Having toned, sculpted abs is a dream for many people. Most of us would love that but the reality is, having ripped abs takes work and commitment which includes a healthy diet. Even if you achieve strong abs through exercise, you won’t be able to see them if you have a layer of fat covering them. So along with your ab exercises, you need to ensure you’re doing a mixture of aerobic and strength training in order to uncover those abs. Just because you can’t see them though, doesn’t necessarily mean you haven’t got strong abs. If you are working those abs regularly, they will be in there and getting stronger.
Are strong abs important?
Abs or abdominal muscles form part of your core. Your core includes your lower back, glutes and pelvic floor. Having strong abs and core helps to correct bad posture which alleviates pressure on your lower back and spine. This helps to prevent lower back pain, a condition which plagues many people, particularly as you get older. It also improves balance since having a solid core stabilises your torso which helps to prevent injury as you perform, not just exercise but normal day to day activities too.
There are a number of ab exercises you can do to help strengthen your abs. Sit ups, planks, mountain climbers and leg raises are just a few great ab exercises which need no equipment, but there are many tools available to help you make your abs and core even stronger. Ab wheels are a popular choice as they ensure you are engaging your abs as you hold the handles and roll the wheel backwards and forwards on the floor. Sit up bars are designed to help you perform sit ups and crunches more effectively. These are great tools to add to your home gym.
Recommended
If you’re truly committed to sculpting those abs, the adidas ab bench is a great option for you. The bench has been designed specifically to help you target your abdominal muscles. It features padded anchors which allow your legs to be locked in place, providing great leverage, whilst you perform a range of decline exercises. The bench also has a ‘scan to train’ QR code which gives you a number of exercise videos for you to watch and learn great techniques for your workouts.