What is the first thing you think of when you think about ab workouts? Did you think of crunches? Most people do associate crunches with healthy abs. Crunches for abs is really the only thing I used to use when shaping my abs, and really with no good results to show from them.
From my early childhood years in gym class I strictly remember using crunches and sit ups as a warm up before we participated in our p.e. activities. Our teacher cemented in our little heads that crunches for abs would be the only way we were going to keep our stomachs flat. Well I guess he was right for the most part but as I learned later, crunches abs ARE NOT the best way to keep your belly flat.
Of course we all know the true answer to what keeps our belly flat… a healthy diet. Aside from eating the right way though, there are exercises you can use to really shape and tone your abs and I can assure you that crunches for abs is not the best way to do so.
If you are starting out with a flat belly already and are looking for ways to strengthen your abs to make them stronger, then I commend you. You are ahead of most of the population who has to first work on losing that fat so they can make their abs visible. Either way, maintaining a sculpted abs look will require the same process.
So lets get off of this crunches abs myth and move on to better and brighter things. Namely workouts that really work to mold and shape your abs. What you want to use are workouts that use the biggest muscle groups of your body. That’s right, the best ab workouts are not even ab specific exercises. Workouts like the squat, clean and press, and dead lifts will work the best at making your midsection smaller.
Also, if you incorporate high intensity workouts into your routine like wind sprints, swim sprints, and jump rope, these will really help push your metabolic rate to maximum fat burning levels. If you are an avid indoor gym user and want to limit your workouts to your gym, try using the treadmill, exercise bike, and elliptical machine rotating variable intensities and machines.
You can use crunches for abs to make your midsection stronger but if you use the above mentioned workouts consistently, you won’t have to. You’ll see after awhile that your abs will develop along with the other parts of your body as well.
Happy Workouts!
