The key to this move is to avoid swinging the legs to raise the hips. Fitness trends may come and go, but combining these classic exercises can make some of the best workouts for women. ). Stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body. Related: The 63 Best Barbell Exercises For Your Abs. The long arm crunch is ranked the 6th most effective ab exercise, changing the traditional floor crunch by straightening the arms behind you. Flex your feet and keep them flexed as your contract the abs, lifting the shoulder blades off the floor. Lie down on your back and lift your legs and hips off the ground, bringing your legs up over your head until your toes touch the floor behind you. The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques. Push your belly up into the air as you hold the crab bridge position. Vibration plates. Especially for those people who sit at a desk too much or have other posture problems, the forearm plank is easily one of the best exercises to use in your workout program! In the ACE study, researchers found that a significant number of subjects reported lower-back pain using Torso Track. Planks are one of the most effective exercises for targeting the upper and lower body, as well as firing up the core. Planks are one of the best exercises for your abs, considering they work your deep inner core muscles (including your transverse abdominis), which helps stabilize your spine and power your workouts, says Brennan. If you feel neck pain, take one hand behind the head while keeping the other arm extended. Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly. It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum. Inchworm Slide. Trendy workouts for women are always popping up in an attempt to keep things interesting and inspire people to move (we're all here for that! Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Choose any piece of cardio equipment (elliptical, jump rope, treadmill, bike, etc) or choose a bodyweight HIIT move: Triceps kickbacks (and their best exercise cousin skull crushers) are stellar at zoning in on triceps, sure, but they also hit your traps, which many women overlook, says Brennan. Side Plank Variations Kneeling side plank. Try to focus on the abs rather than pushing with the arms. Raise hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. This workout includes all of the exercises that came out on top for firing up the most muscle fibers in your abs. Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears. The reverse crunch comes in 7th place for effective ab exercises, with a focus on the rectus abdominis. Previous Next 1 of 13 Core exercises build abs and other core muscles. This strength workout is a series of plank exercises. You can also try lying hip raises as an alternative. Best part? Lift one arm up and place your elbow down, followed by the other arm so you are on your elbows (traditional plank). Planks not only work your abs and obliques, they challenge those core muscles deep inside your body that help promote stability and power. "This is a great foundational movement, because a lot of exercises start with a plank," says Betina Gozo, NASM-certified personal trainer. (FYI: That's all part of your very important posterior chain.) If you don't have access to a captain's chair rack, you can also try holding onto a pull-up bar or ab straps. We’ve gathered here the best exercises for each muscle group so you can get lean and fit easier. 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