Tired of the basic crunches and sit ups? It’s time to get up on your feet and hide the mat away. Give your neck a break and start working on your ABS standing up. Standing Ab workouts are far better than crunches and sit ups, since you use more muscles. The more muscles you use, the more calories you burn. Crunches and sit-ups are great for working the surface muscles in the abdominal area. To be able to work the deep muscles and remove the fat layers on the stomach you need more than the traditional abdominal exercises.
Getting a leaner and flatter stomach by using standing Ab exercises has more benefits. You burn more calories, engage more muscles and improve your posture, unlike floor exercises. This will also limit the pain in your neck, lower back and buttocks. Another positive side to standing Ab exercises is, there is no need for fancy equipment or a big space. You can perform this standing exercise in your kitchen, living room or office. You won’t want to lay on a mat after doing these standing Ab exercises.
Standing Ab Exercises:
Knee Cross Crunch
This standing Ab workout will engage the whole entire core area. It will hit the oblique, lower and upper muscles. This workout is best done after a cardio workout. Perform this four times a week for 3 sets 15 repetitions for each leg.
Stand hips width apart and place your hands above your head. Keep your body straight from feet to hands. Raise your left knee and press it against your stomach, lower your right hand and make your right elbow meet your left knee. Return to starting position and repeat this for 15 times and switch to your right knee.
Side Bends
This workout is great for melting away the muffin top and toning your sides. This will also help tone the lower back and help with back pain. You can perform this exercise 4 times a week for 30 reps for 2 sets. You can add weights to this to add more intensity to the workout.
Stand shoulder width apart and keep your back straight. Place your hand on your sides in your hips, palm facing your body. This will be your starting position, stop exercising if you feel any discomfort or pain. Slowly slide on of your hand down your hips to your knee. Keep your body bent for a few seconds and return to original position. This is one repetition, repeat this one the other side.
Standing Core Stabilization
This exercise will work out your sides and upper abdominal area. You can perform this exercise 40 reps for 2 sets or more. You can enhance your workout by holding into a kettle ball or dumbbells.
Stand straight and keep your feet shoulder width apart. Place your arms forward and clasp your hands together. This will be your starting position, twist your body to your right the furthest you can and go back to starting position. Repeat this on the other side. You can also bend your arms and place your hands near your chest.
Dumbbell Chop
This exercise is great for the sides and upper abdominal area. This exercise can be done in 15 reps for each side, for 2 sets. Adding a dumbbell to this workout can help tone the arm muscles and create more resistance.
Stand straight feet hips width apart and bend your knees. Clasp your hands together and extend your arm over your head. This will be your starting position, keep your knees bent. Swipe your arms as if you are chopping a log. This is one repetition, you can amp up this workout by performing a stepping chop. Before performing the chopping motion, take the opposite leg and step to the side. Do this in the opposite direction.
Rotating Deadlift
Perform this for 15 reps per side for 3 sets. This can tone the lower abdominal area and sides.
Stand straight and take one step forward, slightly bend your knees and place your hands behind your head. This will be your starting position. Start the workout by bending your upper body forward until it is parallel to the ground. Return to starting position and twist your body to one side. This will be one repetition, repeat these steps on the opposite direction.
You can always increase the intensity of these workouts by adding in some dumbbells or Kettlebell. When the workout turns too easy, you can increase repetition or sets. Ad in some high intensity exercises between standing Ab exercises to burn more calories. These abdominal exercises are great for people that struggle with back pain, it also works well for the elderly.
