Ab exercises

How to train your abs

The rectus abdominis runs from your ribs to your pelvis and curls your trunk forward. The obliques on the sides rotate it and bend it sideways. Deeper down, the transversus abdominis braces your midsection. In heavy squats and deadlifts all of them work hard to keep your spine steady.

Pick one exercise of each kind. The dead bug trains control: your arms and legs move while your lower back stays flat on the floor. The reverse crunch lifts your pelvis towards your ribs and is a good next step. The cable kneeling crunch lets you add weight in small steps, so you can progress like on any other exercise.

Move slowly, breathe out as you curl, and stop the set when you can no longer keep your lower back in place. Sit-up speed and endless reps do not make a set better.

Visible abs depend mostly on your body fat, not on the number of crunches. In Muscla, abs and calves are optional muscles: they get sets when time is left in a session, never at the cost of the main muscles.