Here is the long awaited follow up to the Top 10 Best Ab Exercises Part 1 and the precursor to the Top 10 Best Abs Exercises Part 3. Let’s take a look at 5 of our favorite 10 best abdominal exercises, that you can use to get 6-pack abs look. Do these exercises regularly, mix it up, use different speeds, tempos, angles, and positions to get a full workout. Always try to progress from workout to workout.
Here are 3 ways you can gauge progress with abdominal exercises:
Try to complete more reps in a given time period. For example, do as many fold ups as possible in 60 seconds. Try to break your personal record (PR) each workout.
Try to complete more total reps each time you perform the exercise. For example, week one do 3 sets of 10, week 2 do 3 sets of 12, week 3 do 4 sets of 10, week 4 do 3 sets of 15, etc…
If it applies, try to add weight to the exercise by holding a plate or dumbbell on your chest or behind your head, or use a weighted vest. You can also add weight to your legs with ankle weights. Try to use more weight, or complete more reps with the same weight, each time.
Let’s skip any additional small talk here and get on with the exercises.
With the prevalence of six-pack abs in the media by everyone from Hugh Jackman and Matthew McConaughey, to Janet Jackson and Beyonce Knowles, society as of late treasures that elusive flat-defined stomach look, and they must know the secrets of the best abdominal exercises, right? We can thank high resolution for our cultural transition from portly praise to abdominal admiration.
After all, before Hollywood got huge in the 1900s, as a culture we appreciated a little meat on our bones because it represented comfort, success, and good health. Now that we get to feast our eyes daily on tough-guy actors, beautiful actresses, rock stars, and supermodels, we’ve come full circle into the Washboard Era.
Athletes have become bigger and stronger and are in better shape nowadays, and the trend to build endurance through specific training has only accelerated this phenomenon. Athletes are getting leaner and more ‘ripped’ than ever, in nearly every sport.
It used to be that a baseball player, for example, would focus on exercises specifically designed to improve the specific skill set that they needed to succeed on the baseball field. The same sport-specific training was true for every sport. But as people began to see the broad-spectrum benefits that came with endurance training for events like the triathlon, it became evident that an individual with greater strength and endurance in any sport could benefit from a more well-rounded circuit of exercises.
It didn’t take long before regular people started to realize that they could benefit from endurance training, too, and it quickly became more and more popular. Today, its appeal is at an all-time high. Even weekend athletes, as a result of endurance training, are becoming almost indefatigable.
In today’s fast-paced world, finding time to work out can be a challenge, especially for workouts for busy professionals. Balancing work, family, and personal life often leaves little room for fitness. However, incorporating regular exercise into your routine is crucial for maintaining health and reducing stress.
Here are the top 10 workout routines that are perfect for busy professionals who want to stay fit without sacrificing too much time.
Exercise is a great way to improve your health and overall fitness. There are a wide variety of workouts to choose from and these will vary depending on your age, health status, and fitness levels. Not only is there an overwhelming choice of equipment, there is the question of which are the best exercises at the gym, and which exercise modalities will properly help you reach your goals.
Check out these different workout strategies to help you choose the best exercises at the gym.
Why do we need to figure out what are the best hamstring exercises? Because serious fitness enthusiasts and athletes want to be able to lift maximum weight off the ground with minimal effort. It makes us feel good to be able to pick up virtually anything and to be able to perform necessary feats of strength in emergencies. Especially when most guys in the world struggle to pick up even 100 lbs off the floor.
The number one way to make all these things happen? Train your posterior chain – hamstrings, lower back, and glutes (your bum) with complex free-weight exercises. Let’s take a look at a few of the best hamstring exercises to focus on effective posterior chain development.
Grip training: it has to be the most ignored type of training in gyms all over the World. Seriously, how often will you see someone working on their grip in the gym? Almost never, right? No one really seems to care. How much you bench press is all that really matters anyway – which is sarcasm if you didn’t catch the drift. That can all change for you if you start using this list of best grip training exercises along with the additional tips to make the most of incorporating them into your workout.
While grip training does not really have much of an impact on how much you can lift, it still can be important. A lot of people use straps as an excuse not to work on their grip. I mean you can deadlift 600 lbs with straps, so why would you work on your grip? Well, if you are ever planning on entering some type of powerlifting competition, then you will not be allowed to use them.
How to Develop a Strong Grip
The only way to make sure you get a more effective grip is to just work on your forearms with grip training. This can be done with any type of forearm exercise really. When you are doing deadlifts, you should try to never progress without straps.
It may be a pain in the ass not being able to bust past a plateau because your grip keeps giving out, but that is why you have to keep working on it! Don’t be that guy who can deadlift 500 lbs with straps but can only deadlift 3 plates without them.
