Top 7 Exercises for Building a Strong Core & Sexy 6-Pack

Top 7 Exercises for Building a Strong Core & Sexy 6-Pack

The core of your body is responsible for a lot of the functional capabilities that are required for performing daily movements such as lifting a box, or even walking up a staircase. Your core revolves around muscles in your lower back, abdomen, spine erectors, and oblique’s as well. There are several others, but these are the ones we will focus more on when it comes to developing a stronger core and sexy 6-pack to go along with it.

What is the Core of the Body?

The core of your body references to the muscles listed above, and their ability to move the trunk of the body left, right, leaning forward, and then leaning backwards.

Your core muscles also allow you to rotate your trunk in a twisting motion to the left or right sides of your body opposed to leaning left and right.

A stronger core basically means being more efficient with daily activities, and also that you prevent a lot of possible injuries due to muscle strains.

Abs and Your Core

Your abs are a major muscle group located on your “stomach” region, and they play a significant role in your ability to perform the trunk movements in different directions. Without strong abdominal muscles your body has a hard time performing basic movements, and the same applies to your core not having abs. Also, once you start giving them appropriate training, you will no longer worry how to lose belly fat.

Targeting Your Abs

In order to get the 6-pack abs you have always wanted, you need to consider performing specialized training instead. A specialized workout means you are performing at least 3 training days specifically for a muscle group, and in this case it would be for abs so they can become well-defined.

However, training like this means that you require at least 24 hours of rest between training days since your muscles need time to recover in order to develop bigger, stronger, and low body fat abs.

Let’s take a look at your topic exercise picks:

#1. Reverse Crunches

This type of crunching revolves around you crunching your knees to your chest opposed to elbows trying to touch your knees. Reverse crunches place a great emphasis on your abdominal muscles “presses” them for further contractions. Primary muscle groups being targeted are your abs and spinal erectors.

1. Lie on your back with your hands at your side.
2. Lift your feet off the ground and keep your legs fully extended.
3. Pull your knees towards your chest and repeat this movement of knees to your chest and then fully extended legs.

#2. Hanging Leg Raises

Hanging leg raises allow you to increase the strength in your grip and shoulders. The reason this is possible because you will perform the exercise while holding on to a safe puller bar that will not collapse on you. Primary muscle groups targeted are your hip, abs, and lower make back muscles.

1. Find a stable pull-up bar or tree branch that can hole your weight hanging with ease.
2. Grasp the bar with your palms facing away from your body.
3. Allow your legs to hang freely and keep feet together.
4. Using only your abs and core muscles, slowly raise your legs higher until being parallel.

#3. V-Crunches

This crunch variation is great for targeting all abdominal muscles and your inner thighs as well. The unique way to perform this type of exercise is quite awkward at first, but once you get used to performing them the stress levels begin to fade away and it becomes natural.

1. Take a seat and lean your upper body back.
2. Lift your feet off the floor as you lean back.
3. Taking your fingertips, you need to try and touch your shows by going straight down the middle of your body.

#4. Standing Oblique Crunches

Your obliques are your side muscle, and in order to have a sexy 6-pack, you need to start training all muscles that revolve around the abdominal muscles.

1. Stand with your body fully erect.
2. Place one hand behind your head and let the other arm sit around..
3. Crunch your obliques by pulling the arm that is behind your head to the opposite knee.

#5. Elbows to Knees Crunches (Hold Contraction)

You will definitely feel a burn in your abs with this exercise. You can see that you will hold the contraction for longer pauses to ensure that your muscles are going under better resistance than normal crunches.

1. Lie on your back and bring your knees just above your belly button.
2. Place both hands behind your head ensuring you do not pull your head forward.
3. Crunch both elbows as far to your knees as possible.
4. During the crunch hold for that point as much as possible.

#6. Bicycle Kicks

Bicycle kicks are widely used to strengthen multiple muscle groups such as your obliques, spinal erectors, inner thighs, and of course abdominal muscles. They get their name by the appearance your body makes as if pedaling a bicycle down the road. You perform bicycle kicks by:

1. Taking a seat on the floor and leaning back with your feet above the floor
2. Alternate pushing one leg fully out and the other being crunched in while you drive the opposite elbow to it.
3. Keeping your hands close to the back of your head makes it easy to crunch, but do not strain your neck either.

#7. Russian Twists

Russian twists are one of the hardest core and abdominal exercises you can perform, but are not the hardest after a few programs have been completed using this exercise guide. Here is how you perform this exercise:

1. Take a seat on the floor with a bend in your knees.
2. Raise the heels of your feet just above the floor and lean your upper body back.
3. Alternate between twisting all the way to the max range of motion possible.

Are You Ready to Develop 6-Pack Abs?

You have learned why the core of your body is a necessity for being strong, and there are numerous exercises that you can choose from on top of these to ensure you get the best workout possible. Try out any of these exercises and let us know how it worked out for you!