You’re doing an AB workout at home, but your hips feel more burned than your abs. What gives? After all, you may need to learn how to activate your abs.
Activating abs is essential to strengthen them, but it is not the same as bending abs. Whether you need visible abs or not, those muscles are essential beyond aesthetics.
A strong ABS “provides better support for all muscle groups,” explains Jim White, an exercise physiologist, registered dietitian and ACSM certified personal trainer.
“If you’ve ever accidentally picked up a grocery bag and dealt with lingering muscle pain over the course of weeks, you know that your abs might need some work to provide better support,” White says.
Read on to learn how to activate your abs. Also, learn some moves to try.
What is AB activation?
Bending is part of attracting your abs, but you also need to “put them on so they feel tight and safe,” explains White. And that means upper and Lower abdomen.
“If you’re not activating all the parts of your abs, you won’t see any AB muscle growth,” says White.
If you’re not used to active abdominal muscles:
- It sucks for a long time and expands your stomach.
- Bring your belly in and exhale with some force while feeling the AB muscles involved.
White suggests adding these steps to feel the abs:
“You should feel the lower part of your abs involved in supporting your lower spine,” White says. Activate the top and bottom of your abs to perform the core exercises as intended.
If you feel like you’re holding your abs around your neck or back, try the following:
- Start from position as if you were going to crunch.
- Bend the top of your abs.
- Gently push your hips in.
- Pull the belly buttons towards your spine and leave them planted on the floor on your lower back.
If there is no gap between the waist and the alcove, you will know that you have it.
Don’t be afraid to pause between each rep and reevaluate AB activation. Lower performance, high quality reps are preferred over higher reps who put strain on the back and neck.
Launch the core for more effective training
“Your core is involved in stabilizing all your muscles,” explains White. “If you don’t activate it, it may depend on other muscle groups” – you cannot effectively train the muscles you think are targeted.
Reducing the core properly can also prevent injuries. Involving the abs below will help prevent your lower back from getting into work.
Even if you let other muscles do abs, “work” can pull muscles and lead to other injuries,” White warns.
And if you’re loose about AB activation, “Your abs don’t look like you want.”
5 AB Activation Exercises
Don’t know if you’re properly involved in your core? Let’s start with these moves. This will target them.
1. Mountaineering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yvcs-au7ew
Resist the urge to hurry up with the person in charge. Stay slowly enough to keep you in control of your movements with your core being involved all the time.
- Start in the push-up position, covering the core, straight from head to heel, with your lower hand on shoulders.
- Lift your right foot off the floor. Bring your right knee towards your chest. Flatten your back, lower your butt, and the rest of your body is still in your body.
- Return your right foot to the starting position and immediately repeat with your left leg. It’s one person in charge.
- Continue alternating legs and run equal reps on each side.
2. Dead bug
To really learn how to activate your abs, start with a dead bug. This is more harsh than it looks. To fix it, straighten your legs (but don’t lower them all the way down to the floor). You can also bend your knees and then lower your toes until you tap on the floor.
- Lie flat on your back and push backwards to remove any space between you and the floor or mat.
- Bend your knees to 90 degrees and lift your legs off the floor. Keep your knees directly above your hips and lift your arms straight up towards the ceiling.
- Lower your left arm behind your head, and at the same time straighten your right leg in front of your eyes. Hover from both mats.
- Return to the starting position. Complete multiple reps before switching to left leg and right arm.
- Move as slowly as possible here and do not let your back fall off the floor. It focuses on attracting the core, not on how far you can move your arms and legs.
3. Front Plank
If you have access to the mirror, use it to review the form in this exercise. Be careful of areas of your body that are out of line.
- Assume the position of the push-ups, but instead of the hands, the weight will be placed on the forearm (keep the elbow directly below the shoulder).
- Keep your feet together, but if you want to make the movement a little easier, you can separate a bit.
- Squeeze the glut and tighten the core (imagine someone punching you with your gut) to lock your body straight from your head to your heels. At the same time, you drive your forearm to the ground and try to actively pull your elbows towards your toes.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds or, if possible, for a long time. Make sure your spine is straight and do not collapse your stomach or carry an arch. Please let it rest if you notice that your back begins to curve.
4. Side Plank
The back is not flat on the mat, making this movement difficult to see AB activation. Before you begin, stretch your abs and pull the abdominal buttons to your spine to burn the core.
- Lay on the left side, stacking or shifting your legs. Place your left forearm on a mat perpendicular to your body, pointing in the direction you are facing.
- You can hold the core in place, drive your feet to the ground and lift your hips off the ground. Lift your right arm into the air and make sure your left shoulder is pushed away from your ear.
- Straighten your body and attract your core. If you want more stability, drop your left knee onto the mat.
- Hold for 30 seconds to start and repeat on the other side.
5. bridge
This movement is perfect for learning to turn on the abs below. Move slowly and focus on quality rather than quantity.
- Place your arms next to you and lie on your back. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Pull it against your belly button to adorn your abs, squeeze the glutes and push your hips up. Your body should form a straight line from the knee to the shoulder.
- Place your head on the floor and look at your eyes on the ceiling.
- Hold this position for breathing, then lift and lower and repeat.
