[null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/blogs/authors/N255859.jpg", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/blogs/authors/N255859.jpg", "alt_text": "Brett Klika"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/blogs/authors/N255859.jpg", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/blogs/authors/N255859.jpg", "alt_text": "Brett Klika"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-23-3-ab-exercises-youre-not-doing-but-should-be-tension-plank.png", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-23-3-ab-exercises-youre-not-doing-but-should-be-tension-plank.png", "formatted_filename": "ab exercises youre not doing but should be tension plank", "alt_text": "tension-plank"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-23-3-ab-exercises-youre-not-doing-but-should-be-bear-crawl.png", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-23-3-ab-exercises-youre-not-doing-but-should-be-bear-crawl.png", "formatted_filename": "ab exercises youre not doing but should be bear crawl", "alt_text": "bear-crawl"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-23-3-ab-exercises-youre-not-doing-but-should-be-half-get-up.png", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-23-3-ab-exercises-youre-not-doing-but-should-be-half-get-up.png", "formatted_filename": "ab exercises youre not doing but should be half get up", "alt_text": "half-get-up"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2009/2009-12-02-what-are-guidelines-for-percentage-of-body-fat-loss.jpg", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2009/2009-12-02-what-are-guidelines-for-percentage-of-body-fat-loss.jpg", "formatted_filename": "what are guidelines for percentage of body fat loss", "alt_text": "What are the guidelines for percentage of body fat loss?"}, null, null, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-07-top-10-reasons-children-should-exercise.jpg", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/fit-life/2017/06/2017-06-07-top-10-reasons-children-should-exercise.jpg", "formatted_filename": "top reasons children should exercise", "alt_text": "Top 10 Reasons Children Should Exercise"}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/assets/marquees/2018/june/book-with-best/book-with-best-rightrail.jpg", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/assets/marquees/2018/june/book-with-best/book-with-best-rightrail.jpg", "formatted_filename": "book with best rightrail"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6469/3-ab-exercises-you-are-not-doing-but-should", "unformatted_src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/blogs/authors/Justin-Robinson.jpg", "src": "https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/blogs/authors/Justin-Robinson.jpg", "formatted_filename": "Justin Robinson", "alt_text": "Justin Robinson"}, null]



3 Ab Exercises You Are Not Doing (But Should) by Brett Klika
 
Let’s talk about your abs. Six-pack abs are the result of the presence of muscle combined with an absence of fat. What many people don’t realize is that visible abdominal muscles are more the product of what happens in the kitchen and at meals versus what happens in the gym.

The rectus abdominis (the anatomical designation of the six-pack area) is crisscrossed by connective tissue, so your torso can move in different directions. This crisscross is responsible for the corrugated rippled look, and without it, the midsection would be difficult to bend, extend and twist.

When a well-established diet-and-exercise strategy for fat loss is followed, the amount of fat between the crisscrossed abdominal muscles and the skin decreases until the skin is sitting right on top of this crisscross. This is how six-pack abs are revealed.

Of course, training the abdominal muscles makes them more pronounced, so when fat decreases, they are even more visible. Training the abdominal muscles correctly can also help with posture, overall strength and even some aspects of mobility.

While good old-fashioned sit-ups and crunches focus directly on the abdominal muscles, progressing knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics has provided some even better exercise options to not only develop the abdominal muscles, but also improve strength and structure. Give these three abdominal exercise variations a try during your next training session, and be sure to support your efforts with good nutrition.

The Tension Plank While the plank is a great exercise for the core, the tension plank is a more specific, focused and advanced approach to performing this basic exercise. In fact, this exercise teaches the entire body to integrate tension to support and stabilize. Improving your strength will, in turn, decrease your likelihood of injury.

Note: If you can hold this for more than 15-20 seconds when you start, you’re not doing it right!

To ensure you are performing this correctly, have a partner “poke” the mentioned muscles to make sure they are rigid for the duration of this exercise.

The Bear Crawl Contrary to popular belief, this exercise is more than a disciplinary tool for sadistic high school football coaches. When performed correctly, it’s an extremely intense abdominal strength and stability exercise that spares the spine and maximizes muscle.

As you’ll see, doing the bear crawl not only provides a core strength and coordination challenge, but it’s also great cardiovascular conditioning.

The Half Get-up Many supine (lying on your back) abdominal exercises do a great job of targeting the intended muscles. Unfortunately, many of these exercises also create a large volume of repeated flexion at the lumbar spine. Because many lumbar injuries are due to too much unabated flexion, these exercises could be doing more harm than good in the long term.

The half get-up exercise makes it possible to engage the anterior abdominal muscles (the six-pack) while keeping a more natural alignment of the lumbar spine.

Use these three abdominal challenges to strengthen these important muscles so you can look, feel and move better every day.
 by Justin Robinson
on June 21, 2017