If you want to get great abs and a tight waistline and you're tired of the same old sit-ups and the like, try these standing abs workouts that will challenge your core in a whole new way. It may be more practical and effective to also do abdominal exercises standing up, aiming to work all the muscles in your abdomen to get a strong core and a better looking waistline.
Typical floor abs workout
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Doing abdominal exercises on the floor makes special sense and is designed to put your muscles in the opposite position to gravity. For the main abdominal muscle you are most concerned with (rectus abdominis), lie down and squeeze your shoulders towards your hips, with gravity adding resistance in the right direction. In fact, most of the many of the most effective abdominal exercises are done lying down, including bicycle curls, ball curls and vertical leg curls. All of these exercises are the best way to stimulate your abdominal fibres, but with the development of functional training we now know that you need strong abs (and core strength), not just when lying on the floor, but in all the movements you do every day.
Building your core strength
The problem is that when you feel like you've really worked your abs, you often miss out on more functional core work because you focus so much on the various types of movements on your back. It's time to find a new way to work your abs that is more effective, more functional and will even get you off the floor better.
Working the whole body is much more effective than isolating different muscle groups for functional lifting of the whole body (e.g. Sit-ups). What this means for your abs is that while many common ab exercises still have a place in your routine, working out standing up can add a new depth and dimension to your workout, giving you not only strong abs but also a strong core, while helping to shape your waist.
Standing ab exercises
The best standing ab exercises involve your body moving through multiple planes of motion, including bending, rotating and bracing your core. You can work all the core muscles to get a strong torso.
Here are a few standing exercises that target all core muscle groups, including the rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominis and lower back muscles. Many of these exercises will also challenge your balance and stability.
Preparation
To begin with, you will need a resistance band, various dumbbells, a medicine ball and a kettlebell. Do a few minutes of cardio to warm up to complete each exercise, keeping each movement slow and controlled repeat the whole process in longer, more strenuous workouts keep your body stable throughout the exercise and avoid swinging or drawing circles with the medicine ball
Hold a medicine ball above your head and lean your body to the right, turning your feet to rotate your body as you turn the ball to the right. Continue with the circular motion, pushing the ball forward and then turn to the left, again turning on your feet so you can bring your weight around in a circle. Repeat 16 times on one side, then switch to the other side.
Standing one-sided contraction
Start in a standing position with your right arm upright in the air. Shift your weight onto your left leg and slowly lift and move your knee to one side while moving your right elbow towards your right knee, squeezing the obliques. Raise your arms, lower your feet and repeat the movement, keeping it slow and controlled. Repeat 16 times on each side.
Standing cross contraction
Place your hands behind your head with your elbows facing outwards. As you rotate through your torso, lift your right knee up and across your body, bringing your left shoulder towards your right hip. Return to start and repeat, maintaining a slow and controlled movement. Repeat 16 times on each side.
Diagonal lumbering
Tie a resistance band to a sturdy object near the floor. Holding the other end, take a few steps away to increase tension. Keeping your arms straight, rotate your body and lift your arms diagonally upwards while squeezing your abs. Rotate backwards and repeat 10-16 times, then switch sides.
Horizontal lumber
Stand sideways with a band around a sturdy object below the waist, holding the handles with both hands. Keeping your arms straight, bring them across your body and slowly rotate them in the opposite direction, tightening your abdominal obliques. Return to start and repeat 16 times, then switch sides.
Front and back lunge medicine ball figure 8 turn
Take a step forward with your right leg, forming an arrow stance, while sweeping the medicine ball to the right, doing a half circle (figure 8) up and down. Then step back with the right leg and do a reverse lunge, sweeping the medicine ball to the left, completing the figure of 8 with a half-circle up and down. Continue to move the ball forward and backward with the same leg, moving the ball 16 times in a figure of 8 motion, then switch sides.
Static lunge medicine ball turn
Start in a lunge position with the right leg forward and the left leg back. Hold a medicine ball with your arms straight. Keeping the lower body stable, rotate from the torso so that the arms are extended to the right. Return to centre, now to the left, keeping the movement slow and controlled. Repeat for 8 reps, then switch legs and do another set of 8 reps.
Dumbbell overhead squat
Stand in a wider stance and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise your right arm and let your left arm hang down towards the floor. Raise your right arm (optional) and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Press back, keeping arms up, and repeat 16 times on each side.
Kettlebell windmill
Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in your right hand. Turn right toe outward, left toe forward, left arm straight. Turn your body to the right, push out your left hip, bend your knee and lower your body weight towards the floor. Notice your outstretched left arm lightly touching your left foot. Repeat 16 times before switching sides.
Integrated core workout
Remember, you don't have to train your abs alone. Core training is performed in almost every workout, especially weightlifting. Any exercise that requires you to keep your body stable while lifting weights will involve your core, especially if you are doing compound movements that involve both the upper and lower body.
One-legged hard pull
Unilateral to unilateral medicine ball lunge
Add more of a core challenge to your workout by trying the exercises above or combining your own movements. You can also train by standing on one leg on an exercise ball, or a bosu ball. Not only will your abs be stronger, better able to cope with all the movements in your life and get the ideal waist curve, but you will also be able to do them without having to do any more floor moves.
