Ab workouts are the one workout exercises that you can do every day without the risk of overworking or straining your muscles, although that does not go without saying that you won’t be sore afterward.
Ab workouts are rigorous and use plenty of muscle strength that will leave lasting soreness for a day or two. However, the more you carry out your workout routine, the less it will hurt.
Building abdomen muscles takes time. Plus, you need different workouts to target specific muscles in your abdomen. The good thing is that there is a variety of calisthenics workout routines that will help you target each muscle group individually.
Good Ab Muscles Aren’t Just for Show
Having defined abdomen muscles are not just for show.
Strong abdomen muscles benefit the body with good balance, proper posture, and better performance in sports and movement.
Good posture will help with any back, neck or muscle pain caused by inefficient posture which is especially common if you have to sit down at work for most of the day.
Keeping your body and muscles in shape is not just for looking young. Having healthy muscles also reduces the risk of tears and issues as you age. It is necessary to live a fully active life as you get older.
With healthy ab muscles, you prolong a life full of vigor.
How Long Should My Calisthenics Workout Routine Be?
You should always start out slow especially if you are new to these exercises.
Exercising twenty minutes a day is great for general fitness, but building muscle will take time and longer intervals of exercise.
Start by seeing how long you can hold or do any of these workouts and build from there.
Everyone starts out at the bottom. But the more you do these exercises, the easier they’ll become.
Get in a good workout, rest just enough, and then do it all over again.
Hanging Bar Workout Routine
The hanging bars at gyms or offered as at-home workout equipment are one of the best ways to start an ab routine for beginners.
Using a hanging bar puts less pressure on your ab muscles compared to other workout routines. By working to stabilize the body on the bar rather than taking the brunt of the weight, you can work slowly at increasing the muscles in your abdomen.
Gravity will attempt to pull you down and that is where the work comes in. Slowly lifting your legs up and down will work out the core muscle group and back muscles too.
Classic Sit Ups
A traditional and time-tested workout for strengthening abdomen muscles is a sit-up workout routine. The traditional up-and-down with the arms behind the head works out the upper and middle muscle group and is a great workout to do daily. Start with ten or fifteen and slowly increase every few days. Once you are comfortable you can start to do cross sit-ups — touching your left elbow to your right knee and vice versa. This technique will target your obliques and lower abdomen.
Crunches
Crunches are a great exercise if you solely want to target abdominal muscles themselves. Crunches are also varied in different ways so you can target specific abdomen muscles. Having a workout routine that includes crunches and sit-ups is a great way to engage your core while getting a great workout for your body. Crunches can be done in large amounts over a period of time, like twenty-five twice a day, and then increased. With crunches, you may have additional soreness so doing them three times a week to start is a great start leading into daily abdomen workouts.
The Superman Hold
Like planking but without using your arms or legs. The superman hold position focuses solely on the strength of your core to hold your entire body up.
This can be added to a general workout routine or into your core workouts at any point in time. Start by laying on your stomach then hook your hands together and raise both your legs and arms out completely straight.
Only your center should be touching the ground. You want your legs and arms just hovering over the ground and parallel with it, then squeeze your hips and glutes to keep center.
V- Hold Position
Another great calisthenics position that requires no equipment and can be done from home: The V Hold.
You want to sit on the ground or on a mat, lift your legs, and constrict your abdomen in order to keep your body in a ‘v position’ with your legs up and your arms out in front of you, parallel to the floor.
Ensure your back is straight. If you are just beginning your abdomen journey you can place your hands on the ground for balance without taking away the use of your abdomen muscles.
Do the Plank
The plank exercise is not just an internet thing from the early 2010s. It is one of the best core exercises and sometimes the most difficult. The position itself isn’t hard to get into. But if you are just starting out, your body may shake once your abdomen muscles are engaged.
Remaining parallel to the floor, like a plank, is the key to really squeezing all the strengthening aspects out of this position. Line your elbows and shoulders up. Keep your back straight and head even with the rest of your body. Hold it for as long as you can and keep working at it.
Building abs at home doesn’t require a crazy amount of equipment. It is challenging but rewarding to do calisthenic ab workouts. Start with two or three times a week and build up your stamina.
If you are working to lose weight and build muscle, you’ll have to be both patient and vigilant. It takes time. The most important thing is to do it the right way to avoid injury and keep your body healthy. Exercising has a ton of benefits outside of looks and it’s never too late or too early to start taking care of your body and muscles.