Ab exercises
70 exercises in GymVim train the abs as their primary muscle. 36 are rated beginner, 27 intermediate and 7 advanced.
Exercises
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Abs with
Other muscles
- Glutes, 125 exercises
- Quads, 122 exercises
- Lats, 68 exercises
- Front Delts, 65 exercises
- Chest, 63 exercises
- Traps, 39 exercises
- Hamstrings, 38 exercises
- Biceps, 31 exercises
- Triceps, 30 exercises
- Calves, 25 exercises
- Side Delts, 17 exercises
- Forearms, 16 exercises
- Upper Back, 13 exercises
- Rear Delts, 11 exercises
- Adductors, 9 exercises
- Lower Back, 8 exercises
About the abs
The abdominal wall is layered. The rectus abdominis runs vertically down the front and bends the trunk forward. The external and internal obliques run diagonally along the sides and produce rotation and side bending. Deepest is the transverse abdominis, which wraps around the waist and does not move the spine at all; it tightens the trunk like a belt.
Those layers map onto three kinds of exercise. Flexion movements, such as crunches and leg raises, shorten the rectus abdominis under load. Rotation movements, such as twists and chops, train the obliques through their line of pull. Anti-movement holds, of which the plank is the plainest example, ask the whole wall to resist being pulled out of position rather than to produce motion. The third category is also what the abdominals do during heavy squatting, pressing and carrying, where their job is to stop the spine moving.
Good to know
- How many ab exercises does GymVim have?
- 70 exercises train the abs as their primary muscle. Every one has a video, step-by-step instructions and the mistakes people actually make, free in the app.
- What equipment do ab exercises need?
- The most common are bodyweight, dumbbell, barbell, cable machine. 32 of the 70 need no equipment at all.
- Are there beginner ab exercises?
- Yes. 36 of the 70 are rated beginner, 27 intermediate and 7 advanced. The filters at the top of this page narrow the list to one level.