7 Challenging Exercises For Sculpting Your Abs Without Sit Ups

Ab Exercises For Sculpting

Sit ups have long been regarded as the best way to flatten your stomach. The exercise has been a staple in the military and in gym classes around the world. But there are exercises that are more challenging to do than the sit up. These ab exercises can do more than sculpt your abs. They can also improve overall functionality, agility and mobility.

1. Barbell Rollout

This exercise forces your abdominal muscles to maintain a forceful contraction throughout the entire range of motion. If you are doing Barbell Rollout for the first time, start out with bent knees and only go as far as your flexibility will allow. With Barbell Roll Out, the quality of the rep is more important than the number of reps you do.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps

2. Woodchoppers

Woodchoppers work the oblique muscles. These are the muscles found on the lower sides of your abdominals. Strengthening the oblique muscles is important for maintaining trunk stability and flexibility. Strong hips are necessary when performing rotational movements such as swinging a baseball bat, executing punch combinations in boxing and the various throws in judo.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 15 reps

3. Ball Slams

Ball Slams is an explosive exercise that trains you to contract your abdominal muscles. The force generated when slamming the medicine ball on the ground comes from the contraction of the upper abdominal muscles. You have to pull your abs in toward the rib cage to initiate a contraction. In boxing, Ball Slams are used to teach fighters how to contract the abs to absorb shots to the body.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 5 reps

4. Cocoons

Cocoons are a better and safer alternative to sit ups for a number of reasons. First, it hits different areas of the core section; upper and lower abs and the serratus muscles. Second, because the lower back maintains contact with the floor, it protects the lower back from compression forces. Third, it improves lower back flexibility.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 10 reps

5. Russian Twist

This is a great exercise for overall development of the abdominal area. As you’re moving the medicine ball from side to side, you are keeping both upper and lower abs contracted. It also targets the serratus muscles and helps improve trunk strength and flexibility. If you’re into tennis, baseball or track and field, Russian Twist should always be part of your workout.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 20 reps

6. Swiss Ball Pike

If you want to know how strong your abdominal muscles are Swiss Ball Pike is one of the best measures of strength. In fact, unless you can do a Plank for 1 minute, you should skip Swiss Ball Pike. You are relying on the strength of your abs particularly the lower area and the hip flexors to roll the Swiss Ball toward your midsection. Swiss Ball Pike also works your upper body particularly the shoulders.

Recommended Volume: 2 sets x 10 reps

7. Stomach Vacuum

It may seem like an easy exercise but Stomach Vacuum requires more precise execution and the correct breathing technique. This exercise targets the transverse abdominis which is located underneath the rectus abdominis and oblique muscles. It is believed that by working the transverse abdominis and the internal muscles of the abdominal area, you can flatten your stomach. It is important to hold your breath for at least 10 seconds then gradually exhale while pulling your transverse abdominis toward your navel.

Recommended Volume: 1 set x 2 reps

You don’t have to do all of these exercises in 1 session. A good approach would be to pick 2 to 3 exercises for every workout but always include Stomach Vacuum in the rotation. Abdominals are high endurance muscles. You can train them 3 to 4 days a week.

5 Best Functional Exercises To Build Strong Abs

Ab Exercises For Building Strength

Nothing says health and fitness more than a sculpted set of abs. A trim waist is a sign of good health. A well-defined midsection is testament to hard work.

But having a visible 6-pack should not just be your focus in training abs. You’ve heard of people with abs that could grate a block of parmesan cheese into fine powder succumb to lower back pain and abdominal tears.

The function of the abdominal wall is to protect your lower back. When you wear a belt during exercise, its purpose is to support your lumbar area by giving the abdominal muscles a surface to push against.

Keeping your abs tight during overhead pressing exercises, Squats and Deadlift will help your lower back maintain its strongest position to overcome applied resistance.

While traditional exercises such as crunches and leg raises still have their value in an abdominal workout program, they will not help you develop a strong, sturdy and stable midsection.

You need to choose exercises that require you to maintain a strong trunk position by forcing the abs to contract as powerfully as possible. The benefits of doing these exercises will also carry-over to support everyday tasks. Thus, functionality should be considered when selecting the exercises.

Here are 5 of the best functional exercises to build strong abs:

1. Turkish Get Up

Turkish Get Up is often labelled as the most important exercise no one wants to do. Why? Because it is extremely challenging; a basic Get Up involves 14 intricate movements that must be strictly followed. Adding resistance such as a dumbbell or a kettlebell will make it more challenging but at the same time, increases the rewards. Turkish Get Up will benefit those who participate in running, MMA, basketball, tennis and rugby.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 5 reps

2. Walking Overhead Lunge

Lunges are a great exercise for developing the legs. Walking Overhead Lunges involve placing an overhead resistance such as a barbell plate or a pair of kettlebells increases the involvement of the abdominal muscles to support the lower back. Walking during the overhead lunge adds a third degree of difficulty because now you have to focus on maintaining balance and stability. Walking Overhead Lunges are a fantastic full-body exercise that will build strength as well as provide cardiovascular endurance.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 20m

3. Spider Crawl

Unlike the Bear Crawl, Spider Crawls requires you to keep your upper back in line with your hips and lower back throughout the exercise. This places greater stress on the abdominal muscles because if your hips sink below the level of your upper back, you place more pressure on your lower back. 3 tips to make Spider Crawls more challenging: look straight ahead, crawl very slowly and crawl in reverse.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 20m

4. Bent Press

Bent Press is effective in developing hip and trunk stability mobility and flexibility. It also builds strong oblique muscles and actively engages the entire abdominal area composed of the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis. Similar to Turkish Get Up, start out with Bent Press with your bodyweight and focus on perfecting your form before adding resistance.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 5 reps

5. Bird Dog Exercise

Don’t be taken by the light-hearted name of this exercise. Bird Dog Exercise is a staple in many abdominal strengthening programs especially for those with lower back injury. Bird Dog Exercise will improve trunk and hip flexibility. Performing the exercise on 1 knee and 1 arm increases the work capacity of your abdominal muscles. When doing Bird Dog Exercise, focus on the quality of the rep not the quantity performed in a set.

Recommended Volume: 3 sets x 10 reps

As you have read, you don’t have to do countless sets and reps of abdominal work to get results. The keys to having an effective workout are: resistance, precise execution of form and functionality.

You do not have to do all of these exercises in 1 workout. A better approach would be to set aside 3 days per week for abdominal work then distribute 2 to 3 of these exercises.