Must do ab exercises.

I will give you my list of must do ab exercises. Im sure you have heard that having a strong core is all the rage. Yes, having a strong core is important but a strong core is just one key element in having a strong and resilient body. I will go over the most common questions I get regarding ab exercises and ab workouts.

How many times a week should we do ab exercises?

2 -3 times a week is a good amount. You can do more of course but I would say that that can become excessive. At a minimum you want to load / stimulate any muscle  you want to strengthen 2x a week. More is not always better. Recovery is a huge part in gaining strength. 

How many ab exercises should we do each time?

To improve your core strength, having 2 solid and well rounded core exercises will do that job. If you do 1 core exercise, that can also be enough from time to time but it also depend on what you are working towards. Doing more than 2 each workout is fine to but remember that its more about the quality of the exercise than the quantity. Doing more is not always better.

How long should you do an ab exercise to get a good ab workout?

That would depend on your fitness and strength level. I would say that 6-14 reps or 15-60 sec is a range you can work within. For some people 1 minute per set is plenty enough to get a thorough ab workout. Whilst some need more of a challenge. I would say if you can do 1 min of something you would benefit from doing a harder exercise. Any exercise that is done for longer than a minute are working on your muscle endurance and less on muscle strength.

Must do exercises.

Why these must do exercises are because they are complex. Meaning, they require coordination, body awareness, balance and they build functional strength in a excellent way. Of course these exercisers can be adjusted to a easier or harder version to suit your needs.

• Side plank – Works mainly on your obliques.

This is a fantastic exercise and Its a staple in my own strength training. Side plank is a good exercise to do since it target muscles that are often involved in stabilising and balancing our body during movement. Better stability leads to better efficiency = stronger, faster, safer.

• Plank with arm out to the side – Work on your obliques, rectus abdominis and transfer abdominis.

This is a hard one when done right. It work on your strength and stabilisation big time.

• Dead bug – Work on your obliques, rectus abdominis and transfer abdominis.

Is a good exercise to work on coordination. This is a great exercise to incorporate for beginners and or people who are looking to manage back symptoms.

• Leg raises – Works mainly your rectus abdominis, transfers abdominis and hip flexors.

Super versatile, really works on your strength but it requires a huge amount of body awareness . It can be adjusted to easier versions and harder versions with ease.

Summary.

Remember that you can not target burn calories or target shift body weight. Its always going to be a full body shift. So to do more ab exercises thinking it will burn extra in that area is not correct. However having a strong core can make you less receptive of injuries, it can make you perform better at other exercises and help with over all progress. But a strong core alone wont do all of this but it acts as a excellent support structure.