You're doing abs all wrong!

My best guess is that 99.99% of people reading this will not be able to perform the exercise in the video posted below.

For the majority of people showing up to the gym on a semi regular basis they are only doing abdominal work to "tighten up" in order to avoid embarassment at the beach this summer.  Lets suspend reality for a little while and pretend that in fact all you need to do is abdominal work to trim your waist.  Nevermind the fact that without a proper diet all the abdominal work in the world will not lead to that coveted six pack

I will also mention that I do not have a total disgust for crunches and situps, they have their place but if they are the focus of your abdominal training youre doing it all wrong.  Lets look at some "functional" positions that the crunch mimics:

  Curling into the fetal position on the floor protecting yourself from a savage beating by an oppponent

  Hurling violently into the toilet bowl after a few too many shots of tequila

  Gasping for air after taking a brutal body shot from the school yard bully

  (I borrowed these examples from a few friends, Im not really that clever)

If youre training for any of the above reasons, then by all means continue using the crunch as a staple in your routines.  The rest of us can move on and look at what the abdominals are really there for and some of the proper ways to train them.

Although many people might think they are there to look pretty and admire, their real function is to support the upper torso, aid in twisting and turning and stabilize our bodies.  No matter if you are running long distances, lifting heavy loads, or throwing a hook punch they are still intimately involved.    All of these actions are taking place while you are standing so why would you take your abdominal training to the floor laying down?  Simple, you really dont need to, with the exception of vanity sake.

Some of the most effective ways to strengthen the abdominals come through anterior loading of the spine, such as the front squat.  Nevermind that the man below is one of the strongest men in the world and has a tremendous gut, believe me his abs are more developed then yours.

Again despite the many benefits of the front squat most of you with the exception of the true athletes will never do them.  Many athletes help to develop their core stability by simply standing erect with a heavy load racked in a front squat position.  As soon as you lift the weight off the rack you will understand how your abdominals engage.

Cable twists done moderately heavy are another great way to work the midsection.  They can be done as shown in the video above as well as with the hips in a fixed forward position isolating the upper from lower body.

Side bends with heavy dumbells or what some people call rainbow bends with the barbell are very effective.

Lastly I will end with a modified version of the exercise we started with, the ab wheel roll out.  For beginners sake it should be performed from the knees and only extended so far as you can bring your body back up to the starting position.

There are literally dozens of other good exercises to do that do not involve you lying on your back.  I think these will give you a good start at training your midsection properly.  Strong abdominals will go a long way to helping you perform both on the athletic field and in your daily lives.