We all have heard the saying "abs are made in the kitchen" - and it's true, to an extent. If you have a high body fat percentage, there aren't any ab exercises that are going to magically gift you a six pack.
If you are in the lower body fat range, there are some great exercises that will help make them pop as you continue to build core strength and shred body fat. The lower your body fat percentage, the more you abs will show.
Here are our 3 favorites:
1. Hanging Knee Raises (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNzJ3GuIpB8)
- The key to these is a slow, controlled movement and really focusing on squeezing the abs at the top.
- For added difficulty, you can do these with a medicine ball between your feet.
*Tip: Anytime you can add weight to an ab exercise, do it! This will really help bring out your abs as you build strength.
2. Decline Sit-ups
- This one is simple - get on a bench that declines and do sit-ups. Do these slow and squeeze your abs together at the top. Add weight if you can and hold the weight behind your head. Our recommendation is to do this with a small 10 pound plate and focus on the movement.
3. Kneeling Cable Crunch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJQROeaBiVE)
- Again, make sure you do these slow and squeeze! Don't use your arms to move the cables, just lock them by your head and let your core do the work.
For all of the above movements, we recommend doing reps in the 10-15 range. As mentioned, add weight when possible to really start making those abs pop.