What Are the Best Abs Exercises to Crush Your Core?
In case you missed it, your core impacts everything you do, even workouts that you wouldn’t consider to be associated with your abs, exactly. And yep, a strong core means so much more than having societally championed “six-pack abs.” Whether you want to squat heavy weights, improve your balance, hike up the stairs with ease, run fast or long distances, and more, your core plays a major role in your ability to carry out such tasks. (Seriously.) In order to get a strong core to help you with all these activities, though, here’s what you’ll need to do: abs exercises, which is why Women’s Health rounded up the best-of-the-best ab movements just for you.
First, however, you should have a little more information about your core before you start. Technically, your core consists of the muscles between your chest and your hips. However, you’ve probably heard the most about your rectus abdominis (a.k.a. your six-pack muscles, which run down the front of your stomach), transverse abdominis (deep abs muscles that wrap around your stomach), and obliques (otherwise known as your side abs, which help you rotate). A successful ab workout incorporates movements that use *all* of these major muscles—preferably at the same time.
Excerpted from Women’s Health
