Abs and Core- 5 Great Exercises without Weights

Have you ever considered why people work out their abs? Is it only to get that sculptured six or eight pack look? Most people can easily put their minds around what those squats will do for them, or how important it is to their back development to do pull-ups or lat pulldowns, but unless you’re training for a fight, the direct application of your ab workouts might not be as easy to define.

Since the core is made up of multiple muscle groups which include but are not limited to the glutes, lower lumbar, obliques, intercostals, transverse abdominis and the frontal abdominal wall, every ‘core’ exercise performed in a workout has direct carryover to any and all activities in and out of the gym. Put as much emphasis on developing a flexible and strong core as you would any other part of the body or more. The results will be better performance in sports, dance and everyday life.

The abs and other core muscles can be worked for strength, size and endurance as with other muscle groups, either with or without added resistance. As with other exercises, tailor your core program to reflect general strength and endurance, with the addition of activity specific movements to enhance performance. Athletes can increase sport specific activities while reducing general core preparedness to a maintenance level as the competitive season draws near. Here are 5 excellent ab exercises to get you started:

 1.) Reverse Prayer Crunches (RPC’s):

Crunches? Seriously? When these are done properly, they are an excellent movement for the abdominal wall and pose little risk to the lower back. Perform these on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Straighten your arms above your head along the floor and keep them in this position as you contract the abdominals. For an added challenge, hold a weight plate in your straight arms or twist both arms to one side as you raise up. Use a slow 2 up 2 down cadence.

2.) Suspended Body Saw:

This is a challenging movement best performed on a suspension trainer like the TRX. If you don’t have one, you can make a cheap one with rope and pvc pipe (see http://hubpages.com/hub/Adventures-with-Suspension-Training-in-My-Garage-Gym) To perform this exercise, the body starts in a plank position on the elbows, feet suspended 6-8 inches off the ground. Push backward and forward within the elbows range of motion. When doing the body saw, press the elbows into the floor and don’t let the shoulders blades squeeze together. Keep the body planked like a board to eliminate stress on the lower back.

3.) Plank Walk-Out:

This is a simple abs exercise easily scaled to individual fitness levels. Start in a standing position and reach down with straight legs until your hands touch the floor. Keeping the glutes and hamstrings tight, slowly ‘walk’ the hands out while your feet stay in place. As the hands get farther away from the feet, the entire core will need to contract to prevent a collapse.

Walk the hands out as far as possible. The ideal is to have the body completely extended with only the hands and feet touching it. Hold the final position for 2 to 3 seconds and move the body back the way it came, tightening the core and pushing off of the hands. The plank walk-out can be done on the palms or fingertips.

4.) Suspended Roll-out Pikes:

Using a suspension trainer, place your feet in the straps and support your body in a plank/push-up position (hands on floor.) The feet should be 6-8 inches off the ground. Tighten the abdominals and walk the hands out as far as you can in front of you without letting the body sag. From this position, perform a pike by bringing your straight legs towards your hands. Lower slowly to the starting position and repeat. The farther out the hands are the more difficult the exercise. 

5.) Reach-Under Plank (suspended or on the floor)

This is a much more difficult exercise when the feet are suspended, but is still challenging when done on the floor. Start in a push-up position supported on the balls of your feet. Push off and turn the body to the side, supported on one extended arm. Reach up towards the sky with the free arm. From here, reach under your body with the free arm, allowing a slight rotation of the hips as you do.

This exercise requires some time for most people to master. If you are having trouble executing it, place the inside knee on the ground to assist you.

Combine these exercises for an intense (and painful!) core workout or pick one to incorporate into a different routine. For the best results, allow the core muscles to recover fully before working them again.