Six-pack abs are impressive to look at, and often conjure up images of hours spent in the gym — however, obtaining a strong core is surprisingly easy, if you know how.

Keep your arms straight and roll the wheel out as far as possible. HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back, knees bent, and feet planted firmly on the floor.

The idea of the plank is to train the core muscles to stabilize the spine against movement. Your legs should be moving in and away from your body as if you were riding a bicycle. Value-Based Care Because they don’t actually exist. Slowly walk your hands up the leg towards your toes. Squeeze your abs and return to the starting position. Then slowly walk forward, keeping your butt/back on the on the ball. The ACE study looked at both front forearm planks and side planks in terms of muscle activation of the rectus abdominus and the external obliques. Pause at the top of the crunch. His passion is simplifying fitness, helping clients get great results through the ruthless execution of the basics. “When done correctly, they’re great for eliciting muscle activity in that part of the body.” The key words are “done correctly,” which Matthews describes as a full range of motion, engaging through the abdomen to lift the shoulders up off the ground. So what should you be doing instead? Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps. HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back, knees bent to 90 degrees to where your shins are parallel with the floor. The third most-effective abdominal workout, crunches are often the first exercise people think of when they are targeting their abs. Raise one leg up while keeping the other flat. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Harvard doctors say this neglected move is a better way to get strong abs than sit-ups, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been on the Supreme Court for 25 years today — here's the workout she uses to stay on top of her game, The most surprising foods Weight Watchers considers zero points — and why. However, crunches done on a medicine or balance ball will engage the core even more than a regular crunch. Medical Devices & Wearable Tech

5 Easy Ways to Feel More Settled. It’s the great ab debate that rages on among trainers and fitness buffs alike.

“There are many additional muscles that make up the core—the deeper muscles we can’t access with electrodes,” she says.

Grab the handles on the ab wheel with an overhand grip. The exercise uses all of the abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis - the front ab muscles that make up the six-pack.