There are so many reasons why you would want to get into exercising, whether it before appearance or health-related matters.

This is by no means the most comprehensive list of exercises you’ll find, but it’s a good place to start, nonetheless.

Let’s kick it.

The Plank

The tried and true abdominal exercise that has surpassed generations. When most people think ab exercises, they’ll immediately think of either sit-ups or the good old plank. There really isn’t much to it, and you can either do it with your arms straight, or bent (like in the above image) but to get you started here are some pointers:

• Keep your elbows directly under your shoulders as you suspend yourself.
• Try and maintain a straight spine while distributing your body weight evenly from your feet and arms.
• Make sure all your joint areas straight as possible.

Do not keep your spine arched in a suspended position, that’s a good way to get a backache real fast.

The Side Plank

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The side plank takes a similar approach to the regular plank but instead focuses on the sides of your abdominal muscles, giving you a more consistent tone. This can be done with or without weights, it’s up to you, and how much you think you can handle. Here are some tips to get you going.

• Your free hand can either support the weights (if you’re using them), be placed on your hip, or even up in the air making your body into a T-pose of sorts.
• Make sure your hips are raised so your body forms a straight line.
• If you’re having some difficulty, instead of bearing the weight on your feet, you can use your knees instead.  

Repeat this on both sides for optimal results.

The Leg Raise

Now this one is really going to fire up those abs if the previous two haven’t already. There are no better weights to exercise with than your own body, and especially for men who have much heavier bodies on average. This exercise really tones the abs as much as it can be quite difficult at times. We got some tips for you just in case:

• While laying flat on your back, lift and drop your legs SLOWLY. It’s much harder but you’ll find that you get better results when you don’t leverage momentum to move your legs.
• Make sure your feet DO NOT touch the ground as you lower your legs.

The Classic Sit-Up

You’ve all probably already heard about the boons of the sit-up, but some people tend to overdo it just a tad. While you can see macho men all over film and media able to do a plethora of different sit-ups, all while sitting all the way up to their knees, this can be a bad idea spine-wise. Most of the time, you only need to raise yourself so much that your shoulders are off the floor. Either way, here are some knowledge bombs to get you going.

• Keep your feet under something sturdy, (or even have a partner to hold your feet down) as the counterweight can make life a little easier for your abs.
• Hopefully, you’d have learned a thing or two about getting your abs into the shape that you want them to. All you must do is do some exercises on a regular basis and have a well-balanced diet; you’ll be well on your way to be coming an ab aficionado.

For more great content on staying in shape

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