Having a flat stomach and firm abs is a normal desire of every person. You can develop strength and strengthen the abdominal muscles with the help of well-known twists. If you do the exercise technically correctly and monitor your diet, you can achieve the desired results. The press is easy to train. There are a huge number of abdominal exercises that are modified versions of straight or reverse crunches. They are recommended to absolutely everyone - from beginners to pros. Crunches are an effective basic exercise for pumping abdominal muscles and developing strength.
Despite the fact that several joints are not involved in the work, all parts of the press receive the load. It is necessary to work it out not only because it is admired by the opposite sex, but also because of maintaining a healthy posture and spine. Also, the abdominal muscles form a strong muscular corset, which increases endurance when performing heavy basic exercises (squats, presses, deadlifts).
Due to its simplicity and accessibility, the exercise can be performed both in the gym and at home or on vacation. The main thing is to know the technique and practical advice on how to do it, so as not to waste time.
Technique for performing twisting lying
Since the main purpose of the abdominal muscle is to bend the torso, bringing the shoulder girdle closer to the pelvis, it is necessary to curl up when working on the press, and not rise up.
A lot of beginners make mistakes in pumping the press, lifting the body up on an automatic machine with constant cheating, or hammer on the muscles after a couple of hard workouts. So it will not be possible to achieve a distinct embossed corset of the abdomen, the muscles must be dealt with systematically and correctly.
1. Straight twists
With straight twists, the bulk of the load falls on the area of the upper press, but its lower part and oblique muscles are also not deprived of attention.
- Get into a supine position.
- Bend your knees at right angles so that your feet are firmly on the floor with your entire sole.
- Place your hands behind your head on the back of your head, with your elbows apart.
- Another variant of the position of the hands is possible - on the chest.
- Inhale and, with a held breath, smoothly begin to tear off the shoulder blades from the floor, twisting in the body. Work should be focused on the abdominal muscles.
- At the top point, take a second delay and strain the muscles being worked out with all your might.
- Exhale and also smoothly return to the starting position.
- Before performing the next approach, take a subtle pause and loosen your muscles a little.
- You can modify the exercise by fixing your legs at a 90-degree angle while stationary on a bench.
2. Diagonal twists
Straight crunches can be easily turned into diagonal ones, which will accentuate the load on the lower intercostal oblique muscles of the press. To do this, when lifting the body up, the left elbow should be directed to the right knee, and on the next rise, the right elbow should be directed to the left knee.
This exercise option is undesirable for female representatives, since the oblique muscles of the abdomen will visually make the waist wider. And men need to be careful with diagonal twists and use them extremely rarely as an additional load. Their long-term performance stimulates muscle growth in the region of the lower ribs.
If you perform the classic twists correctly, they will be enough to work out all the muscles of the press, including oblique ones, and you will not need the option of diagonal twists.
3. Reverse crunches
Reverse crunches are used as the opposite of the classic traditional crunches. It consists in bringing the legs and body closer together.
- Get into a supine position.
- Stretch your arms along the body or place them behind your head.
- Raise your legs with your knees bent at an angle of 90 degrees.
- Inhale, tighten your abs and begin to lift your pelvis and bring your knees to the chest area, thereby twisting in the body.
- At the end of the amplitude, exhale and smoothly return to the starting position.
- Take a short break, loosen the muscles, and begin the next repetition.
After training the press, you should not forget about stretching it. To stretch your abdominal muscles as much as possible, lie face down on the floor. From this position, resting on your palms and without lifting the pelvis from the floor, lift the body up. Stretch out to the side-altar and stay in this state for about 1 to 2 minutes.
Useful tips when pumping up the press
Very often, when performing twists, athletes try to bring the body as close as possible to the knees, while lifting their backs off the floor as much as possible. In this version, the press is not fully loaded, the work is shifted to the lower back, which in the long run will lead to unpleasant consequences. When done correctly, the back is rounded and the lower half of the spine does not come off the floor at all.
During twisting, you cannot take your elbows forward, otherwise the head will involuntarily stretch with your hands and the intensity of the load will decrease. It is worth making sure that the body smoothly comes off the floor and also smoothly returns to its original position, without a hint of jerking. It is very important to maintain the correct breathing technique when performing any exercise, including when swinging the press. The generally accepted rule is to exhale with effort, that is, at the moment when the maximum load is overcome. Holding your breath during the lifting phase will allow you to tighten the abdominal muscles more and keep the spine in a safe position. If you exhale while lifting, your lower back will relax.
A short pause in the upper phase must be present. It will create maximum performance efficiency and allow you to feel the peak tension of the muscles being worked out.
Opinions about when to perform abdominal exercises were divided, some believe that you need to pump it at the very beginning of the workout in order to disperse the blood and prepare yourself for basic exercises, others argue that before performing heavy basic exercises, the core muscles should not be tired, therefore they recommend pay attention to the press at the end of the workout. Both statements are equally equal, so it is necessary to allocate for the abdominal muscles or a separate workout or work out as it is convenient for the body.
Everyone can pump up the press, but it will be visible only to those who have a small percentage of subcutaneous fat. Everything ingenious is simple: in order to achieve a beautiful, sculpted torso of 6 cubes, systematic exercises for this muscle group and appropriate nutrition are necessary.
Video about the technique of performing twisting lying for pumping the press:
