To this day, there is one exercise that is more synonymous with 6-pack abs than any other -- sit ups. But, what if we told you that sit ups really aren’t that effective for targeting your abs?
It’s true that sit ups do work your abs, but for those of us with any reasonable amount of strength and endurance, sit ups just lead to wasted time and a sore neck.
Here are 5 moves to target your abs that aren’t sit ups. These will challenge in ways you didn’t realize and deliver the toned midsection you’ve sought for so long.
#1 Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises take the cake when it comes to the best move to target your abs. It works the entire transversus abdominis (the muscles that keep your stomach flat and tight) while also building strength in your grip, shoulders, and upper back.
But that’s not all, hanging leg raises also work the hip flexors too, making this a great total body exercise for those that are short on time but want maximum results!
To perform the hanging knee/leg raise:
- Grab a pull with a neutral (palms facing towards each other) or pronated grip (palms facing away from you), shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your legs, knees, and feet together.
- Tighten your glutes to keep your low back from hyperextending.
- Now, bend your knees and your hips
- Stop when your thighs reach your chest. Hold for 1-3 seconds.
- Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position.
As with all resistance training exercises, momentum is the enemy. You want your abs to do the “heavy lifting”, not gravity or momentum. With that in mind, control the eccentric and concentric portions of each repetition so that you maximize tension on your abs and force them to do the work.
Now, we’re not gonna lie -- hanging leg raises are TOUGH. They require tremendous amounts of strength, stability and control. If you can’t do these on your first several attempts, that’s perfectly fine.
You can perform an easier variation, such as the hanging knee raises, as you build up to the strength required to perform hanging leg raises. A great goal to aim for is 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions, though working up to 15 reps is fine (if you have the strength and stamina!).
#2 Ab Wheel Roll Outs
Ab wheel roll outs require a very inexpensive piece of equipment -- an ab wheel. And, while the exercise may seem simple, next to the hanging knee/leg raise, ab wheel rollouts are considerably challenging, hence their inclusion in the best moves to target your abs.
To perform the ab wheel rollout:
- Kneel down on the floor and hold the ab roller with both hands, palms facing away.
- Extend by slowly rolling the ab roller away from you.
- Stretch your torso as far as you can without allowing your body to touch the floor.
- During the exercise, keep your core tight so your back doesn’t hyperextend.
- Pause in the fully stretched position and then contract your abs to pull yourself back to the starting position.
If you can only get a few reps at first, that’s totally fine. Stick with it and watch your core get stronger like never before!
#3 V-Ups
V-ups are an advanced bodyweight exercise that hammers your core while building strength, balance, coordination and explosiveness. And, unlike situps or crunches which only work your abs, v-ups involve your whole body, which means more muscles worked and more calories burned which helps build strength and burn body fat.
To perform a v-up:
- Lie on your back on the floor with your legs straight, feet together, and arms extended overhead.
- Brace your core by pushing your low back into the ground and tensing the midsection.
- Now, simultaneously lift your legs up toward the center of the body, and reach your arms toward your toes.
- Under control, reverse the motion by returning your arms and legs to the starting position. If possible, end with your heels a few inches off the floor to maximize time under tension on your lower abs.
Try to keep your legs as straight as possible throughout the exercise, but if you can’t, that’s alright…these are really tough!
For an added challenge, you can hold the top/contracted position for a full second and slowly lower over a count of three.
#4 Kneeling Cable Crunch
Cable crunches are one of the few weighted ab exercises, which makes progressive overload much easier compared to other bodyweight ab exercises where you have to increase reps, decrease rest, or attempt to add weight via ankle weights or some other means.
Kneeling cable crunches offer a quick, safe, and easy way to increase the challenge on your abs without stressing the lower back or neck -- the same of which can’t be said for many other ab exercises.
The “catch” is that you have to have access to a cable machine (or home pulley system) in order to perform this exercise. If you don’t have access, no sweat! You can still get phenomenal results with the other exercises included in this list, especially our next top ab exercise that isn’t a sit up…
#5 Suspension Trainer Ab Pike
Suspension training has been around for quite some time and heralded by minimalist and bodyweight athletes for its low-cost, high-yield muscle and strength-building returns. The most popular exercises for suspension trainers are rows, pull ups, push ups and dips, but they can also be used to upgrade your ab workouts.
Ab pikes have been shown in EMG studies to hammer the upper and lower abs as well as the obliques.[1]
For those of you without access to a suspension trainer, the ab pike can also be performed with your feet on a stability ball. Due to the high degree of tension and stability required for this exercise, we suggest 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.
If ab pikes are too tough at the outset, you can switch to stability ball/suspension trainer knee tucks where you bring your knees up to your chest.
How Frequently Should I Train Abs?
The abs are a fairly small muscle group, and they recover pretty quickly. This means that you can train your abs more frequently compared to larger muscle groups that demand larger recovery intervals (e.g. chest, back, legs).
In addition to your heavy compound lifting, we suggest performing an ab workout 2-3 times per week.
To save time, and increase the challenge on your midsection, perform ab circuits, where you perform three exercises back-to-back-to-back before taking a brief rest and repeating the circuit again.
Begin with a weighted exercise (such as the weighted cable crunch) and follow up with two bodyweight movements. This serves two purposes.
Performing the weighted exercise first ensures your abs are fresh, thereby allowing you to use the heaviest weight possible and provide the greatest overload to your muscles possible.
Secondly, the weighted exercise fatigues the ab muscles, which makes the bodyweight exercises much more challenging so you won’t need to perform dozens and dozens of reps to reach failure.
Proper Nutrition is Essential for Toned Abs
All the crunches, v-ups, and hanging leg raises won’t do a lick of good for revealing your toned midsection if your diet isn’t set up to help you lose belly fat.
In other words, ab exercises are great for strengthening your midsection and making them “pop”, but attaining a 6-pack commands attention to diet.
So, if you’re serious about losing body fat and toning up, make sure you’re structuring your nutrition for fat loss (which typically means embracing a calorie deficit).
Focus on high-quality foods that are minimally processed -- lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
These foods keep you feeling full, are higher in micronutrients, and lower in calories than processed foods that are commonly labeled as “weight loss” foods.
To make sure you’re eating right for the results you want, it’s helpful to log your calorie intake and macros in a fitness app. The 1UP Fitness App makes macro tracking and calorie counting easier than ever. We’ll also provide customized meal plans and calorie intakes (tailored to your goals and preferences) for FREE!
What About Supplements?
We’ll make something very clear right now -- supplements on their own will not have nearly the impact they could have if you’re not training hard and eating right. In other words, merely taking a fat loss supplement or “ab ripper” supplement doesn’t get you off the hook from your workouts and diet.
However, with proper nutrition and hard work, adding the right supplements into your daily regimen can accelerate your results.
Our premium weight loss support agents, Pro Ripped Max and Make Her Lean Max, help support increased energy, enhanced fat burning, and decreased feelings of hunger. When coupled with proper diet and exercise, they streamline the path to a trim, lean, and toned physique.
When you’re dieting, energy and motivation can be lowered, which impacts your overall training intensity and performance. That’s where a can’t miss pre workout, like 1UP Pre Men, 1UP Pre Women or Stim-Free Pre truly stand out as they contain the key ingredients you need to dominate your workouts, burn more calories, and get results!
References
- Escamilla RF, Lewis C, Bell D, Bramblet G, Daffron J, Lambert S, Pecson A, Imamura R, Paulos L, Andrews JR. Core muscle activation during Swiss ball and traditional abdominal exercises. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010 May 40(5)265-76. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2010.3073. PMID: 20436242.
