Working on abdominal muscles isn’t necessary to get rid of belly fat. But it will help you develop abs which is something that everyone wants.
Most people start working on their abs in hopes that they will start losing fat in their belly. But in reality working out abs has almost nothing to do with your fat. The only way to get rid of the belly fat is creating a calorie deficit which I explained in another post.
Regardless, abs exercises are good for your abdominals and you should do them.
The most important thing to keep in mind during abs workout is that your back should be rounded all the time. If you back is arched, you risk back injury.
1. Hanging Leg Raises: Hang from a pull up bar and pull your legs upwards until they are almost touching the bar. Keep your knees folded just a little bit, this exercise will be impossible to do with your legs straight. It is important to keep your back rounded (not arched) all the time. One of the easier variations of this exercise is Hanging Knee Raises. In this you can bend your knees fully and bring your knees all the way up to your chest.
2. Lying Leg Thrust: Lie down on your back and lift your head and shoulders up to bring your back up to make your back rounded. This exercise can put a lot of strain on your back if your back is arched which it will be if you don’t pull your head and shoulders up. Now lift your legs all the way up until they make 90° from the ground. Then slowly bring them down until they make 45° to the ground. From that position go back up till 90° and so on so forth.
3. Decline Board Leg Thrust: This exercise is the same as lying leg thrust except you do it on a decline bench. Your head should be at the higher end of the bench and your legs towards the lower end of the bench.
4. Abdominal Cycles: Lay down on the ground. Lift your shoulders slightly up and put your hands behind the back of your head. Lift both your legs up slightly. Now start by touching your left elbow with your right knee followed by touching your right elbow with your left knee. Make it a fast motion and do as many repetitions as you can.
5. Bench Crunches: Take a bench and put your calves on it so that your calves and thighs are making an angle of 90°. Start doing normal pushup.
6. Weighted Cable Rows: You will need cable machine for this. Put the cable machine in the high rope attachment. Grab the cable and get on your knees. Make sure that the cable is coming at an angle towards you. Keep your hands at the top of your head and curl your body inside putting the pressure on those upper abs. Make sure you are not moving your hands up and down. The position of your hands and elbows should remain constant in relation to your head.
These abs exercises are all you need to develop your abdominals. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to finish all of them. To get the most out of these exercises you should do them after your workout. But on days when you feel that you will be really exhausted after a workout (for example, when you have legs) you can do them before a workout as well. Remember, your abdominals are muscles just like the rest of your body and to develop them you need to treat them like muscles.