Stepping into the ring with fancy boxing gloves isn’t a badge of honor, but your power, agility, and endurance make you the most formidable contender. In Boxing, you require split-second decisions, lightning-fast reflexes, and physical prowess. Incorporating the best exercises for Boxing will help you engage in safe combat. Boxing exercises can minimize the impact of mighty blows and contribute to your success. This lethal sport can be physically and mentally challenging. It is estimated that 20% of amateur boxers receive concussions during combat. An alarming factor is that almost 90% of boxers suffer from brain injuries.
Nevertheless, as a boxing enthusiast, you can minimize the impact of powerful blows during combat. We have assorted practical exercises to elevate your boxing game. Unleash your inner warrior and embrace the grind with the best exercise for competitive boxing.
The hamstrings are a big muscle group located in the posterior thigh region of the human body. Many people tend to only perform static stretches on them, which has its benefits, however, you need to incorporate some sort of resistance training like bodyweight hamstring exercises to get them strong and flexible.
Your hamstrings play an essential role in various activities, such as walking, running, and jumping. Bodyweight exercises are an excellent way to strengthen your hamstring muscles without the need for special equipment.
This article will go over the best bodyweight hamstrings exercises and some of their benefits.
When you think of calves, you picture the part of your leg that everyone else can see when you’re wearing shorts. Sure, you can have a huge upper body and quads, but if you have the calves of a 10-year-old boy, then people may often chuckle. To get past walking around with cringe-worthy chicken legs, you better employ a few of these best calf exercises as soon as possible to kickstart your calf growth.
Women prefer to have slim, shapely calves, and these exercises can help the females to accomplish their goals too. Ladies, don’t be afraid of training your calves just like men do… strong calves will even help you to walk better in high heels.
Of course, calf development is highly dependent upon your genetics. You can have very strong lifts, but the insertion points of the calf muscles are all that matters. Judges in bodybuilding competitions often do not put a lot of weight on the calves as a judging factor, but they do matter and are always good to have. And let me tell you, for those guys who think calves aren’t important on the beach, the women DO look, and, yes, they DO judge you for it!
Never fear though, if you do not have aesthetically pleasing, low insertion points, you can still bring your calves up quite a bit.
There is something peculiar about all great soccer players including other athletes. Sports legends like Muhammed Ali, and Michael Jordan, and soccer legends like Pele, and Maradona have excelled because of this peculiarity. But what does this peculiarity entail exactly? Exercising. It’s no secret that these best exercises for soccer have remained an integral part of many legendary players’ success stories for more than a thousand years now, probably way more.
When soccer players hit the gym for exercise, the focus is either heavy resistance training to build size or strength, or balance training. It can also be said that some take on specific drills to increase athletic performance to an exceptionally high level. There are several other exercises that soccer players carry out. In all, the goal is to improve their ability as soccer players and perform well on-pitch.
We frequently end up having to answer questions about which exercises are the top 5 best triceps exercises of all time. Literally, the two most common questions you will hear from male weightlifters are:
How can I get bigger arms?
How can I bench press more weight?
Normally I would scoff at such questions, except that the answer is a lesson that most young weightlifters need to learn. Because your triceps comprise two-thirds of your arm, the answer to the first question is: train your triceps.
Because your triceps are often the weakest link in the chain of muscles that facilitates bench press, the answer to the second question is: train your triceps.
This brings me to the point of this whole post: how best to train your triceps.
Whether you are a guy or a girl, it is always an asset to have nice, strong glutes. The main exercise that will help you develop your glutes the most is obviously the squat. Look at those who have the highest squat numbers. ‘Nuff said. However, there are a number of additional exercises such as these 5 best glute exercises and a few honorable mentions, that can get your booty into fighting shape.
How to Get Big, Strong Glutes
As mentioned above, barbell squats are the king of glute exercises. They are without a doubt the single best exercise you can use to develop your glutes. I would even go as far as saying that you would not even need to do another single exercise for them; squats are really that good! However, there are always some other exercises that would be good to experiment with such as this list of best glute exercises.
Before going on to mention the top exercises, let’s take a look at some of the more important details about the glutes.
Bench presses and curls are two of the first exercises that are learned by new weight lifters. For men, the chest or “pecs” (short for pectorals) are second only to the biceps as the top show muscles in teenagers and young adults. This list of 5 of the best chest exercise will go a long way in building that initial base.
For women, the chest is even more important. Keeping well-built pecs can be useful in maintaining a solid, perky appearance of the breasts.
Serious fitness enthusiasts and athletes know that the pecs are involved in one of the main powerlifting exercises, the bench press. The bench press is one of three exercises, including squats and deadlifts, in a standard big 3 powerlifting competition. For this reason, it is always important for powerlifters to increase their chest strength.
Therefore it seems to me that everyone has a reason to train their chest, including men, women, athletes, bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongmen… everyone; and here are the top 5 best chest exercises you should use.
Boot camp exercise is high-intensity interval training. We are talking about highly intensified full-body training that promotes functional fitness. Accept this challenge and set a time for the workout! Put together your own boot camp workouts by stringing together some of the best boot camp exercises into an intense circuit.
