Ab exercises for men and women

Exercising on the bar will allow you to get abs of steel. It is on the horizontal bar that you can optimally pump up the oblique abdominal muscles, and in addition, the spinal column is aligned. With regular training up to 3 times a week, the result will appear in the form of an elastic stomach, toned sides, and even posture. This is already a reason to include exercises for pumping up the ab on the horizontal bar in your training program.

What muscles work

• In addition, the abdominal muscles are included in the work: deltoid, pectoral, brachioradialis, latissimus muscles.
• Will load: biceps, triceps, shoulder girdle.

Useful tips

Historically, men work on the horizontal bar, although for girls, practicing on the horizontal bar is no less effective. Classes will help not only to get closer to the treasured six-pack, but also to destroy gender stereotypes in sports.

For your training to be productive, it is useful to learn a few rules:

1. Before performing exercises on the bar for the ab, we warm up the muscles and ligaments. We bend over, swing our legs, squat, rotate our heads and hands. Read more about warming up →
2. To avoid injury, it is important to grip the horizontal bar correctly. We grab the bar with an overhand grip, placing our hands shoulder-width apart. We fix the position with our thumbs from below.
3. We follow the rhythm of breathing: as we exhale, we raise our legs, and lower them synchronously with the inhalation.
4. Avoid sudden movements and body swaying.

For beginners It’s better to start with negative pull-ups. We place a support under the crossbar so that the chin is above the stick. We climb on top, bend our knees and elbows, and lower ourselves. We try to stay suspended for 30 seconds. On a high horizontal bar, you can work with a partner who will hold your hips, helping with the rise. If after 2 weeks of training, he still cannot do a pull-up, we buy a high-strength rubber expander.

It is important to strengthen your grip strength. We place our hands in a comfortable position, and hang for 15 seconds (4 sets). We are constantly increasing our time. After the muscles have adapted, you can attach a weight to the belt. We select a number of approaches based on personal feelings. The values ​​given below are indicative. For the first time, girls need 3-5 pull-ups, men are better off starting with 12 reps. Between sets we pause for 2-3 minutes.

Top 6 exercises on the abdominal bar

1. “Frog”

Classic technique of exercise for the lower abs on the horizontal bar.

• It will get rid of folds on the stomach and tighten the buttocks.
• Stimulating blood flow in the pelvis promotes erection.

Technique:

1. Hanging on the horizontal bar, we pull the bent legs towards the stomach;
2. after a 3-second pause, slowly raise it to the chest.

Making it more difficult: after the next delay, we move our knees to our chin and try to stay longer.

• Men commit 15 times in 4 approaches.
• Girls 2 times less.

With each workout, increase the number of pull-ups by 1 rep.

2. Hanging Leg Raises for Abs

Exhausting practice for the lower abs.
Recommended for experienced athletes as an alternative to knee raises.

1. We cling to the crossbar. If your grip is weak, the straps will come in handy.
2. With a strong movement from a free hang, we pull straight legs horizontally upward to the optimal height. To increase tension, we lift together with the pelvis.
3. After a pause, return to the starting position.

If you get bored pull your knees up until they touch the elbow joints.

When the body relaxes, a burning sensation should be felt throughout the body. To “finish off” the abs, hold the “corner” until your palms begin to unclench.

Girls perform with bent knees. To comfortably go through the lifting phase, first slightly move the limbs back.

This technique on the abdominal bar is performed at the beginning of the program. — 15-20 repetitions in 3-4 sets.

3. U-turns

Standard hanging crunches pump up the oblique abdominal muscles.

1. We pull our knees to our chest like in a “frog”;
2. We turn the body to the left and right sides.

Practice is irrelevant for girls because it smoothes outside curves and the waist becomes flat (30 x 3).

4. Pirouette

Advanced exercise for men to develop strength and abdominal muscles.

1. We cling to the crossbar with a medium straight grip;
2. raise the body until the chin crosses the bar;
3. throw our legs up;
4. We perform a lift with an inversion, hanging on outstretched arms.

5. Exercise “Windshield wipers”, “bicycle” or “tick-tock”

1. In the canopy position, we raise our legs at an angle of 45⁰ (to the pelvic line).
2. Alternately move the left and right to the sides without holding your breath.
3. Alternative – imitation of cycling. Don’t forget to increase the amplitude of your swings.
4. We pull the body up, crossing the limbs (“scissors”) as we go.
5. Option for the prepared – We stretch our toes towards the bar.
6. We leave one brush on the bar, and the other on the side. The lower the hand position, the more difficult the work. We are trying to raise our legs with a “corner”.

6. Upside down

To load the upper abs, hang upside down.

1. We press the bar with our knees.
2. We are trying to pull the body towards them.
3. At the point where the body bends, we pause for a second.
4. With your hands folded at the back of your head, you can make turns to the sides.

For athletes with muscles of steel, There are special devices that allow you to hang upside down and lift your torso from the bottom position. Read more about gravity boots →

For greater effect, wear a vest with a load. The main thing is not to overexert yourself, to maintain consistency in increasing the pace.

Conclusion

How quickly you can pump up your abs using just a horizontal bar at home depends on each individual; do hanging exercises regularly during training and the result will come in the form of strong abdominal muscles and a beautiful figure.

And also read how to pump up a man’s abs at home →
Abdominal exercises for girls at home →
Top abdominal exercises →