BY BEN BRUNO Men’s Fitness
101 Best Workouts Of All Time is the ultimate answer to the question “What workout should I do?” No matter what equipment you have available, from a fully-stocked supergym to a pair of mismatched dumbbells in your garage, or nothing but your body weight alone, you can build muscle, lose fat, and sculpt the physique you’ve always wanted.
People tend to think of the abs like all other muscles—they cause movement. It’s easy to visualize how situps, crunches, and twists work the abs because you can see them working, so these usually become a guy’s go-to ab exercises. But the abs are special in that their main function is actually to resist movement, keeping the spine straight and torso locked in place regardless of what movements the arms and legs are making. When your core can prevent your torso from moving as well as it can initiate a movement, you’ll have complete abdominal development.
HOW IT WORKS
The exercises that follow may not look like much, but you’ll feel them the next day. Your core will have to stabilize you so you keep your balance while your arms and legs are moving or in unbalanced positions.
DIRECTIONS
Perform the exercises as a circuit. Complete one set of each in order and then rest 60 seconds at the end. Repeat for four total circuits.
1. PALLOF PRESS
Sets: 4 Reps: 8 (each side) Rest: 0 sec.
Attach a band to a sturdy object at shoulder height. Grasp the free end with one hand over the other and step away from the anchor point to put tension on the band. Turn perpendicular to the anchor point, stand with feet shoulder width, and extend your arms in front of you. The band will try to twist your body toward it—resist. Bring your hands back to your chest and then press again.
2. HALK KNEELING CHOP
Sets: 4 Reps: 8 (each side) Rest: 0 sec.
Get into the bottom of a lunge position with your left leg forward and reach up over your left shoulder to grasp the band. Pull it diagonally downward across your body to the outside of your right hip.
3. HALF-KNEELING LIFT
Sets: 4 Reps: 8 (each side) Rest: 0 sec.
Attach a band to a sturdy object low to the floor and get into the bottom of a lunge position with your right leg forward and left knee down. Grasp the band with both hands and arms extended and twist your torso to raise it over your right shoulder.
4. RESISTED REVERSE CRUNCH
Sets: 4 Reps: 12 Rest: 60 sec.
Lie on your back on the floor and wrap the band around the arches of your feet. Cross the ends of the band over each other to make an “X” and grasp the ends with opposite hands. Bend your hips and knees so that your knees are near your chest and then crunch your torso off the floor. Extend your legs while you raise your arms overhead—keep your shoulder blades off the floor. That’s one rep.
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