excessive anterior pelvic tilt when they do abs exercises, says Tamir.
You are not getting the most out of the muscles.
Breathe deeply to get your core muscles to really fire.
A full exhale is going to be important to turn your abs on a little better, says Gentilcore.
That breathing component is a very underrated component of abdominal training for sure.
So how can you tell youre breathing out a hard enough exhale?
Lie down on a mat, placing your hands just below your ribcage.
Dont burn yourself out by starting your workout with all the core stuff.
back up your core exercises for the middle or the end of your strength-training workout, Tamir says.
Change up your exercises for a better balance.
Otherwise, it will just adjust and you wont see the benefits of it.
But you might shake it up a little during that time frame so you dont get bored.
