Cardio Moves That Burn Maximum Calories While Targeting Abs (General)
Cardio doesn't have to mean just running on a treadmill. In fact, cardio movements that involve resistance of some kind are often the most effective, allowing intense interval or circuit training that boosts cardio performance in other areas.
It's important to think of training your abdominal muscles as training the whole abdominal area, and the 'outer core' - lats and hip flexors included - with it. Isolation exercises are for overcoming plateaux or returning from injuries. Wherever possible you should train like you move, in ways that involve several muscle groups working together.
There's a special benefit of focussing on abdominal training and cardio together: you need your abs to breathe. Put the abs under pressure and breathing becomes harder, making your cardio workout that much more effective.
So it's time to do really, really fast sit-ups? No, it's time to run through this list of effective, safe abdominal-focussed cardio moves that will help strengthen your core and burn fat at the same time.
Burpees - The King Of Bodyweight Cardio Will Crush Your Abs!
Burpees are hard. Hard stuff works. Burpees don't need much space or any equipment. All you need is enough room on the floor to do a pushup and enough room above you to lift your arms overhead and jump, because that's what a burpee is.
Here's how to do one:
1: Begin in the top pushup position. You can do a pushup here if you're feeling brave. Otherwise, go to step 2.
2: Slide your feet up outside your hands so you're squatting round your hands. Don't put your feet inside your hands.
3: Stand up fast. Turn the movement of standing up into a jump, raising your arms overhead.
4: Return to 1. Repeat.
Simple. But not easy. Burpees require fast contractions of almost all your body's muscles. You'll have strong abdominal involvement throughout. Pulling your legs up will require a strong contraction in your abdominal muscles. But holding the pushup position will also require you to involve your front abdominal muscles - the ones you hope to see become a six-pack - as well as your lower back and the core muscles you can't see, the ones that hold you together.
Additionally, burpees can be used to give...
Burpees are hard. Hard stuff works. Burpees don't need much space or any equipment. All you need is enough room on the floor to do a pushup and enough room above you to lift your arms overhead and jump, because that's what a burpee is.
Here's how to do one:
1: Begin in the top pushup position. You can do a pushup here if you're feeling brave. Otherwise, go to step 2.
2: Slide your feet up outside your hands so you're squatting round your hands. Don't put your feet inside your hands.
3: Stand up fast. Turn the movement of standing up into a jump, raising your arms overhead.
4: Return to 1. Repeat.
Simple. But not easy. Burpees require fast contractions of almost all your body's muscles. You'll have strong abdominal involvement throughout. Pulling your legs up will require a strong contraction in your abdominal muscles. But holding the pushup position will also require you to involve your front abdominal muscles - the ones you hope to see become a six-pack - as well as your lower back and the core muscles you can't see, the ones that hold you together.
Additionally, burpees can be used to give you a fast, effective cardio workout. The key is to make sincere effort to push yourself. If you do that the burpee can be an invaluable tool for general fitness.
Twisting Knee Tucks For Stability And Strength In The Core
These are sometimes called 'mountain climbers,' though that name is also applied to other exercises. Here's how to do them:
1: Start in the top push-up position.
2: Bring one knee up to the elbow of the same arm. If it's your left knee, bring it to your left elbow.
3: Put that foot down and repeat on the opposite side.
Your spine can move from front and back, called anterioflexion and dorsiflexion, and from side to side, called lateral flexion, as well as twisting. Your core needs to be able to both produce force and resist it, and doing this exercise requires it to do both. It involves some resistance to front and back bending, and some twisting and side to side bending.
Power Knee Strikes For Strong Glutes, Hips And Abs
If you've ever done Thai boxing you'll be all too familiar with how exhausting it can be to throw knees (taking them is even worse!). Because it involves balance and a dynamic extension of the hips, it helps condition the part of the core everyone, especially guys, forgets all about: the pelvic floor. It's also great for strengthening and lengthening your hip flexors, which in most people are far too tight.
Your core has to both provide the power to drive the knee forward, and the stability to hold it off the ground, all while stopping you from falling over. It's a great move, whether you throw it into the air or to a target like a bag or pads, and if you're looking for effective fat-burning cardio, you could look a long way to find anything better.
Single Leg Squat Thrusts - A Cardio And Stability Challenge
Single leg squat thrusts are quite an advanced move, so try them before you write them into your training schedule! Here's how it's done:
1: Begin in the top pushup position
2: Bring one leg forward, so your stance is staggered, like a sprinter on the blocks. It's OK to raise your hips a little.
3: Jump both feet off the floor, moving the back one forward and the front one back. You should land in the opposite stance to the one you started in.
4: Repeat step 3 on opposite sides.
It's not complicated, but it does require dynamic stabilization of your whole core, and it's quite a demanding cardio session too because of the explosive requirements and the large muscle groups used.
Boxer’s Combos Can Work The Core Like Nothing Else
The power in boxing comes from the hips and glutes, but it's transferred by the abdominal muscles. Throwing basic boxing combos, like jab-cross-hook, will help make your core stronger as it transfers the power from your legs to turn you. Throwing hard shots to a bag or pads is even more effective, and it will present a serious cardio challenge even to fairly well-conditioned athletes. Once again, the core requirements are all about stabilization and assisting in power generation, and the cardio requirements are made harder by having your core under tension. A boxing or boxing exercise class is a highly energy-intensive way to train so you can hope for fat loss, but you'll be starving when you come out so be prepared!
Pushups on a Swiss ball take some of the strain away from your arms, chest and shoulders, by elevating your hands. At the same time, while the dynamic core loading is reduced, it can still be significant for beginning and intermediate trainees. It's also possible to add in some pushup variations, such as doing them with one leg off the floor, that have great core benefits but may be too difficult for less strong trainees to do on the floor. If you don't have access to a Swiss ball, you could use a bench or raised block.
Skater Leaps Will Give You A Whole Body Challenge As They Boost Core Strength
This is a more advanced exercise, and it throws some stress on the knees and ankles: it's a great way to build knee and ankle strength but if you already have issues there, treat this one with caution.
Here's how it's done:
First, find, make or imagine a line on the floor. You're going to leap from side to side along that line.
1: Jump off with your right leg, moving as far to the side as you can.
2: Land on your left leg, bending it slightly to absorb the impact and allowing your right leg to move past it. Don't let your right foot touch the floor.
3: Repeat on the opposite side.
Turn your toes slightly out to protect your knees. This is a great move for the whole core, and like all jumping exercises it can deliver some killer cardio. If you want to add to the rotational loading of your core, use a weight like a weight disc or dumbbell. Hold it in both hands, and swing it out to the side you're landing on.
Jumping Jacks - An Old Favorite For Conditioning And Abdominal Training
Jumping jacks are an old favorite, beloved of football coaches the world over because they're easy to teach and you can smoke even the most advanced athlete with them. They're simple: Stan with your arms by your sides and your feet together. Jump up, landing with your arms overhead and your feet straddled apart. Jump again, returning to the start position. That's it.
The advantage for your core is that the load is mostly down the sides of your body, helping to tighten and strengthen the obliques. They're also a good way to get a simple cardio workout without taking much space or equipment.
SteadyHealth has just released a handy new app for both iPhone and Android smart phones - Ab Workouts for men and women - An app that is much more than just a bunch of abdominal workouts. Take a look what we have prepared for you.
http://www.steadyhealth.com/ab-workouts-for-men-and-women
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