With these exercises, you train your abdominal muscles and with no crunches
And bye-bye, annoying crunches! If you want to tighten up your stomach, many people resort to such classic workouts. We reveal the top alternatives here.
We’ve divided our exercises into 2 categories that work your muscles with purpose. This results in a great overall package that will give you a toned core and, by the way, help you achieve perfect posture.
How does it work, a six-pack without crunches and sit-ups?
The way to a padded belly is not through endless crunches but effective stabilization exercises.
Besides, if your body fat percentage is too high, you won’t see too much of your muscles. Consider the following exercises, proper nutrition, normal full-body workouts, and cardio sessions.
This mix pushes metabolism and fat burning, which in the end exposes your muscles.
In Workout 1, you’ll first master a basic stabilization exercise, then a more challenging variation of it.
And In Workout 2, dynamic and integrated stabilization will follow. By alternating between Workout 1 and 2, you’ll soon find both easier.
Which exercises are good for the abs?
The mentioned stabilization muscles come in two variations. We will briefly introduce them to you here.
Exercises for stabilization:
These are exercises that stabilize the spine and pelvis as your body remains in a static position. The classic forearm support is one of the best exercises for the deep core muscles, which enclose the abdomen, waist, and pelvis like a corset and ultimately bring the coveted flat stomach.
Do you already guess what we want you to do? That’s right: practice the classic forearm support until you can hold it perfectly for 90 seconds. The same applies to the side support: The goal is 45 seconds per side.
Can you do it all? Great, then you’re ready for the advanced variation: holding an arm, leg, or even both in the air or shifting the exercise to an exercise ball challenges the deep stabilization muscles in entirely new dimensions due to the body’s change’s center of gravity.
Besides, full concentration is required to keep your balance and don’t fall on your nose.
Exercises for dynamic stabilization:
This category gets arms and legs moving, but the torso remains still. This makes it even harder for the muscles to resist and support the spine.
What this is all about: move body parts that are made for movement – but only those! This sounds easier than it is because balancing the side support with rowing or the mountain climber on the ball requires top performance from the entire torso.
You won’t get it right the first time, but it’s worth sticking with it because the benefits are sensational! You improve your coordination, train your balance and become more athletic overall.
How important is the proper nutrition for the six-pack?
Good food is essential! You can’t only do your belly good from the outside. Here’s the perfect belly food:
More protein: This is how body fat melts: just as important as a proper workout is the mix of low-carbohydrate and high-protein food. Include more protein in every meal. Even eating consumes energy: around 25 percent of protein calories are consumed during digestion.
Besides, the increased protein intake alone succeeds in building muscle mass and can be seen.
Fewer calories: You get to take stock, preferably a negative one – at least in terms of your caloric intake. Although working out is key to belly fat loss, time spent in the gym does little good if you’re taking in more calories than you’re burning.
Also, Cut out liquid calories, instead drink only water and unsweetened tea. Eating slowly and chewing well also helps. This is the only way to send the fullness signal to your brain.
More fire: You can also boost your metabolism by taking capsaicin. The substance that gives chili and pepper their spiciness heats your fat burning in the short term. Similar effects can be achieved with ginger root, which also reduces appetite when cooked.
Now, let’s go to the workouts in the gallery: After a 10-minute warm-up, you complete workout one on 3 (not consecutive!) days per week. The following week you do workout 2 in the same way, alternating weekly for a total of 8 weeks!
