Upper abdominal exercises for girls and men

To pump up your abdominal muscles, all you need is to have a fitness training mat and know the best abdominal exercises. Additional equipment will be needed for advanced athletes. Since the upper abs very quickly get into the desired shape and are easily restored, there will be no problems with their training if you follow all the recommendations and instructions.

How to pump up the upper abdominal muscles for girls?

A complex has been developed especially for girls, which consists of 6 effective exercises.

No. 1. Rack

Despite its apparent ease, performing a stand is quite difficult. Start with 20 seconds and increase the load with each workout:

Starting position: lying on your stomach;
Rise up on your elbows, keeping your back and legs straight;
Stay in this position and lower yourself to rest for 10 seconds;
Repeat the task.

No. 2. Twisting

Take a position lying on your back. The head is raised and the legs are kept hanging, knees bent at right angles;
Lifting your shoulder blades off the floor, pull your chin towards your chest, twisting the upper part of your abs into an accordion;
Stay in this position for 10 seconds;
Return to the starting position.

No. 3. Deflections

This task also seems relatively easy, but you should not ignore it, since it is one of the best, thanks to which you can tone the upper abdominal muscles:

Lie on the floor on your stomach with your legs and arms extended along your body;
Lift your torso up, lifting it off the floor as much as possible. At the same time, also move your arms and legs as high as possible towards the ceiling;
Return to the starting position after a delay of 3 seconds and repeat the task.

Breathe deeply and evenly as you perform, feeling the work of your abdominal muscles.

No. 4. Combined lifts

This task involves lifting the torso with bent knees and using dumbbells. Allows for more detailed development of muscles:

Sit on the mat with your knees bent and your torso flat on the floor;
Pull your torso towards your knees, while keeping your hands straight in front of you, without helping them in the process;
Get down on the floor;
Now pull yourself up again, but at the same time grab the dumbbells lying nearby and pull them to your chest;
Lower yourself to the floor again.

Perform the task rhythmically, but not too quickly. The total number of repetitions is 30 times for a beginner.

No. 5. Running from a prone position

Outwardly, this task resembles climbing on the floor in place:

Lean on your palms, keep your back straight. Bend one leg at the knee;
Change your legs abruptly, as if jumping.

Do the task 40 times in total.

If it is still difficult for you to “run” while lying down, then you can make your work easier by simply alternating your legs, first bending one, returning it back and bending the other. It’s easier to do this way and the load is less, but then you need to try to switch to the advanced version of the task.

No. 6. Twisting from the position on hands

Stay in the same position as for the previous task - resting on your palms and keeping your back straight;
Pull one knee towards you, and then move it to the opposite side, performing a kind of twisting;
Return to the starting position and repeat on the other leg.

In total you need to do this 16 times. In the advanced version, try to move your legs as far as possible, and do the task itself more slowly. This will increase the load.

How to increase the effectiveness of classes

But before we go straight to discussing exercise, check out some tips that will help you not only overcome your laziness, but also achieve the desired result by playing sports. Try to keep these guidelines in mind every time you start charging:

Keep a notebook where you will write down all the exercises you do.

Create a clear study schedule and follow it daily. Exercises for the upper and lower abs must be performed five times a week - then the results will not be long in coming. It may seem to some that writing in such a notebook is simply an empty transfer of time; but believe me, it really works. When you see exactly what you need to do to achieve your goal, the exercises bring much more benefit and are performed with greater pleasure.

It is not the number of repetitions and exercises performed that is important, but their quality

It is better to perform three or four of the most difficult upper abdominal exercises with great diligence, rather than lazily perform ten to fifteen others, easier but less effective. The press, like any other part of the body, needs constant, frequent training - be sure to remember this. Therefore, once you start playing sports, do not leave classes for later and do not skip training.

Do not lower yourself completely to the floor while charging – always keep your head above the floor.

Thanks to this simple method, all the exercises performed will be even more effective. This allows you to keep your abdominal muscles constantly tense and toned, which enhances the effectiveness of the exercise as a whole. It will seem difficult at first, but over time you will get used to it.

Upper abdominal exercises for men

Loads for men should be higher than for women. You can start working right away with small weights and use various exercise machines to help.

#1: Angle Bench Press

To complete the task you will need a bench at an incline of 30 degrees:

Position yourself on the bench so that your head is lower than your feet. Secure your feet to the support. Hold your hands behind your head or in front of you, crossed;
Rise up until your elbows touch your knees. This is not necessary, but the main thing is to almost get it;
Smoothly lower yourself back and repeat the task.

During the execution, you can use a combination of light and deep lifts. To do this, rise low on the first lift, and on the second, reach your elbows to your knees. This will provide different stress on the muscles and make them work better.

If you want to make the task even more difficult, cross your arms over your chest in front of you and rise up in this initial position. The higher the angle of the bench, the more difficult the exercise will be.

No. 2. Forward folds with a load

For this task you will need a simulator:

Position yourself with your back to him, kneeling, and grabbing the weight with your hands. Set the weights light initially;
Pull the weight firmly in front of you, trying to angle your arms straight toward the floor. You will achieve a prayer pose. Keep your back slightly rounded;
Hold at the peak point for a few seconds and slowly rise up.

Start with 20 repetitions and gradually increase the load and number of repetitions.

