If you’re looking for the best ab workouts at home, the good news is that there are a wide variety of movements that will help you achieve that goal. Those below are all designed to target the muscles in your midsection, and they can be done with or without weights.
- Plank
- Bicycle crunch
- Leg raises
- Ab wheel roll-outs
- Russian twists
But we all know about those. What are a few science-backed tips to get the best ab workouts at home?
Training effects of foam rolling
It does not appear that the foam roller affects muscle performance and core stability, at least with 8 weeks of foam roller massage.
However, the study shows that the foam roller increases the range of motion in the lower back. If you want to improve your ROM, you should foam roll.
Integrated compared to isolated ab workouts at home
Isolated core workouts are better than integrated core exercises for hypertrophy. If you want to improve your core strength and build your body, you need to spend a lot of time doing isolated core exercises. Otherwise:
- core exercises that mimic daily tasks are better at improving performance than isolated core exercises
- unstable surfaces and external resistance leads to greater muscle activation.
Competitive collegiate dancers
ADIM training improves core stabilization training improves pirouettes, balance, strength, and core performance.
Plank and side plank injury rate
And when you do get back outside, there is some evidence that core muscles help prevent injury. But more research is needed to determine whether plank position matters for soccer players.
HIIT on abdominal and visceral fat
HIIT effectively reduces body fat, so long as the exercise is done at >90% of maximum heart rate and is sustainable.
The study also suggests that HIIT is more effective than moderate-intensity exercise when losing body fat, especially abdominal fat.
Given that running is more effective than cycling in the fat loss department and HIIT is more effective than moderate-intensity exercise, HIIT running > HIIT cycling. So mixup your Peloton work.
The magnitude of the HIIT effect on body fat seems to be pretty small, though (5-8%). In other words, if you do a HIIT workout and then eat crap, it’s not like you’re going to lose 5-8% of your body fat. That said, HIIT is still probably the best way to work out because it’s the most time-efficient.
