6 Standing Ab Exercises
Provided
by American
Council on Exercise
Why should
you be doing standing abdominal exercises? By changing the position in which
you perform an exercise, you change the way your body moves and how the muscles
are activated. You can also avoid the neck pain many people experience during
floor-based abdominal exercises. Plus, by moving your abdominal workout from
the floor to standing, you may be able to avoid unnecessary stresses on the
joints and create a more dynamic workout.
Trunk
or core exercises should be treated like other muscle groups; which means using
proper form and resting 48 hours in between muscle-specific workouts. By
training your core every other day, you will be giving your muscle fibers
enough time to rebuild and clear out any lactic acid that may have accumulated.
Oblique exercises consist of twisting and rotational movements, transverse
abdominal exercises support the spine such as planks or core bridges, and
rectus abdominis exercises such as crunches or hip flexion movements.
You
shouldn’t have to feel neck pain to get a great abdominal workout. Gradually
strengthen your neck by performing the following standing abdominal exercises
and, over time, add one floor-based exercise such as crunches or leg raises.
Begin
by completing each movement for 10 seconds; gradually increase by 10 seconds
each round. The only equipment you’ll need is a medicine ball with handles or a
weight plate for appropriate exercises.
Ribbons
Start
at the right hip and move diagonally over your head to the opposite hip.
Twists
Hold
the weight in front of you and squeeze the glutes to avoid hip movement.
Overhead lean
Extend
the arms overhead while slowly leaning the upper body to the right and then to
then left.
One-Handed Toss
Begin
in a standing athletic position. Toss the medicine ball from the right hand to
the left hand while contracting the abdominals.
Rugby Pass
Hold
the ball in two hands as if you are going to “pass” the ball laterally to
someone. Brace your core and pass the ball from the right hip across the body;
return to the starting position
Side Dips
Hold
the ball in one hand and stand up tall. Place the other hand on your head to
help keep your shoulders back. Slowly lean to the side while keeping your torso
squared and neck aligned with your spine.
Mollie
Martin
Mollie
is a Study Assistance Consultant at the American Council on Exercise who holds
a BS in Psychology. She is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Medical Exercise
Specialist, Group Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, Sports Conditioning
Specialist, Behavior Change Specialist and has her CSCS through the NSCA.
Mollie is also a boot camp instructor, rugby player, fitness coach and health
enthusiast. Mollie moved to San Diego from the Midwest in 2012 to pursue her passion
of playing rugby and to be able to participate in outdoor fitness year-round.