IF THE PATH TO A FLATTER STOMACH WERE paved with crunches, every man with a gym membership would sport a six-pack. "But crunches only flex your trunk," says Todd Durkin, C.S.C.S., author of The IMPACT! Body Plan. "To sculpt a stronger, more chiseled core, you need to train it the way it functions." Or, more specifically, all the ways it functions.
The more than two dozen muscles between your hips and shoulders are what allow you to bend and rotate your torso. They also stabilize your spine as you mow the lawn, carry groceries, do pushups, spike volley-balls, and otherwise go about the motions of daily life. That's why trying to build a solid center with only crunches, which target your rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle), is like trying to build powerful legs by focusing only on your quads. The result is all show and no go.
Update your ab routine with the following six moves. "They'll challenge your core from every angle, making you stronger in everything you do," says Durkin. They'll also give you something to bare at the beach. (And for more ways to build a body you'll be proud to show shirtless, strip away the fat that covers your abs with The 28-Day Fat-Torch.)
Hip-up
The more than two dozen muscles between your hips and shoulders are what allow you to bend and rotate your torso. They also stabilize your spine as you mow the lawn, carry groceries, do pushups, spike volley-balls, and otherwise go about the motions of daily life. That's why trying to build a solid center with only crunches, which target your rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle), is like trying to build powerful legs by focusing only on your quads. The result is all show and no go.
Update your ab routine with the following six moves. "They'll challenge your core from every angle, making you stronger in everything you do," says Durkin. They'll also give you something to bare at the beach. (And for more ways to build a body you'll be proud to show shirtless, strip away the fat that covers your abs with The 28-Day Fat-Torch.)
Hip-up
How to do it
Lie on your left side, right arm extended so it's perpendicular to the floor. Prop yourself up on your left forearm and raise your hips so your body is straight from ankles to head. Lower your left hip, and then raise it again until it's in line with your body. That's 1 rep. Continue lowering and raising your hip for 20 reps, and then hold the up position for 10 seconds. Repeat on your right side.
Why it works
The best ab exercises train your core to stabilize your spine, Durkin says. The hip-up does exactly that while also sculpting your obliques and increasing your rotational control and stability.
Rocky Abs
How to do it
Lie on your back with your legs straight, arms extended behind your head, and hands grasping something that won't move, such as a pair of heavy dumbbells. Raise your legs, butt, and lower back until they're perpendicular to the floor. Your weight should rest on your upper back. Keeping your body as straight as possible, brace your core and take 5 to 10 seconds to lower your body. That's 1 rep. Do 5 to 10.
Why it works
"Your muscles can handle more weight on the eccentric, or lowering, phase of a lift," says Durkin. Slowing the pace of that phase forces your muscles to work harder, accelerating your gains.
Mogul Jump
Lie on your back with your legs straight, arms extended behind your head, and hands grasping something that won't move, such as a pair of heavy dumbbells. Raise your legs, butt, and lower back until they're perpendicular to the floor. Your weight should rest on your upper back. Keeping your body as straight as possible, brace your core and take 5 to 10 seconds to lower your body. That's 1 rep. Do 5 to 10.
Why it works
"Your muscles can handle more weight on the eccentric, or lowering, phase of a lift," says Durkin. Slowing the pace of that phase forces your muscles to work harder, accelerating your gains.
Mogul Jump
How to do it
Get on all fours and lift your knees a few inches off the floor so your weight is on your hands and the balls of your feet. Keeping your arms straight and legs together, hop and rotate your knees and feet to the right. Now hop and rotate your knees and feet to the left. That's 1 rep. Keep hopping back and forth for 20 reps.
Why it works
The inspiration for this exercise might come from skiing, but it's also an effective way to prepare for many summer sports, including tennis, softball, and golf. The reason: "It trains your abs, lower back, and hips to work together to rotate your body from side to side," says Durkin.
Get on all fours and lift your knees a few inches off the floor so your weight is on your hands and the balls of your feet. Keeping your arms straight and legs together, hop and rotate your knees and feet to the right. Now hop and rotate your knees and feet to the left. That's 1 rep. Keep hopping back and forth for 20 reps.
Why it works
The inspiration for this exercise might come from skiing, but it's also an effective way to prepare for many summer sports, including tennis, softball, and golf. The reason: "It trains your abs, lower back, and hips to work together to rotate your body from side to side," says Durkin.
Read more at Men's Health: http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/take-your-shirt?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-MensHealth-_-Content-Fitness-_-SummerAbs#ixzz216zRlqnU
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