Flat and ripped abs can make everyone look pretty awesome. Yet, there are more health benefits gained from 10-minute abdominal and oblique exercises, other than looking great.
There are four major muscles in the body that come under the term “abs.” Making them not only flat-board but also strengthening them is why we need to work on them. This is because everything that we do from lifting to pulling demands movement from the core of the body. This makes it imperative to make the core or the abs strong to be highly mobile, strong, and flexible in any task. It is also the best way to protect the body from injuries.
The best step to achieve the quintessential workouts for the core muscles is to understand what they will do to strengthen these four major muscles. Just remember that it is more a myth when you want flat abs by only doing spot fat reduction on the abs. This means that there is no such thing as specific ab exercises to reduce the fat from a body’s specific area and make a flat stomach with six pack abs. The energy you spend doing crunches comes from your whole body and not only from your abs.
The only way to achieve flat “washboard abs” is to lose fat from the entire body. This kind of weight loss program can be done with a combination of healthy eating, strength training, and cardio workouts. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t achieve this as, in reality, few people do. Excess fat of the body is usually stored in the abdominal area making it a tough task to eliminate outright. One of the best weight loss tips is to do HIIT workouts.
10-minute abdominal exercise and home workouts that you can do daily or three times a week
Many of you may have read about the ‘ 10minute ab workouts ‘. There are a lot of abdominal beginner workout variations that you can do right in your living room for 10 minutes daily or three times a week. You might see them in different workout videos. Surprisingly, one of the best—if not the best—exercises you can do for your abdominal muscles is to achieve and maintain a good posture. Below are some good ‘ 10minute ab workouts ’ for you can try.
Bicycle crunches
- Start by lying supine or face up in a yoga mat / exercise mat
- Next is to lightly support your head by placing your hands behind it
- Lift up both knees up to the chest
- Without straining your neck, lift the shoulder blades from the floor
- Straighten the right leg as you as you try to touch the left knee with your right elbow
- Switch to the other side by straightening your left leg and touching the right knee with your left elbow
- Continue doing this for 12–16 reps for a total of 3 sets
- Do not overdo when starting on this workout
- Stop when you start to feel unwell o run comfortably
Resistance band, medicine ball circles, weighted dumbbells or kettlebell standing workout
Standing abs exercise can effectively work to bring stability, strength, and balance to your core as you proactively engage you core.
- Hold your chosen equipment overhead with legs spread a shoulder-length distance
- Bend your knees as you bring the equipment down to your right side
- Again, bring the equipment overhead and do the same position this time to the left side
with keeping your knees bent - Do 16 reps for one side before switching over to the other side
The obliques of the body
The sides of the body that are attached to the ribs represent your internal and external obliques. The act of placing your hand in the pocket of your jeans uses the same diagonal position of the internal obliques. The opposite direction to this represents the external obliques.
Simply put, the muscles that are located on the sides of the waist are the obliques. A contoured waistline is one of the best benefits gained from working on the obliques. Results are almost immediate when the oblique exercises include low-intensity,high-intensity, and medium-intensity exercises every day. Additional sets when the exercise becomes comfortable also hasten the goal of having a trimmer waistline.
The movements that your obliques allow you to do include:
- Rotating the spine
- Flexing the spine
- Lateral flexing of the body
10-minute ab workouts you can do daily or three times a week
Working on the abs also work on the obliques as well. Here are some workouts that target both abs and obliques to engage you core help to strengthen. You can do these moves without any fitness equipment at all.
Seated Rotations
Floor exercises can be tough and daunting—especially for beginners. The seated rotation with weights workout programs can work on your lower abs, back, and obliques as well. For those who want to see this before they try watch the video below.
- Start by sitting tall on a chair or a ball
- Hold medium weights on both hands
- Bring the weights at the level of your chest without putting a strain on the shoulders
- Twist the body to the right while maintaining a face-forward position for the knees and hips.
- Twist the body as far as you can without feeling uncomfortable
- Squeeze your abdominal muscles as you rotate the body to the right
- Go back to the original start position and switch to the left side
- Do the rotations in a controlled and slow manner
- Do alternating positions for 16 reps each
- Begin with 1–2 sets
Wood Chop
Beginners can start on this simple but effective exercise that targets both the obliques and the abs. Standing positions work best for novices to gradually work on strengthening their core in preparation for a strong core and oblique exercises routines.
- Begin with a weight you can comfortably work with
- Put a hip-length distance from feet as you stand straight
- Hold the weight with both hands
- Squat and lower the weight to your right side
- Next, stand up and swing the weight over to your left side with straight arms
- Return to the original position
- Count to 10 before switching over to the other side
- Try to do 1–2 sets of 10 reps each
In addition, you can try mountain climbers as an exercise that also engages abs muscles but also extra helps with the fat burning process.
V-Up Tucks
V-Up Tucks are a great exercise for working the entire abdominal wall, with an emphasis on the upper body abs.
- You need to lie flat on the floor and use an exercise mat if needed
- Lie faceup on the floor with your legs straight and your arms by your sides.
- Bend your knees top bring them to your chest as you also lift your shoulders to crunch your abs.
- Hold the contracted position for a second and then straighten your legs back out.
- Keep your feet off the floor at all times as you complete your repetitions.
- Perform your reps slowly and focus on feeling the muscles of your upper bodyabdominals working.
- Do not crank your neck up during the movement.
- Set a timer and perform this exercise for a total of 60 seconds.
Plank
The plank position is a classic exercise that works the upper and lower body abs. The side plank variation also puts emphasis on the external obliques.
- Get down on all fours, resting on your toes and elbows. You may want to use an exercise mat for comfort.
- Maintain a straight body so that your butt is not sticking in the air.
- Tense your abs as you hold the straight body position.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds, working your way up to longer periods of time.
Elbow Knee Sit Ups
The sit up is probably the oldest and most well known of all abdominal exercises. It has been criticized because of its tendency to cause pain to the lower back. As a result, we do not recommend coming all the way up so that the lower back is completely off the floor.
- Lie on the floor with your knees up. Your hands should be placed just above your ears. Do not clasp your hands around your neck as this will put too much stress on your upper spine.
- Crunch up as you twist slightly to bring your left elbow across to touch your right knee.
- Hold the fully contracted position for a second and then lower to the start position.
- Crunch up again but this time bring your right elbow across to touch your left knee.
- Do ten reps on each side. Don’t worry if you cannot reach your elbow on the last few reps as your abs will be pretty fatigued by then!
Reverse Crunch
The reverse crunch places the emphasis on the lower abdominal muscles. As well as helping to sculpt and define the lower abs, this exercise will also build lower ab body strength.
- Lie face up on the floor with your legs extended straight and your arms by your sides. Use an exercise mat if needed.
- Roll your body up by bending your knees and lifting your hips off the floor. Bring your knees all the way up toward your face.
- Tense your abs tightly in the top contacted position.
- Return to starting position and repeat
- Perform 10 slow, continuous repetitions on this movement.
Conclusion
You have now got some great ab exercises that will allow you to strengthen, shape and build your abs and obliques, as well as being a great core exercise. However, you will never get the abs you want without sensible, healthy nutrition. So, if you really want to see great results from your hard work, think about everything that goes into your mouth!
While exercise can make us look great, making us feel great is a better option. Working out is quite tough when you do it for the first time. However, did you know that working out can also be addictive? The best way is to start now!
