A short history on how abs workouts have progressed to core strength workouts.

Abs Workout

It used to be that exercises that focused on your midsection was called an abs workout, and it was usually limited to sit-ups, crunches, and the machines that started showing up at gyms where you would either ab crunch or ab twist against resistance. There were also ab workouts that you would do at home using equipment like Ab trainer, a frame that supports your neck when you do sit-ups. There is also the Ab Roller, which is essentially a wheel with a protruding shaft to hold onto, that you would use with knees on the floor, and extend out, forcing you to support your weight via your core. I still remember my father, when he purchased an ab wheel in the 70s, doing them on the basement floor, trying to work off the stress-induced extra weight induced by myself and seven siblings.

The end goal was typically to get a flat stomach, or even better, six-pack abs (or even eight-pack abs)! And everyone wanted to show off their six-pack like David Hasselhoff or look like Pamela Anderson on Baywatch.

Core Strength

As time progressed, the term core strength started to be used, and the exercise community started to use both body weight and weighted exercises to develop core strength. The end goal changed too. Sure, showing off a six-pack at the beach won’t be passed up, but it became evident that having a strong core helped you in so many more ways: it seems to help performance in many sports and minimize the possibility of injury, especially if a weekend warrior. Golfing, surfing, snow-boarding, wake boarding, kayaking, obstacle course racing, road biking, and running are just a few of the sports activities I have been doing that last 10+ years. When I catch a wave, I can feel every muscle in my core as I constantly re-stabilize on the board. Wake boarding requires significant whole-body strength to get up, and then stay up when jumping over wakes. Golfing requires the twisting motion, and even the best golfers, like Tiger Woods, have injuries, albeit most likely tied to overuse. Even when running, I can feel my core engage, and I can use it to my advantage when pushing the pace as I am starting to do again (I once again am running at close to a 7-minute pace).

I have been concentrating on core strength since I got into fitness when I turned 40, and I have not had any issues with sport-related injuries in the last 10 years. Now this is purely anecdotal evidence – not scientific evidence. That said, I would not be sliding down a 10-foot wave without a strong core and full command of where I can adjust my body. So what are people doing these days to develop core strength?

Core Exercises

There are so many recommended core strength exercises that do not require any weights. The plank is at the top of the list. The standard plank, with either elbows or hands on the ground is tops, but there are so many more variations. The side plank is a good one. The single or double leg bridge is another good move you can do on a mat or on a carpet.

If you have suspension straps, like the TRX, there a lot of moves that work your core muscles. The basic premise is that if your hands are in the straps, your feet are on the floor, you will need to stabilize with the stuff in between, namely your stomach and core muscles. We make FitBar Suspension Straps. They are similar to the TRX but are much simpler to set up and use: ours uses an S hook to attach to a bar or door loop, and we have graduations which all quick adjustment. I am not going to go through all the great bodyweight exercises you can do with suspension straps – there are a plethora to be found on YouTube!

Another great tool is Ab straps. These are those fabric cradles that you put your elbows in to do leg raises. If you still have gym access, or if you have one of those captain’s chair pull up bars for home use, that’s an even better option. With the Ab straps, just make sure you don’t rock when you lift your legs, so you get maximum core engagement. If you can do toes to bar, that even better, although that takes a lot of strength and many times you arms will give out before your core will.

If you have weights or kettle bells (both can be difficult to obtain if you did not have them before COVID hit), kettle bell swings are a great way to dynamically work your core. There are whole bunch of great kettlebell workout instructions available online. Onnit, Kettlebell Kings, etc are great resources for in-depth instruction to kettle bells and core work.

Russian twists with a weighted ball or a dumbbell is a great way to work the obliques with its twist motion. And anything that involves a balance board is another great way to engage core muscles as well as the ancillary leg muscles that help you maintain balance.

How to Get a Flat Stomach and Six pack Abs

I have had a girl say to me recently that abs are 90% made in the kitchen. It is so true. She is trim, ex-crossfitter, ex-power lifter, current body builder who, like most of us, has to work hard to stay trim yet strong. Your body stores extra-calories as body fat, and the stomach is the prime storage candidate. Things get more difficult as you get older, as the ability of your body to metabolize food and drink into energy reduces with age. Experts agree the exercise, especially aerobic exercise, and even more so High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), along with strength training, increases calorie burn. So if you can reduce calorie intake and exercise more, you should be able to get that desired flat stomach. There are other factors that may effect the outcome, but that is the basic premise to getting a six pack abs, provided you have done some core work to actually build those muscles. Most people who exercise well but just eat a little more than needed have strong abs, they are just covered in a little fat. Its not easy. I have 40% muscle mass (which is high for my age) and 13% body fat (which is low for my age), and I can only get 4 of the ab muscles to show, unless I really concentrate on diet for a few weeks.

Recommended Abs Exercises

So what do I do? I do all the above. I probably need to work on more HIIT. I do a good amount of cardio and strength work outs (lighter weight / higher reps for muscle definition, not so much muscle mass increase). Since I am pretty active, and if surf is good, I will surf in lieu of a strength workout, because it IS a strength workout! And it does work the core!

I don’t do the weighted crunch machines in a gym. I don’t even do regular sit ups. When I do them I get pain in my back pain before I get ab muscle failure. I DO do incline sit ups, when I used to go to the gym. I used to do Reverse Sit Ups on that thingy at the gym that allowed you to do them. That exercise of course works your back muscle, which is just as important to working the abs (you want both the front and back of your core to stay balanced to reduce the possibility to injury). My gym closed, so no more of those in the last few months.

But, my all-time favorite exercise for abs, is hanging leg raises. I do them with our FitBar Pull Up Handles in my hand, and the FitBar Suspension Straps with the handles under my arms. This is very similar to the Ab Straps, however, this arrangement locks in your upper body much more so than the Ab Straps, and is very similar to leg raises in a Captain’s Chair leg raises. I actually like these even more, as it lets your body to hang into its normal position, instead of being forced into a chair. For extra challenge, I do a leg twist, to engage the obliques. But if you have ab straps, use them!! I do these on our FitBar Free Standing Portable Pull Up Bar. You can set the bar high, so you don’t need to scrunch your legs.

Most importantly - EAT HEALTHY!! Stay away from sugars. Don’t overdo the carbs. Eat lots of vegetables low sugar fruit. Get plenty of fish, and don’t eat anything fried.

Disclaimer: I am not trained in biomechanics, physiology, exercise science, or as a personal trainer. I do have deep experience (25+ years) in mechanical engineering, and in applying that to developing fitness products over the past 5 years. Additionally, I talk to a LOT of people about exercise and fitness. What works, what doesn’t, and the results that come from it. I am also recommending some of our own products. I do that because we manufacture high quality Made in USA products, and we sell them at a competitive price point. We don’t do high pressure selling. We don’t do gorilla marketing on Facebook, Instagram, or Amazon. We stand behind every product we ship, and we are using this blog page to openly influence you to use our products. Thank you for reading!