Bauer
Level 8 Valued Member
Hi folks,
my apologies if this has been posted before.
Inside the Muscles: Best Ab Exercises | T Nation
Bret Contreras tested a variety of exercises (incl. Chin Ups, Deadlifts etc.) and measured peak and mean activation of four muscle groups: lower rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, and erector spinae. Pros: Seems valid. Cons: Single Case Study - so less generalizability.
In this limited study the best exercises for ab work were hanging leg raises, chin ups, ab wheel and the bodysaw (all of them did much better than the traditional plank and even the hardstyle plank).
However:
TGU really seems to be a great GPP exercise: you build a lot of strength in all kinds of directions![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
my apologies if this has been posted before.
Inside the Muscles: Best Ab Exercises | T Nation
Bret Contreras tested a variety of exercises (incl. Chin Ups, Deadlifts etc.) and measured peak and mean activation of four muscle groups: lower rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, and erector spinae. Pros: Seems valid. Cons: Single Case Study - so less generalizability.
In this limited study the best exercises for ab work were hanging leg raises, chin ups, ab wheel and the bodysaw (all of them did much better than the traditional plank and even the hardstyle plank).
However:
The kettlebell community has praised the core-activating benefits of the Turkish Get Up (TGU) for many years. It's taken quite a while for some strength coaches to catch on but nowadays most coaches are having their athletes perform the TGU in their warm-ups. The TGU was the only exercise in this experiment that had over 100% peak activation in all four core muscles that were tested. Good job kettlebellers!
TGU really seems to be a great GPP exercise: you build a lot of strength in all kinds of directions