#3: Hanging Abs with Legs Elevated

You will need a crossbar:

Hook your hands on the bar;
Pull your extended legs up to form a right angle;
Stay in this position for several seconds;
Return to the starting point.

Repeat the task 15 times. In the future, you can use dumbbells or weights to increase the load on your legs.

This exercise involves all the abdominal muscles, so it can be called universal.

No. 4. Triple complex with added load

This is a combined task of three exercises. The main thing is not to get confused:

Lie down on a flat surface, pull your knees up, put your hands behind your head;
Rise your torso up;
Get down;
Take the dumbbells lying nearby in your hands, cross your arms over your chest and lower yourself again;
Return to the starting position, stretch your legs;
Rise up again, this time with straight legs and dumbbells on your chest;
Go back;
Repeat the complex from the very beginning.

The cycle is designed to gradually increase the difficulty of the load in one approach. Repeat the complex 10 times in total.

In general, men are better off going to the gym, where they can do much more abdominal exercises, which we wrote about in this article.

Exercises on simulators

The exercises described above are great for home use. In addition, you can do some more in the gym.

Twisting on a block

You need to stand with your back to the upper block, kneel down, and then grab the handle of the cable. You can hold the handle behind your head, or in front of your chest. When performing exercises for the upper abs, remember that the load increases in proportion to the height of your arms. The essence comes down to bending forward while twisting the body.

Raising the body on an incline bench

You need to sit on the top edge of the bench, fix your legs, and lean back. Starting position – the body is almost parallel to the floor. Raise the body perpendicular to the floor. Return to starting position. In this case, your arms can be clasped behind your head, crossed over your chest, or folded behind your back. At the top point of the exercise, the stomach almost touches the hips, at the bottom point the body is parallel to the floor.

Crunching on a machine

The technique is as follows. Sit on the simulator, fix your legs, grab the handles. Bend towards your knees, twisting your body. Return to starting position. On some simulators, resistance is produced by lifting weights, on others - by pressing the chest against the support. This exercise is effective for the upper abs, obliques and serratus anterior.

How to pump up your abdominal muscles at home?

It’s easy to pump up your upper abs at home, since you don’t need to have special exercise equipment to work these muscles - just work with your own weight or supplement the load with dumbbells (water bottles).

Exercise No. 1. Lazy abs

This task can be performed early in the morning, even before getting out of bed. Take 2 minutes immediately after waking up to do it. This does not guarantee you six-pack, but elasticity and tone will definitely appear in just a couple of weeks:

Lying in bed on a flat surface, lift your chin, looking at your feet;
Stay in this position, feeling tension in your abdominal muscles, for one minute;
Lie down for 5 seconds in relaxation and repeat the task again.

Start with 3 sets of 1 minute each, gradually increasing the load, observing how easy it becomes for you to perform the lazy press. If the tension is low, then the number of approaches and duration of the task must be increased.

Exercise No. 2. Classic press

The simplest and at the same time most effective task for the upper abdominal muscles:

Hang your feet on the edge of the bed. It is best to keep your legs bent at the knees, but if you already have some training, then keep your legs straight or pull them up with your knees bent;
Place your hands behind your head and do not help yourself with them while completing the task;
Climb at a calm pace, forcing your muscles to tense;
Lower yourself to the starting position.

Repeat the task 30 times. Over time, you need to increase the load and complicate the task with weights. Also, at a certain stage, you need to learn to do without support - your legs are freely fixed on the floor or hang in a bent position in the air.

In the most difficult version of the exercise, the legs can be raised to a small height.

Exercise No. 3. Oblique turns

To complete this task, you need to find a surface to put your feet on. A bed or sofa is quite suitable:

Position yourself so that your back is on the floor and your legs are hanging (a simplified version is in a bent position on the floor);
Clasp your hands behind your head;
Raise your torso so that your right elbow touches your left knee and your left elbow touches your right knee alternately, while pulling your right knee towards your left elbow, and vice versa (see photo below);
Repeat the task for each pair 15 times.

There are several options for doing this exercise. Use the heaviest one or all at once.

Alternate repetitions . In this form, you first press your left elbow to your right knee 15 times, and then repeat the task for the other pair. It is important to maintain a calm pace of climbs.
Pair lifts . During the task, you first raise your right elbow to your left knee, lower yourself, and then raise your left elbow to your right knee and lower yourself again. The effectiveness of the exercise does not suffer from this. The total number of repetitions for a beginner is 30 times.
Delayed ascents . In this version of the task, you raise your right elbow to your left knee, and then immediately, without lowering, stretch your left elbow to the opposite side. Do each side 5 times and lower. Thus, you will increase the load on the abdominal muscles by holding static tension.

Read more about what abdominal exercises you can do at home here.

Why do you need a press?

The muscles of the upper abs are not only the beauty of the body, but also the health of the whole organism. There are several reasons to work out the abdominal muscles:

Spine protection. If the muscle fibers are undeveloped, the pressure on the spine increases greatly. The risk of lumbar fracture increases.
Relieving muscle tension. After a hard day at work, the lower back remains tense. Sleep does not help get rid of unpleasant sensations. The next morning my back starts to hurt. Upper abs workouts help relieve unnecessary tension.
Increasing endurance means improving athletic performance. In most sports, it is very important to have a strong abdominal area. Working out the abs allows you to train more effectively, reaching significant heights.
Normalization of the gastrointestinal tract. Abdominal training improves digestion. The problem of constipation and bloating is solved.