Interest Abdominal Exercises

The goal of ab exercises isn’t all about sculpting a six-pack or chiseling your middle. The core of every day movements comes from just that — your core. You need a solid midsection to stand upright, stay steady on your feet and twist and turn sans injury. (Though scoring flat abs is certainly a sweet bonus!)

So how do you land a stronger core? Work it from every angle and switch up your routine often. That’s where these 50 anything-but-boring abs exercises come in. They’ll skyrocket your strength and stability — and help you score that toned midsection in the meantime. Say hello to going hardcore.

Core

When it comes to improving core stability, the plank has your back (and your front!). By working your transverse abdominis — the deep core muscles that wrap around your middle — as well as your back, shoulders, and glutes (yes, you should activate your butt, too), you get a full body burn in one isometric movement. But the best thing about planks: You can continuously switch them up and make your muscles work even more. Check out these creative twists on a typical plank routine and you’ll see what we mean.

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Get total-body toned with this amped up plank. While performing a triceps push-up, bring your knee to the outside of your elbow, and switch sides on the next rep. Don’t drop or pike your hips through the entire move — your body should stay in a straight line from shoulders to ankles.

A slight twist on a high-low plank move, you’ll flow from a yoga sphinx pose (similar to a baby cobra) into a forearm plank. Try to minimize movement in your hips as you go.

Take your abs workout to P.E. class and army crawl your way across the mat. Stay low in a strong forearm plank as you slither your arms and legs forward. Then finish with a side plank to target your obliques.

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Talk about tough! This pike-up plank offers a gymnastic element to build strength in your lower abs. The higher you pike, the harder the exercise… and the stronger your core.

Ask most fitness experts to break down the basics of a push-up and they’ll tell you it’s a moving plank. So learn how to master that solid, isometric position before you move onto the push-up part. When you do, you’ll build muscle in your entire upper body.

Foam rollers not only loosen up your fascia, they also add a stabilization challenge to ab exercises. In this side plank variation, you’ll feel your midsection fighting to keep your body steady.

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A chaturanga-inspired exercise often done on a reformer, you’ll take this move to the mat. Your obliques work to bring you upright, as the rest of your core stays tight to move you through the middle.

Do three moves for the work of one! This combination exercise not only targets your obliques and transverse abdominis, but also your hips and lats. A triple threat you’ll want to keep tackling.

Crush a core workout while also squeezing in some cardio. This two-for-one move will rev your heart rate, as you reach new calorie-torching heights. From the jack to the jump, it’s one quick ab-strengthening routine.

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Skip the infomercial-inspired equipment and grab a towel for this “rolling” move. As you slide the towel forward on the floor, you’ll sculpt your stomach. Just don’t forget to keep your pelvis in a neutral position.

BOSU balls work great for bettering your balance — and improving your core stability. This take on a conventional clamshell further challenges your abs, as you aim to keep your hips lifted.

Chisel your core by mixing a push-up, row, and T raise. Your midsection muscles work to keep your body in one long line, as you flow through the three-move mash-up.

Dumbbell Abs Workout

Get your heart pumping. Hold a solid plank as you use your lower abs to drive both knees into your chest, without dropping or raising your hips.Safely strengthen your core and tighten your belly muscles after pregnancy with these 11 Physical Therapy Recommended Diastasis Recti Core Exercises For Postpartum Recovery To Reduce abdominal separation and bulge.

Have you been diagnosed with Diastasis Recti core exercises(DR) post-baby? Or maybe you think you have DR but you’re not quite sure. All you know is that you just had a baby and your belly does not look the same as you remembered it pre-pregnancy.

You now have this separation between the left and the right side of your belly and a bulge that sticks up when you strain or when you simply sit up. The postpartum pooch lingers long after having your baby and you’re thinking to yourself “When am I ever going to NOT look pregnant anymore?”

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By doing these 11 physical therapy recommended Diastasis Recti core exercises postpartum, you can fully restore your core in a safe way and have amazing results.

When you are done reading this article you will have a physical therapy designed program to repair your ab separation plus have access to a video that demonstrates how to properly perform these exercises (you can find the video at the bottom of this post).

Have you been approved by your doctor to begin exercising? If yes, then you can continue reading on. If not, please wait until your doctor has given you full clearance to begin postpartum exercises. (See bottom for disclaimer).

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So you have been cleared at your 6 week postpartum check-up and you’re eager to get started. Great!! But you might be thinking, “I have no idea which exercises I should be doing to repair my DR. Which exercises are safe and which ones are not?”

If you are looking for guidance on how to begin working out postpartum to treat your DR, then perfect!!! You came to the right place.

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I’m a physical therapist who had 4 babies, and I know A LOT about postpartum workouts, especially when it comes to rehabbing the core muscles properly after being diagnosed with Diastasis Recti core exercises.

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There are definitely wrong exercises floating around there on the internet so please be cautious when performing exercises that non-medical professionals recommended. A lot of core exercises can make Diastasis Recti worse by increasing intra-abdominal pressure and thus straining the linea alba.

The exercises included in this article are specifically designed to protect your core yet still restore the musculature surrounding the linea alba. This will help decrease the separation between the right and left side of your belly and improve your overall core strength in addition to improving the appearance of postpartum belly.

If you are not sure if your separation is considered Diastasis Recti, then do this Diastasis Recti self-exam to test for Diastasis Recti in the comfort of your home. It only take a couple minutes and it’s rather simple.

How Long Should An Ab Workout Be?

Congratulations by the way on your new baby! It’s been quite a ride getting to this point. You are truly blessed, and your baby thanks you for the sacrifices you have made.

Over the past 9 months, your body had been stretched out so much to the point that you probably weren’t sure if it would ever go back. I’ll tell you right now, if you work hard at it, you can get your body back.

I want to help you regain strength in your mid section so that you can continue to do the things you enjoy doing in life with confidence and without pain or risk of injury

Lower Ab Workouts

First, I would advise you to take a look at this video to determine if you have Diastasis Recti. It’s a quick, simple test that you can perform on yourself in the comfort of your bed. Testing for DR will help you determine the severity of the separation in your belly.

Jena’s Tip : When I say do an exercise “Until Fatigue“, what I mean is mild fatigue without pain. I am not there to monitor you in person, so you must be the judge of when you feel an appropriate amount of fatigue. Use your common sense as to how hard to push yourself. You should never try to strain yourself at any point during an exercise routine, postpartum or not.

Lie on your back with knees bent (Starting Position). To perform this exercise properly, you want to tighten your belly by drawing your belly button down to the floor and flattening your back all at the same time.

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Hold this position for 10 seconds and work up to 30 second holds. Perform 3-5 repetitions or until fatigue. Remember to breathe throughout this exercise (rather than holding your breath).

Perform the same abdominal bracing exercise as described in the previous exercise; however, the cross arm squeeze is a way to assist your abdominals to contract properly.

Cross your arms over you stomach and pull each side towards the midsection all while performing abdominal bracing. Hold for 10 seconds and work up to a 30 second hold. Perform 3-5 repetitions or until fatigue.

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A modified version of the cross arm assisted abdominal bracing is to perform it with a towel. Place the towel under your back and cross it over your belly.

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Pull each end so that the towel is criss-crossing over your stomach and assisting