You will get an excellent shape as long as you work hard, but exercise is not all you need. Since nutrition is responsible for roughly 75% of your progress, it is better to control your food habits than to rely on exercise alone.
While you can practice BootCamp workouts at home, we do encourage joining a gym that offers group BootCamp classes. They will also typically offer additional classes such as kickboxing, weight lifting, and TRX circuits. The main benefits of group classes are:
structured workouts
community participation
accountability
Experts say boot camp exercises work like magic. Are you willing to learn how? Hold on; you need to know preliminary exercises and lifestyle habits before you get started. With no need to join a gym at first, you can just do this at your own pace. Spend an hour a day, five times a week, and prepare for your 3-month journey towards metamorphosis.
Here are 5 of the best boot camp exercises and variations you can use to begin your journey.
It’s not surprising that sitting long hours causes some problems for our bodies. The research found that excessive sitting has been linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. While this doesn’t guarantee you won’t get heart disease if you work at a desk, sitting is not good for your health.
On top of the medical issues linked to inactivity, people who sit all day and don’t add regular exercise into their lifestyle, tend to suffer from a weak core, high hip flexors, back pain, neck pain, and sometimes wrist pain for those who type excessively. In order to alleviate these problems, it is recommended to participate in 30 minutes of intense exercise at least three times a week along with warm-ups and cool-downs with stretching.
Here are some tips along with a few great exercises you can do at home with minimal weight to help keep your body healthy and functional. As you read this piece, keep in mind it is proven to be beneficial to exercise with others in a group setting to leverage the community for accountability and sometimes even friendly competition.
Boot camp workouts can be defined as a mixed bag of intense workouts, including power movements, speed elements, and strength training. There are different styles of boot camp workouts, which can focus on bodyweight exercises and military-style drills. Included in the best boot camp exercises, you can expect some calisthenics like pull-ups, squats, crunches, push-ups, and lunges.
While the lower back may be the easiest part of your back to acquire mass, it is also the easiest to injure. Think about all of the people with factory jobs spending all day picking up heavy boxes. These people will have very developed backs from doing this all day and they aren’t weightlifters or bodybuilders; they likely don’t do any of the best lower back exercises unless they are hitting the gym after a long, demanding workday.
The way people get injured isn’t necessarily the injured. I swear, you hear people all the time say all this shit about deadlifts being bad. This could not be further from the truth.
It is the way you perform the exercise. If you pick the bar off the ground with your back rounded like crazy, then yeah, of course, you are going to get injured.
How to Get a Muscular Lower Back
Like mentioned above, this may be the easiest muscle to get built up. Obviously, the deadlift will be the best exercise to utilize to achieve this goal.
Deadlifts can also be dangerous since a lot of people just never figure out how to use the correct form. Either that or they will try to go too heavy to inflate their ego and sacrifice form in doing so.
Here’s a hint: if you have to round your back in order to deadlift 500 lbs, then you should probably lower the weight. Drop the ego and use the right form, please.
The neck really is an important muscle. Think about it; unless you are wearing a turtle neck, everyone will see your neck. It can distinguish you from a bodybuilder to just a normal person. Furthermore, next to forearms and calf training in muscles being neglected, neck training is next in line. Actually, I would say that people neglect neck training more than anything else. Many people have never even heard of it or would even know what to do. This is why we are mandated to publish this list of the best neck exercises with guidance for how to build a tree trunk neck.
It doesn’t matter how big your chest and biceps are, if you have narrow shoulders you will appear to be weak and puny. Someone will surely kick sand on you at the beach, and Arnold would not approve of that.
For bodybuilders, powerlifters, athletes, and all other fitness buffs in between, wide shoulders will make you look tall, broad, and powerful so that you can be the one defending geeks from sand kicking bullies and they can help you throw the ball hard enough to win the game. Flabby or narrow shoulders lend absolutely nothing to your physique.
Everyone needs to train their shoulders.
Strong shoulders help with every other exercise from bench press to pull ups, and for all you boxers and MMA guys, well conditioned shoulders will help you to win a fight.
It is also very important to have a strong shoulder girdle, including the rotator cuff area, to prevent injuries from sports and heavy lifting.
How to Get Strong Shoulders
Firstly, chest and back are two muscle groups that are important to train, when training for stronger shoulders. As a unit, the chest, shoulders, and back form the core of your upper body strength. Once you’ve read this article you can move on to the top 5 best chest exercises and the top 5 best back exercises.
Secondly, no one developed great shoulders by focusing on dumbbell side raises or shoulder pressing on machines. The compound exercises that involve your whole body will be most effective at building big, strong shoulders. Isolation exercises will be necessary, but only for developing super strong rotator cuffs.
We should have a working knowledge of how the shoulder is put together, to better understand how to train them effectively.
