I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I absolutely hate abs workouts. I can’t quite explain why I feel this way, nor can I really justify my detestation for the exercise, but I do know that working out your abs is vital to losing weight and maintaining your overall fitness.
So I should probably start doing them, right?
Right.
But where do you start in planning a workout regime that centers on exercising your abs? I’ll tell you where: your friends!
With a limited knowledge of abs workouts, I set out this week to discover some note-worthy abs workouts from my fellow University of Florida females. Below you will find a list of the great abs moves that I’ve compiled, as well as their comments on why they enjoy each work out.
1. Crunches: Emily McAvity, a third-year event management major, says that crunches are the way to go when it comes to working out your abs. She notes, “I like to keep it simple and classy, so I do crunches!”
2. Russian Twists: Alisha Feldman, a third-year sociology major, swears by doing Russian twists, which work your abs by twisting your body back and forth while sitting on the ground and keep your legs raised, every day. She says, “Russian twists are a great way to work out your total body and your abs!”
3. Bicycles: Ashley Dean, a second-year accounting major, does bicycles every day of the week. “Bicycles are more than just an abs work out because they work out your thighs and your tummy at the same time! They are awesome,” she says.
4. Medicine Ball Exercises: Kali Kopka, a fourth-year education major, loves all types of abs workouts that incorporate a medicine ball. She advises trying crunches, leg lifts or Russian twists while holding a medicine ball to get an all-encompassing abs exercise.
5. Planks: Lindsey Woods, a third-year family, youth and community sciences and sociology major, insists that planks are the best form of abs work out. She swears, “I use my fore arms to hold my entire body up, while sucking in my abdomen. If I want to get a really good abs work out, I plank.”
6. Squat Twists: Allison Curran, a second-year communication sciences and disorders major, loves this goofy-looking work out, which requires you to squat and twist your body on the side from left to right. She says, “It may look silly, but it really works!”
7. 8 Minute Abs: Bailey Hir, a fourth-year criminology major, thinks that watching this video (seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWjTnBmCHTY) and doing the exercise along with it is the easiest way to get a daily, meaningful abs work out in. She notes, “The people in the video may look ridiculous, but I promise you’ll feel better eight minutes later!”
Those are just seven of the great abs workout options that I discovered. While I’m certain that there are plenty of more options out there, all that matters is that you try out an abs workout, find one or two that you like best and then stick to those exercises!
Slimming down your waist and toning up your abs is all about commitment. They may be sore now, but I promise your abs will thank you later when they’re looking hot and healthy in a bikini.