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Looking for the Best Ab Exercises? Look to Pilates
By Christina | December 17, 2008
If there is a body part that people ask most about working on it’s the abs. Sure some women worry about their hips and some men want python biceps but overall, it’s the “gut”. I am frequently asked for the best ab exercises. I think there are not necessarily best exercises because, like with cardio workouts, what works is what you will repeat. On accassion I teach Pilates and here are some exercises I find people enjoy and incorporate many muscles in the core area:
The Hundred - Lay on your back and extend your legs upwards to the ceiling. Extend your arms at your sides, lift your chin and chest slightly so that you are up on your shoulder blades. Lift your arms a few inches and quickly pump them up and down. Breathe deep and slow and pump 100 times.
The Roll-Up - Sit tall with your legs extended out in front of you. Hold your abs in and slowly roll down to laying flat. Focus on feeling each vertebra press into the mat. Be careful not to let your feet come up off the mat. Raise your arms up extending from the chest to the ceiling and slowly roll up and forward, contracting the abs until you’re back to the starting position. Reach your fingers out beyond your toes and roll down again. Do ten of these SLOWLY.
Roll Like a Ball - Begin in a seated position. Pull your ankles in toward your glutes and grab hold of them, the ankles that is. Bring your head toward your knees and lift your feet off the mat so that you’re balancing on your tailbone. Contract the abs and slowly roll backward just until your shoulders touch the mat — be careful not to roll on your neck. As soon as you can, roll back up. Repeat this ten times.
Teaser - Lay on your back with your legs straight out and arms on the mat over your head. Lift your legs up while raising both arms overhead until your fingers are pointing at your toes. Exhale and slowly roll back down, feeling each vertebra press into the mat, back to the starting position. Repeat five times. This is a very hard exercise so don’t get frustrated if you can’t do it well at first.
Scissors - With your head slightly raised, bring your knees to your chest and place your hands gently behind your head. Finger tips should be gently touching the head. Inhale and slowly twist to the right, bringing your left elbow to your right knee while extending your right leg, exhale. Inhale and return to the starting position. Repeat, bringing your right elbow to your left knee. Do ten to each side.
Topics: Pilates |
