Two Delightfully Brutal Abdominal Exercises
I know, I know....
The search for the perfect abdominal exercise has become the quest for El Dorado for contemporary fitness buffs greedily seeking golden six-packs. Such infatuation is probably unnecessary, as a margin of results is likely to be had with virtually any of the commonly used abdominal exercises. And more pointedly... the most effective exercises, as demonstrated by recent research, are also unsurprisingly among the most difficult. Thus, the common crunch may be a necessary gateway to the more challenging and productive movements.
Nonetheless, in this space I would like to highlight two exercises that are noteworthy precisely for their difficulty. Both are variations of "pikes," which while sounding ominously like something you could get impaled upon, means that hips are bent and knees are kept straight. Likewise, both exercises pit your abdominals against the forces of gravity.
THE SWISS BALL PIKE
It will undoubtedly take a bit of practice to feel smooth and comfortable doing this movement. It is deceptively difficult and seems to require the use of many stabilizing muscle fibers in order to maintain posture throughout. Be sure to hold momentarily at the top of the repetition.
Some recent research suggests that Swiss ball pikes may be one of the best abdominal exercises around.
Some recent research suggests that Swiss ball pikes may be one of the best abdominal exercises around.
THE HANGING PIKE
Image Courtesy of Health Mango
The hanging pike is decidedly the most gymnastic of all abdominal exercises. It requires a pull-up bar and enough forearm strength to hold your bodyweight throughout the duration. Specially designed straps are sometimes used for hanging abdominal exercises, but they don't work well for this one: the arms provide necessary stabilization, when the legs are brought all the way up to the bar. It is essential to do the entire movement slowly and with no swinging whatsoever. This is especially so when lowering the legs back down.