8 little-known exercises to develop sexy AND efficient abs!

2024-01-12 16:30:11

This year, at the top of your list of resolutions is basically “get abs”.

Why not, but what are we talking about here?

Is it about having strong, defined abs or a functional core that will give you better athletic performance and make your daily life easier?

You don’t have to choose, here is our ultimate list of 7 ab exercises that combines both goals so you can look sexy topless AND move better.

It was nothing…

1/ The human ring saw

We see it very little, yet it is one of the most powerful isometric exercises for our 6 pack!

He requires access to gymnastics rings or a TRX set very low so that he can pass his feet through them.

Note that otherwise, a physio ball or these small accessories, “sliders”, will do the job perfectly.

Once your feet are positioned, position yourself on your forearms and, keeping your body perfectly aligned, stretch out.

By extending the lever in this way, you will drastically increase the difficulty of your core.

If you feel back pain, you have gone too far in the range of motion.

2/ L-sit

All hanging abdominal exercises should be at the top of your list!

Here, we will target the upper abs, lower abs and hip flexors.

The problem is that the exercise can be quite difficult and requires some mobility.

So start with your knees bent and try to hold for 30 seconds.

Then add weight (a disc on your thighs or a dumbbell between your two feet) or try to straighten your legs.

Note that the same position can be held on parallettes or between two chairs if you are at home.

You will thus be able to work on your scapular stability and progress quietly towards other variations such as the L-Sit.

To find out everything about this exercise, consult our progression guide: Hanging leg raises, an essential ab exercise.

3/ Turkish sit up

You are probably familiar with situps, this exercise of which you can now do sets of 100 without problem.

It’s time to move on to something much more powerful and that’s what this variation offers, which involves a loaded abdominal bend with a weight overhead.

It is a unique movement which requires to be initiated by pressure on the load in order to engage a muscle called “serratus anterior”.

4/ Side plank (with hip “dip”)

We are not used enough to using the trunk muscles engaged in lateral loads, so to strengthen this part of our abs, make way for this exercise on the side!

To perform it, stand sideways and raise your hips as high as possible.

Then, we come to do a “dip”, that is to say we bring the hips to the ground and we come back up.

Be careful, you must not roll your shoulder forward, nor compensate by bending your hips.

You must maintain a straight line from the shoulders to the ankles via the hips.

Thus, you will be able to target the obliques, the quadratus lumborum and generally the entire side of your trunk.

You want to go further in difficulty, raise your feet or hold a kettlebell with your arm stretched above you with your free hand.

To find out everything about this exercise: Develop steely obliques with the side plank, the perfect complement to traditional core training.

5/ Hollow body

There’s a reason why this exercise is the mainstay of gymnasts’ training, a fundamental position.

Indeed, the hollow body is essential for developing functional movement capabilities and thus impacting your entire training.

To practice it, keep your lower back pressed to the ground throughout the exercise, if it takes off, stop.

You must focus on the quality of the contraction above all

To know everything about this exercise: Goodbye flabby abs with the hollow body: this little-known exercise that surpasses core training

6/ Superman

For perfect abs from every angle, we also want to work the lower and back of the back.

With the superman, we will also work the lower trapezius, the spinal erectors and the glutes.

So this was not enough, by working the lower back, we will have a visual effect of a slimmer waist: two birds with one stone!

To take this exercise a step further, grasp a weight plate between both hands while keeping your arms straight.

To find out everything about this exercise: do you want a superhero back and improve your posture? Discover the Superman exercise

7/ Windmill

We continue with the least used muscle areas such as the lower back, the obliques and the quadratus lumborum.

Undertrained, these muscles can develop weaknesses leading to possible injury.

This exercise is here to prevent that!

Work slowly and gradually with this movement, engaging the work with the hips and always maintaining your gaze toward the kettlebell (turn your body so that you maintain eye contact as you lower).