How to pump the press correctly

Choose the best exercises

Say "pump abs" and everyone immediately thinks about a fold, or sit-up (Sit Up). Perhaps because they did it at school in physical education. This exercise really pumps the rectus and oblique muscles of the abdomen, but there are also more effective options.

The American Council on Exercise proved this in the American Council on Exercise (ACE) -sponsored Study Reveals Best and Worst Abdominal Exercises using electromyography (EMG). Using special sensors, participants performing popular abdominal exercises measured the level of muscle activation and found out which of the movements were the most effective.

Swap out the crease for these exercises and you will need to do fewer reps to push your abs to their fullest.

1. Bicycle

Lie on the floor on your back, put your hands behind your head, lift your legs off the floor. Pull your knee towards the opposite elbow, keeping your feet on the floor until the end of the set.

2. Raising the legs on the captain's chair

How to swing the press correctly: raising the legs in the captain's chair

Hang in the captain's chair or boxes, lower your shoulders. Bring your knees up to your chest and tilt your pelvis back so that the person in front of you can see your whole butt. Return to starting position and repeat. This movement will help to properly pump up the lower press.

If your gym does not have the necessary simulator and high boxes, you can do knee raises to the horizontal bar while hanging.

How to swing the press correctly: lifting the knees to the horizontal bar in the hang

3. Twisting on fitball

Lie with your back on the ball, bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. You can keep your hands in front of you, put them behind your head or straighten them above your head.

To make the exercise really difficult and effective, before starting, push your pelvis up and squeeze your buttocks. This will eliminate the movement of the hips, and the entire load will go to the abdominal muscles.

4. Twisting with raised legs

Lie on the floor on your back, raise your legs to a right angle at the hip joint, you can slightly bend your knees. Do not press on your head with your hands, twist as you exhale, do not lower your legs to the floor until the end of the exercise.

5. Reverse twisting lying

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands under your pelvis. Tear it off the floor and return it back. Maintain the tension in the abdominal muscles until the end of the exercise.

6. Rolling exercise

Probably the most popular option is the abdominal roller exercise. You can also work on special simulators or using a regular barbell with pancakes.

Get on your knees, grab the roller handles, roll it forward and return to the starting position.

It is important during the exercise not to bend the lower back, keep the press in tension all the time and move only in the range that your muscles are capable of. With the correct technique, this exercise is safe and extremely effective.

Make your exercise as effective as possible

The more time your muscles are tense, the better. To do this, follow the tips of the Lifehacker:

Before starting the movement, tighten your abs as much as you can. Imagine that you are about to be punched in the stomach.
Do not hurry. Concentrate on feeling the tension in your muscles and not relaxing them until the end of the set.
Don't use momentum. In any exercise, completely eliminate the buildup. Perform all reps smoothly and under control while maintaining muscle tension.
Don't help with your hands. Do not press on the neck: let your fingers only touch the head, but do not press on it, and even more so do not move the neck. When raising your legs while lying down, do not grab the floor with your hands. They should lie freely along the body or on the sides.

Exercise every day

The rectus and oblique muscles of the abdomen are very hardy and recover quickly. You can work your abs every day and benefit from it - beautiful cubes and a strong core, which is necessary for good balance and impressive results in any difficult exercise.

Choose one or two exercises from the list and do them daily for three sets of maximum tension. Alternate between different types to load up your muscles in new ways and stimulate them to grow.

And don't forget to add back extensor movements like hyperextension or "Superman" on the floor. Strong abs combined with weak back extensors can ruin your posture.