Try These 8 Unusual Ab Exercises!
Ready to carve a killer core and some serious abdominal strength? Out with the same old sit-ups and in with these 8 unusual and highly effective exercises!
If developing a stronger core and a killer-looking midsection are included in their goals, some people feel compelled to immediately hit the floor and cycle through endless sit-ups and crunches, believing that doing so will "spot-reduce" their stomach fat. While you can't selectively choose where your body will lose fat and quickly reveal ripped a ripped six-pack, you can build more abdominal muscle to strengthen your abs and make them look more pronounced.
To do so effectively, skip the crunches and sit-ups. Instead, follow Myprotein ambassadors and power couple Kirk Miller and Abby Pell as they take you through their ab-training philosophy. Miller and Pell hammer their abs with a total of eight gut-transforming exercises—some you might have heard of, others you probably haven't even seen or tried.
All told, these unusual ab exercises beat the tedium of standard sit-ups and crunches, and give your stomach the necessary stimulus it needs to transform. Watch the video and try incorporating one or more of these exercises into your next ab workout!
Myprotein - Kirk & Abby 8 Unusual Ab Exercises
Watch the video - 4:38
8 Unusual Exercises for a Ripped 6-Pack
1
Ab Roll-Out
The ab roll-out does a smashing job of strengthening the core, but also tests the hell out of your shoulder stability and triceps strength. You can use a barbell with plates, an ab wheel, or even a flat dolly with wheels for this exercise, as long as you have the ability to reach forward as far as you can go, and engage your core to tuck back in.
2
Russian Medicine-Ball Twist
This specialized ab movement hits all angles of the core: obliques, upper abs, and lower abs. Set your bum on the ground, engage your core, and raise your legs to start. You should already feel your abs working. Now, holding a medicine ball close to your chest, twist to one side in a controlled motion, primarily turning your shoulders, and return to the starting position. Then repeat for the other side. For some added difficulty, try tossing the ball to a partner and finish it with a crunch. That's one rep.
3
Reverse Rowing-Machine Tuck
To do a reverse rowing-machine tuck, place your hands on the ground in front of the rowing machine and plant both feet on the seat of the rowing machine. Because the seat can freely move back and forth, it's ideal for this surprisingly effective reverse-tuck movement.
Reverse Rowing-Machine Tuck
Use your arms and shoulders to stabilize while using your feet to drag the seat toward your abs, then push it back out until you fully extend your legs.
4
Pallof Press
The Pallof press is probably one of the most effective and underrated core exercises out there. With it, you make great use of the core's ability to stabilize against a load due to the isometric contraction. Your muscle length does not change at all as opposed to, say, when you're doing a crunch.
The Pallof press is best performed on a cable machine with the pulley set to chest height. Pick a challenging weight that'll pull your shoulders and body back toward the machine. Twist out and fight against this tendency by keeping your shoulders square and forward, using your abs and obliques to stabilize.
5
GHD Sit-up
Not every gym will have the machine necessary for a GHD sit-up, but if you're lucky enough to have one available, the glute-ham developer (GHD) lets you secure your feet and lean all the way back to really crank up the challenge of the sit-up. The increased range of motion and time-under-tension will boost the results you get from every rep.
6
Leg Raise Around the World
A variation of the straight-forward leg raise exercise, the leg raise around the world will hit each of your core muscles, all the while testing your arm and grip strength.
Leg Raise Around the World
While hanging from a bar, keep your legs straight and extended, and move them full-circle in one direction, then back. Don't worry, it's not supposed to be easy.
7
Medicine-Ball Ab Smash
The medicine-ball ab smash is almost as masochistic as it sounds. (Warning: Not for the faint of heart, or in this case, stomach.) Lie on the floor and prepare your abs by actively bracing them. It might sound crazy, but have your partner repeatedly bounce a medicine ball off your flexed midsection.
This move trains you to keep your abs braced for an extended period of time, which is essential when lifting heavy loads or performing any demanding movements. We recommend dropping the ball just a couple of inches, and starting off with the lightest medicine ball available.
8
Reverse Cable Crunch
The first step when doing a reverse cable crunch is to clear out some space! Find a cable machine and lie down flat on your back. On one end, hook your feet into two cable handles. On the other end, grab on to something for leverage and begin to tuck your knees toward you, gradually raising your glutes to turn this simple reverse crunch into a glute raise.
Give your legs a push upward for that extra contraction, and really let your breath out at the top of the movement. Afterwards, very slowly let your feet come back down and back to the starting position. Repeat for reps.
