5 Best Effective Exercises to Control Stomach Muscles
The stomach is a crucial part of the body that can be difficult to train. Stomach muscles, also known as the rectus abdominis, are responsible for many important functions such as supporting and compressing abdominal organs, enabling you to bend forward or backward, and contracting muscles in the core of your body. This article will list some of the best exercises to strengthen the stomach muscles, so read on!
The best effective exercises to control stomach muscles
Abdominal exercises have been around for a long time, with people doing everything from crunches to sit-ups. However, most people are not aware of how to properly contract the stomach muscles and how to target different sections of them. Keep in mind that you must wear easy clothes like jogger jeans before doing any of the exercise. The following exercises should be performed each day 3-5 times.
- Crunches – The best exercise to focus on the upper abdominal muscles is the crunch. To do so, lie down on your back with your hands behind your head and pull in your abs while lifting your shoulder blades off the ground.
- Lower Back Extensions – If you’re looking to focus more on your lower abdominal muscles, this exercise is perfect! Lie on your back with one leg outstretched and the other bent at a 90 degree angle. Slowly raise your foot off the ground, extend it above you, then lower it back down. Repeat this process as many times as possible without straining yourself or feeling pain before switching legs.
- Knee-ins – These exercises work both sides of the stomach muscle which can be helpful if you want better balance between that area of your body. Lie flat on one side with both knees bent and hands supported by either arm in front of you (fingers pointed towards feet). Place a rolled up towel between each knee and slowly lift legs up until they’re parallel with the floor before lowering them back down for 5 reps total per side (10 in total). Hold for 1 second at top position before lowering again.
Exercise 1: Basic plank
The basic plank is one of the best exercises to train your stomach muscles. Start by laying down on the ground, face down, and place your elbows on the ground directly under your shoulders. Your hands should be right next to your chest with palms facing down. Slowly lift your body off the ground and hold it in a straight line while keeping your back and legs straight. Hold this position for 10-30 seconds, then slowly lower yourself back onto the floor. You should feel a strong contraction in your stomach muscles as you try to hold this position for at least 10-30 seconds.
Exercise 2: Curtsy lunge
The curtsy lunge is an excellent exercise to strengthen the rectus abdominis. It is a more advanced exercise and should be performed after you have perfected the basic lunge. To do a curtsy lunge, start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your front foot on a bench in front of you and slowly bend both knees until your back knee touches the ground. Your weight should be evenly distributed between both legs. Push into the ground with your front foot and straighten up back to standing position. Do 10-15 repetitions on each side for 3 sets
Exercise 3: Bicycle crunch
The third exercise that will strengthen the stomach muscles is a bicycle crunch. This exercise requires you to lie on your back with your legs extended and your hands behind your head. Lift your chest off the ground and bring one knee towards your chest as you rotate it in a circular motion. As this movement starts, you should be closer to a 90 degree angle from the hip and the knee. The other leg should stay extended and on the floor. As you start to complete the circular motion, bring back the first leg that was lifted off of the ground, then switch legs while continuing on with each rotation until all repetitions are completed.
Exercise 4: Pike-up hold
This exercise strengthens your stomach muscles. To do this, start in a plank position with your feet together and hands on the ground, directly below your shoulders.
Bend back towards the ground as far as you can, while keeping your body in a straight line. Hold this position for 10 seconds while breathing deeply.
Then, push yourself back to plank position by bending at the elbows and pushing up through your arms and chest. Repeat 10 times.
Exercise 5: Lying leg lift with curl
Lying on your back, extend your legs and arms long. Then lift the left leg up and curl it in towards the chest at a 45-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat with the right leg.
This exercise focuses on the lower part of your stomach muscles and can be done anywhere!
Conclusion
Your stomach muscles are an important group of muscles. And for many people, these muscles are both difficult to target and difficult to activate especially after delivery or hypospadias surgery. Luckily, there are many exercises you can do to control these muscles!
We’ve assembled a list of the 5 best exercises to control your stomach muscles. Make sure to give them a try!