You may start an ab routine with the goal of achieving a more toned midsection, but the benefits you can reap go far beyond aesthetics. A stronger core is important for stability, support in everyday movements, maintaining good posture and reducing back pain.
But what makes an effective ab routine? When most people think ab exercises, the first thing that comes to mind is crunches. While crunches can be effective if performed correctly, they are easy to get wrong.
Many people complain of neck or back pain when performing standard exercises like crunches and situps. The positioning of your hands behind your head presents an opportunity for you to pull on your neck, causing strain and also devaluing the exercise. Plus, it’s easy to allow your body to recruit other muscles for help. You really need to have quite a strong core already to properly perform a full situp!
The good news is that situps and crunches are just scratching the surface when it comes to moves that target your abdominals. There are lots of effective exercises that strengthen your core. Plus, it’s worthwhile to diversify your workout with different ab exercises to target the core from different angles and create a well-rounded routine that doesn’t get stale.
Here are 16 abdominal exercises from personal trainer and TODAY fitness contributor Stephanie Mansour that you can try at home.
Pelvic tilt
Mansour likes to start every ab routine with a pelvic tilt. It’s a great exercise to wake up your core and practice engaging the proper muscles before jumping into other ab exercises. Lying on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground. Make sure your feet are open as wide as your hips. Reach your arms down toward your feet. Take a deep breath in and feel your low back arch slightly off of the ground. Then exhale as you tilt your pelvis forward and press your low back into the ground. Pull your naval in toward your spine as if you’re zipping into a tight pair of pants. Release and…
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