Now You Can Say No To Abs Crunches
If you still believe that doing mere abs crunches every day will bring you the diamond-cut abs, you're in for a rude awakening. Attaining a flat belly requires you to work out in a manner that targets all the regions of your core—upper and lower abs, oblique, transverse abdominals, and lower back muscles as well. Your belly fat is the first one to appear and last one to disappear from your body. So rather than just crunching, you need to opt for a complete workout that will focus on all the regions of your core.
These 6- Exercises are Much Better Substitutes to Abs-Crunches
Dumbbell Pushup Row
You can start by placing a pair of dumbbells at about shoulder-width apart on the floor. Now, position yourself in a pushup position and Grab the handles of the dumbbells. Just like a pushup, lower your body to the floor and then press back up. As soon as you are back in the starting position, pull the dumbbell in your right hand up toward the side of your chest. Take a Pause, then return the starting position and repeat the same with your left hand. That’s 1 rep. Try to prevent your torso from rotating each time you row the weight.
Dumbbell Curl – Squat – Press
Grab a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing forward and let them hang at arms’ length, alongside your shoulders. While making sure that your upper arms are absolutely stationary, bend your elbows and curl the dumbbells upwards, as close to your shoulders as you can. While holding the dumbbells in this position, immediately push your hips backwards and lower your body into a squat, until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stand up and press the dumbbells over your head and bring them back to their initial position, this completes one rep. Return to the starting position and try to perform 10-12 reps.
Cross-Behind Lunges
Start with a position exactly similar to “Dumbbell Curl->Squat->Press” starting position, but with your palms facing each other. With your left foot, take a step forward and to the side in a manner so that your left foot ends up in front of your right foot. Lower your body until your left knee is bent at least 90 degrees and left thigh gets parallel to the ground. Take a Pause, return to the starting position and repeat the same with your right leg.
The Standard Plank
Although the Standard or the Traditional Plank exercise is one of the most basic plank workouts but it is as effective as any other exercise mentioned in the list. Planks are all about stability and maintaining the shape and this move is no exception. You need to start in a tabletop position, with your knees touching the floor and palms right below your shoulder and then try to pull up your knees until you are balancing the whole body weight by your palms and toes only. Now, hold your core tight with your body being in a dead straight line from head to toes.
Side Plank
Start in an initial position similar to the standard plank’s one and try to bring your legs closer until both the heels touch each other. Bend towards right and try to lift your left arms straight up in the air (in the direction of ceiling) up to a point, you can balance and hold for as long as you can. Now get back to the initial position and perform the same move with your leg and arm switched. Like all others, the key to perfection in this Plank Exercise as well, is to keep a tight core from start to finish.
Abs Wheel Rollouts
The fact that, during this exercise your stability point rests on a small moving object makes it even tougher than normal or side planks. But it’s worth all the hard work as well. You can start in a position similar to the standard plank position but with your knees resting on the ground. While holding the abs wheel between your hands, push it out in front of your eyes going as far forward and as low to the ground as you are able to. Slowly return to the initial position, this completes one rep. Try to perform 10-12 reps. Make sure that you maintain a tight core and straight back throughout the move.