The only 12 ab exercises you’ll ever need

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Welcome to the abs-toberfest edition of The BarBend Newsletter. Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• 12 CPT-certified ab exercises you need in your life

• 5 fundamental rules for core training

• Level up your ab training with this beginner-friendly workout

Exercise Selection

Best in Class

The world is awash with ab training advice. VHS tapes with Spandex-covered hosts litter thrift store shelves, and YouTube has untold thousands of “rawk star abs” videos…with the hosts still in Spandex. To help you wade through this world of six-pack-building content, BarBend has selected the 12 best abdominal exercises to help you craft the washboard midsection of your dreams.

While some movements — like the cable crunch — won’t be surprising to find on this list, others may seem out of place. Heavy compound moves like the farmer’s carry or the Kafka-esque dead bug can force you to hold your abs as tight as possible or risk being reduced to a pile of gelatin. 

You can’t go wrong with whatever you choose as long as you stick to this list and understand the proper execution of each move.

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Exercise Science

Core Values

Without values, you have nothing. (Unless you’re in finance or politics, in which case you just have heaps and heaps of money.) With these five fundamental ab training rules, you’ll never be lost or misled while putting together an ab program.

The words “core” and “abs” are frequently used as synonyms. But in reality, core exercises include a lot more than the six muscles popping off the oiled body of your favorite Marvel movie hunk. Having strong muscles in the lower back and hips helps with posture and overall body strength, and they can’t be ignored just because you want a stomach pump. 

This brings us to another fundamental: the core is for bracing, not necessarily acting as a mover and shaker. Understanding these fundamentals will take your core training to places you never thought possible.

Workouts

Levels, Jerry, Levels!

Bringing up your ab game doesn’t need to take the same amount of technical skill as mastering a snatch or a complex scheme of carb cycling. With this beginner-friendly ab workout, you can level up faster than using a cheater dice in D&D.

This workout focuses on training your core from every angle and isn’t a dedicated “hot six-pack” gimmick. (Remember, the kitchen is where you lose belly fat.) Integrating both dynamic and static motions to strengthen the core through 360 degrees, this program will leave you stronger, tighter, and more able to take on anything that comes your way. 

Everything Else

On a Roll

• The ab wheel may be the most useful “toy” in the vast panoply of gym gadgets. Learn all about its use when performing ab wheel rollouts.

• Ten minutes a day can sometimes be all you need to boost performance and tighten up your midsection. Follow this short workout and find out how valuable one-sixth of an hour can be.

• We’re finishing up today with the most innocent-sounding move that will burn your belly like three-alarm chili. The hollow hold is like a pirate’s treasure trove of stored abdominal gains waiting to be plundered.