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Hang in there for great abs
Posted on Aug 6th 2008 11:02AM by Chris Sparling
Generally speaking, the standard floor crunch is, at best, a mediocre ab exercise. If nothing else, think about how small the range of motion is. While it is possible to make the crunch more effective (performing it on a Swiss ball, using a bicycle movement with your legs, etc.), you may want to also consider exercises that get you off the ground altogether.Studies have shown that when you perform the deadlift and/or the squat, you utilize your core muscles to an even greater degree than almost all other ab exercises. So, you get some real bang for your buck with either of these exercises -- better abs, high caloric expenditure, and total body development.
Moreover, many hanging exercises -- such as the hanging leg raise and the hanging knee raise -- are also very effective at targeting the midsection. Keeping your body from swinging during these moves requires a good deal of core strength. This, in turn, means that you'll not only hit the primary ab muscles when moving your legs up and down during the movement, but you'll also hit the ancillary abdominals as you endeavor to stabilize yourself.
