Do you want to tone or strengthen your core? If yes, the standing abs exercises are just perfect. These standing abs exercises increase the challenge of traditional abs exercises as it adds gravity as well as balance into the mix. These exercises also help in improving your posture, and also your balance. These standing abs exercises resemble the way we move our body during our day-to-day activities.
6 Best Standing Abs Exercises
Standing abs exercises are really great where your entire core muscles work together, right from your back to the hips. These exercises help you develop core strength as while doing these moves, you have to engage the abs so as to stand tall and stable and they really challenge your abs and the body balance. In addition to this, in case you have hip flexor or neck pain when you do the core workout, the standing abs exercises would be really a great alternative for you.
We will talk about 6 major standing abs exercises that must be done in a sequence with 10 seconds of rest interval in between. Each of the exercises must be done for 45 seconds. You might require some exercising equipment or objects, such as medicine ball or a dumbbell or any other weighted object such as, water bottles or books.
For those experiencing any medical conditions or those with joint problems, it is better to seek medical advice before doing these. If you experience any pain while performing these standing abs exercises, it is important to check with your doctor.
Standing Pike Crunch – Standing pike crunch is one of the easiest standing abs exercise that is to be done for 45 seconds. Hip flexors and the downward muscles are worked upon in this workout.
Raise one leg right in front of you to your waist-height and stretch your arms right overhead and draw them down so as to touch the raised foot. Slowly put the foot back down and raise your arms up again.
Keep doing this as you swing your legs slowly while touching your foot with the arms. Make sure that you stretch down towards the foot in a slow controlled motion, and also have slow controlled motion while you drop your leg down. Switch the sides and repeat the same.
Captain Morgan Diagonal Pass – After doing the standing pike crunch, rest for 10 seconds and then begin the next standing abs exercise, i.e. Captain Morgan Diagonal pass for next 45 seconds. This is one of the most favorite standing abs exercises for many. You would require a medicine ball, or dumbbell or any other weighted object.
Raise your left leg bent at the knee, holding the medicine ball.
Slowly bring the ball from over the top of the right side of the right shoulder towards the outer side or the left side of the left knee (or the knee of the raised leg); in a way that the ball makes a diagonal path from top to the bottom. Do it in a slow controlled motion. Rotate your shoulders as you move.
Rotate the shoulders to the right when the ball goes up and rotate them to the left when the ball comes down. Switch sides and repeat the same.
Jumping Oblique Twist – Rest for 10 seconds after performing the Captain Morgan diagonal pass and then begin the next move and that is, the Jumping oblique twist for next 45 seconds. This too is one of the best standing abs exercises.
For doing this, stand straight and then twist your waist or rotate around your torso with half in back and forth the feet.
Keep your arms right in front of you with fingers of both the hands interlocked with each other.
You need to rock your hips as much as possible. Make the motion as quick as possible and only land on your toes.
Torso Rotation – Torso rotation is the next standing abs exercise that is to be performed for 45 seconds after 10 seconds of rest from jumping oblique twist. The muscles that are worked upon while doing this standing abs exercise include the obliques (while moving towards the sides), the lower back muscles (while leaning forward) and the downward muscles (while swinging down). This exercise works on the entire core. Torso rotation is a stretching exercise.
Keeping your legs as well as your back perfectly straight, slowly lean backwards and swing in down towards the right side, then swing down to the center, and slowly swing up to the left side until you are fully straight.
Again leaning back little bit, pass in the reverse direction, so swing down towards the left side, then swing down to the center and slowly swing up to the right side until you are fully straight
High Knee Chops – After performing the torso rotation for 45 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and then move to the next standing abs exercise, and that is the high knee chops. Here the muscles that are worked upon, include the hip flexor and the downward muscles. This too is one of the most effective standing abs exercises.
Raise your right knee to waist-height and bring your hands (hands joined with fingers of both the hands interlocked with each other) right from the top over the left shoulders down towards the right side of the right hip.
Then take your right foot down to the touch the floor with the toes slightly behind your body and simultaneously take your hands right to the top over the left shoulders up again.
Keep this motion, going on in a well-controlled, nice and quick manner. Switch sides and repeat the same.
Waist Pinchers – One of the best standing abs exercises also includes the waist pinchers. Here the obliques muscles work while you perform the waist pinchers.
Place your left arm on the left hip for proper support and balance. Take your right arm up and take the right knee towards your side and then raise the right knee up slowly, while simultaneously crunching the right hand downwards, so that the right elbow touches your right thigh.
You must keep this motion slow, steady and very much controlled; by barely touching the ground. Keep your knee out to the side as much as possible.
Once done with this, switch the sides and repeat the same with your left arm up and left knee towards the side and raising the left knee up slowly up to your waist-height, and simultaneously crunching the left shoulders and the left elbow down towards the left thigh.
Make sure you keep slow, steady and well controlled motion all throughout the workout.
Conclusion:
Above we talked about some of the best standing abs exercises that would help you in getting perfect abs. However, it must be noted that not all exercises are appropriate for everyone. So, before performing the exercises, it is always essential for you to take into account some factors such as flexibility, your body’s strength, health condition and your age. It is also important for you to do these standing abs exercises under the supervision of a fitness trainer and also only if you are fit enough to perform the workouts.
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