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The abdominals are probably one of the most targeted muscles in the gym. I mean come on, everyone and their moms are doing some form of ab training to get “toned” abs.

There’s no doubting this fact.

People nowadays are always looking to get a ripped midsection and they will work their asses off to do so. Unfortunately, a lot of people tend to not know what they’re doing when they step foot inside the gym.

Anyone can throw a bunch of exercises together they’ve seen online and call it a good ab workout. But a good ab workout is far from what they’re actually getting.

There are three well-known exercises I always see people doing all the time. And these three exercises are part to blame for why people suffer from lower back pain and other pain-related illnesses.

What most people don’t understand is that the “core” is actually more than just your abs. It involves your rectus abdominis, multifudus, transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, gluteus maximus and medius, pelvic floor muscles, and scapular stabilizers like the rotator cuffs. 

So in order to get a proper core workout you need to make sure you hit all these muscles.

1. Crunches

I don’t need to explain crunches.

This is thee most popular exercise that comes to peoples minds when they think of an “ab workout”.

This is the go to core exercise for a lot of people and it’s a pretty poor choice.

Why, you ask?

Well first off, most of us spend way too much time on our anterior muscles. These muscles are also known as beach muscles, the ones you can see in a mirror.

Concentrating on our beach muscles and neglecting to work our posterior ones will cause muscular imbalances that will lead to pain and misalignment of the skeletal system.

Not only do crunches add unnecessary stimulus to the front muscles, they can also trigger pain in the lower back.

There’s a lot of back and forth on the topic of crunches hurting your lower back. I’ve seen the pros and I’ve seen the cons, but I have to take a stand on it and go against crunches.

From observing and training clients, I’ve come to realize that most of the population doesn’t have the strength or neurological capacity to perform crunches safely.

There are a lot of other exercises that allow for flexion of the rectus abdominals.

A better alternative is:

Laying or Hanging Leg Raises

Leg raises are an awesome exercise that work the whole core. The rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and external obliques all get worked hard especially in the eccentric phase (lower phase) of this exercise.

This is a hard exercise if you’re fairly new to training. But luckily there are easier variations that can help you progress to doing harder versions.

My favorite part about this exercise is that there’s a huge eccentric force added to the abdominals, consistently performing this exercise will drastically increase the strength of you core in a shorter amount of time.

The reason for this is because strength and hypertrophy come from the eccentric phases of lifts. Since leg raises have a huge eccentric force it will force your abs to get strong.

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2. Russian Twist

If you’re well versed in the field of exercise science you should be well aware of the importance of rotational exercises.

Flexion and extension aren’t enough to fully benefit from what the core is capable of.

A lot of the time I see people performing Russian Twists. An exercise that I really don’t see any carry over to any physical activity. There’s a combination of spinal flexion and rotation which can lead to injuring your lower back, or worse, herniating your disc.

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A better alternative is:

Woodchoppers

Woodchoppers are a great rotational exercise that can really teach an athlete or regular person to use their core efficiently during a rotational movement.

I often hear about people pulling their backs while picking up groceries or opening a heavy door. Listen, if your body is used to rotation with added resistance then you can bet your ass you’ll never pull your back again.

One of the main reason why I prefer this exercise over the Russian twist is because it doesn’t put the lower back in a vulnerable position. It allows for your hips to engage, keeping your lower back healthy and injury free.

Woodchoppers are really going to enhance your athletic ability. Especially if you’re an athlete that repeatedly performs rotational movements like; punching, kicking, swinging a bat or golf club, if this sounds like you then you need to be doing more wood choppers.

Now the best possible variation of this exercise is for you to go outside and actually chop some wood.

The next best thing is to use a sledgehammer and hit a tire or something that’s going to absorb the hit of the hammer.

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If you don’t have access to the equipment in the video I recommend using a cable machine and performing this movement.

Cable Woodchoppers

Now, like I said these have a huge carry over to everyday life since we are always doing some form of rotation. If you want to get stronger in rotation then start adding this exercise. 

3. Side Bends

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There’s not much to say about this exercise other than you shouldn’t be bending your spine laterally with added resistance.

If you have any idea how the spine moves then you should understand that by bending laterally you are pinching one side of the vertebrae disc. Repeated pinching can lead to herniated disc, plain and simple.

This is not something a weight lifter wants to end up doing too his spine. I’ve never suffered from a herniated disc, but I’ve heard they’re a bitch and a half, and will definitely put you out of commission for quite some time.

Not only do side bends cause damage to your spine, they can also build a thicker waistline. Which in my opinions will help you athletically but if you’re about aesthetics then a thicker waistline will make you look fat no matter how little body fat you have.

A better alternative is:

The main goal for a lot of people when they perform side bends is to work their obliques. Side bends suck (as I explained above) compared to:

Med-Ball Side Throw

MED BALL THROW

Medicine ball side throws are a great exercise that will develop rotational strength and power. These qualities are vital if you want to be a great athlete.

This exercise is also a lot safer for the spine if performed correctly. Including your hips into the movement, especially when you start throwing around heavyweight, will make sure your spine stays healthy and injury free.

The fact that these exercises are some of the most seen in commercial gyms is a scary thought, but I’m here to help you stay healthy while getting strong and transforming your body.

If you know anyone that performs these core movements then send them this post. You can potentially save them from injuring themselves.

Stay Strong,

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