Many people think the only the way to get a quality ab work out is to lay on their back and do sit up variations. First, sit-ups are not a functional exercise. Second, there are many good exercises you can do on the ground that does not cause as much pressure on the spine as a sit up. The majority of core training that my athletes do are standing rotational, overhead, or unilateral exercises that transfer to sport (check out this previous blog post and this post). When I incorporate core exercises (never labeled as an ab work out) on the floor, they are always bridging variations. These positions can be performed on your back, stomach, or side and they engage the muscles of midline of the body. They are not isolated movements such as a sit up, so there is not that same “burning” feeling in one particular muscle group as with the sit up. On that note – just because the exercise “burns” or you feel it does not mean it is effective. Your stomach will also burn if I stab you with a broomstick, but that is not effective either is it. Back to bridges, try to maintain torso stability while moving the distal limbs (arms and legs) in different movement patterns. If you are performing a front bridge (on your forearms and toes), you can reach your arms out straight, to the side, or rotate and reach toward the sky. You can also hold bridges for time and increase the time under tension as you begin to get stronger. Remember kids – just say no to sit ups!
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[...] out these previous posts on core workouts – Check this one out, or this one, or even this one, and here’s [...]
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