Beginner abs workout at home -six pack sculpting routine
Want a beginner abs workout at home to sculpt your six-pack?
Aye-men!
You've come to the right place. In this article I'm going to walk you through a simple but effective beginner abs workout to build a six pack at home.
But that's not it...
I'm also going to outline the "why" behind each movement so you can understand how each exercise targets each section of your abs.
Pretty dope, right?
Alright, here's what you'll get today
Before we begin, if you want proven diet strategies, training principles, and much more to help you take control of your health and build your physique in as little as 90 days, tap the image below to take our free health and physique quiz today.
beginner abs workout at home -
the Function of your abs
Let the Ab-ness begin...
your abdominal muscles are on the front of your body between your pelvis and your ribs.
the job or function of your abs (outside of turning heads when they're peeled) is to:
- Hold your vital organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure (that's right baby, health first).
- support and stabilize your trunk .
- Lastly, your abdominal muscles aid your body in moving freely.
alright, now that you have a baseline overview of what your abs are supposed to do, let's explore the anatomy of your abs.
beginner abs workout at home -
the anatomy of your abs
let's Break it down into sections...
there are 4 major areas of abdominal muscle groups that cover your internal organs.
These four major areas are:
- Transverse abdominis
- REctus Abdominis
- External Oblique Muscles
- Internal Oblique muscles
Now that you're caught up on the four major muscle groups of your abs, LEt's explore exaclty what each does.
REctus Abdominis - This abdominal muscle is located between your ribs and your pubic bone on the front of your pelvis. as this muscle contracts it gives the appearance of bulges which is what we call "The Six-Pack." the main function of the rectus abdominis is to contract your body between your ribs and pelvis area.
Transverse Abdominis - This abdominal muscle lies deepest from your stomachs surface. It's responsible for maintaining internal abdominal pressure as well as stabilizing your trunk.
external oblique muscles - These abdominal muscles are on the sides of the rectus abdominis and their main function is to assist when you twist your trunk. Many people aren't aware that These muscles contract in reverse order meaning, as you turn your trunk to the right, your left external oblique contracts to allow your body to move with fluidity.
internal oblique muscles - these abdominal muscles are located inside the hip bones on the sides of the recuts abdominis. these muscles contract in the opposite manner as the external obliques. If you turn left, your left internal oblique contracts and your right external oblique contracts.
beginner abs workout at home -
how to target each abdominal muscle
Ok, so you've got a deep understanding of the four major abdominal muscles, meaning:
- You know what they are
- you know where they're located
- You know what they do.
with that knowledge under your belt, it's time to level up and explore exercises that specifically target each area effectively so you can build your abs with confidence.
The upper abs: are best targeted with crunch exercises. this involves flexing your upper spine forward by bringing your shoulders towards your hips. The best example of this is the standard crunch.
The lower abs: are best trained with exercises that involve flexing your lower spine forward by brining your knees toward your chest. A prime example of this would be a V-Up crunch.
the internal and external obliques: are best targeted by using exercises that flex your spine laterally, to the left and to the right, like side bend crunches.
Quick side note: you can also target your internal and external obliques by flexing your spine forward and rotating it left or right as with cross-over crunches.
Lastly, To target the deep transverse abdominis requires you to focus on core exercises that force you to pull your navel towards your spine to help stabilize your pelvis.
This can be achieved by simply maintaining everyone's favorite...duh duh dun....plank position.
beginner abs workout at home -
a simple but effective beginner abs workout routine at home
Now let's put it all into action with a quick but effective beginner abs routine at home.
For this routine you'll be doing a total of 3 exercises.
You can choose to leave out the medicine ball if you're not quite ready, but keep in mind that the added resistance helps to develop your abdominal muscles faster.
beginner abs workout at home -
Medicine Ball V-Sit
The Medicine ball v-sit is a great way to target your upper abs and your lower abs at the same time.
And because most of us are already in a hurry, killing two birds with one stone is always a plus.
beginner abs workout at home -
How to Do A Medicine Ball V-Sit
- Grab a medicine ball and Lay face up on the floor with arms extended above your head.
- Contract your abs and flex your spine to draw your shoulders and legs off the floor.
- Squeeze your abs and crunch forward until your hands and feet point towards the sky (this should naturally put your body in the "v" position.
- slowly lower your body back to the starting position and repeat.
PRO TIP: try to keep your head neck and torso in line during the movement. You can do this by fixating your eyes on a spot directly above you.
Repetition and intervals: Do this for 20 seconds
Target muscles:
REctus abdominis
Transverse abdominis
beginner abs workout at home - V-UP
The v-up is a great way to target your upper abs and your lower abs at the same time.
beginner abs workout at home -
How to Do A v-up
- Sit at the end of a flat bench
- Grab the edges of the bench with your hands
- raise your feet off the floor
- lean back until your body is parallel to the floor.
- start with legs straight in front of you
- slowly bring your knees toward your chest while curling your upper body toward your knees to form a "v"
- slowly lower your legs and raise your trunk back to the starting position and repeat.
PRO TIP: try to keep your head neck and torso in line during the movement. to do this fixate your eyes on a spot directly above or in front you while you perform this exercise.
Repetition and intervals: Do this for 20 seconds
Target muscles:
REctus abdominis
Transverse abdominis
beginner abs workout at home -
bicycle crunch
The bicycle crunch is the most effective way to target all areas of your abs at once.
This one exercises targets your upper abs, your lower abs, internal/external obliques, and your core muscles.
bottom line, Don't sleep on the bicycle crunch, it's an oldie but goodie.
beginner abs workout at home -
How to Do A bicycle crunch
- Lay face up with your back flat on the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head.
- Lift your knees off the ground at about a 45 degree angle
- pretend as if your are pedaling your legs on a bike
- alternately touch your elbow to your opposite knee.
- repeat this motion until done.
PRO TIP: to limit the amount of neck strain, be sure not to tug on your neck as your cycle through to touch your knees to your elbows. instead place your hands on your ears to avoid unnecessary neck strain.
Repetition and intervals: Do this for 20 seconds
Target muscles:
REctus abdominis
Transverse abdominis
Internal obliques
External Obliques
beginner abs workout at home -
Wrap-up
Alright ladies and gents,
we've covered a lot and as always I hope you got everything you came for.
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Alright, that's All for today.
Until next time...
The juice is worth the squeeze.
signing out,
Joe G - your health and physique Leader