The most effective Ab Workouts will include progressive strength training taking the all the ab muscles (rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, quadratus lumborum) through a full range of motion.
Train with us on Ganbaru - www.ganbarumethod.com
Check out Alec - / alecblenis
While Planks are a very popular exercise, they’re probably the most ineffective exercise for strengthening and building your ab muscles. In this video Alec Blenis shows me his favourite exercises and the techniques he uses to strengthen his core.
How to do this without a GHD? You need the following 1. Anchor point for your hips/waist. A Bosu Ball, Exercise Ball or even an adjustable bench (lay crossways to it) work well. 2. Anchor point for your feet. Get a little creative around your gym, but even a pair of heavy dumbbells can work well. As for the Reverse Crunch, you can do this simply on a flat bench, grabbing onto the end with your arms. OR, depending how crowded your gym is, pull it up to a rack/smith machine to grab onto the bar. I'll record some videos for you and post to my Shorts soon! Hope you guys enjoyed the video, and if you want to train with Alec, you can check out his hybrid programs over at bit.ly/alecblenis
please record if you can! highly appreciate it
-Sissy squat for anchor -if power rack or smith machine pins low enough set up barbell at lowest point w a pad over it
@@nnnnnnnnnnnnmmm I second this!
We need a video without GHD
So sorry to bring a downer on this really interesting video with good exercises Eugene but the bit about adding weight does worry me because of my back problems due to heavy ab training when I was younger & dumber. I particularly don't like the look of exercise 4 with the recommended heavy weight - it sets up large shearing forces on the discs. I actually regard heavy ab work (including exercises 4 & 5 - they're not new) as being more responsible (than heavy squats/deadlifts) for my many years of back problems with several back operations. I ended up with total disc collapses at L5 - S1 & L4 - L5 levels and a further 20 years of neuropathic pain (a particular type of nerve pain) throughout the lower back and upper glute areas - this still hasn't totally gone away but I am back at the gym doing what I can and being very careful. My advice would be to see what benefit changing exercises brings before adding any weight But if adding weight is really necessary, i.e. your ab muscles lack size, then please just use small amounts of weight with small increments. I'd rather I had the fattest gut in the gym & still worked out than had many years of severe pain & no workouts.
0:15 - GHD Sit-Up 3:58 - Reverse GHD Sit-Up 5:55 - GHD Dragon Flag 6:39 - Cable Twist 8:45 - Dynamic Cable Twist 10:33 - 45° Side Bend Thanks for the legendary content as always Eugene
Youre doing gods work👌
@@whoknows8223 haha appreciate it
Not all heroes wear capes. Thank you good sir 🫡
probably the best ab video online ever
Thank you! 🙏 Alec is an excellent coach and teacher
EXACTLY
Didn't Heineken make that video? 😋
If your Gym has a GHD that is :(
Totally agree! These are great, I'm pumped to put these into my workout. Thanks for Alec and Eugene for the great content!
The GHD is a rare bird, I've never seen one in the wild. You guys should have included alternatives for those who don't have access to a GHD.
Just posted alternative set ups to the pinned comment!
MVP behaviour
I love to use a medicine ball!
@@coacheugeneteo Was really hoping for a video for the alternate setup too :) the text is tricky for non native speakers.
It just means people need to raise awareness to gym leaders.. err I mean gym owners. Won't work on your everyday commercial gym, but they should be used by everday people who are not invested in using more advanced gear for their advanced needs.
alec: "up! up! up!" eugene, not moving: "yeah I am" that says it all
Definitely the best core/ ab workout explanations I’ve ever watched
Loved putting this together! Hope your abs have recovered by now Eugene :)
This was awesome, been doing the GHD reverse sit up and kneeling cable twists. They're incredible!
Ready for round 2!
As someone who does leg raises with weights x20 and maxed out every ab machine, THANK YOU! It gets very tiring to do weird set ups. It's not some BS cardio workout. These are just some cool obvious hypertrophic ab movements.
Good luck!
These are high yield gold. Seriously, anyone can just focus on this consistently for a lifetime and build a solid asset core both aesthetically and functionally
Alec is an absolute animal!! And he transmites a pretty calm vibe which is cool
I really like the exercises and the way you explained all of them. Please keep on making videos like these. Its probably one of the best abs videos on youtube❤
2 true professionals showing us how it’s done. Thanks guys!
A follow up video showing adaptability/variations to work on “standard” gym kit would be helpful 👍🏻
Amazing video, Alec sounds like a great trainer / teacher.
Alec is wonderful -- hope to see more of him!
Great. Another one again please.
i was just thinking through what the best ab workiuts would be and this knocks it out of the park. the main principles evrryone should be prioritizing. and i love the 4th exercise, rotational power and that transverse plane is so underrated, especially dor athletes. this and the grip video are gold, keep it up man!!! quickly one of my fav channels
Thank you my friend!
Wow, Alec is so knowledgeable and I really felt like I filled a knowledge gap by watching this video.
He's an excellent coach!
Did GHD sit ups today, and they were brutal in the best way possible
So many fucking bots commenting. Anyways, Alec's core is absolutely insane. Like the only way to describe his core is "beautiful"
This was great! Alec is the goat!
Wow. First I’m going to need a few months of solid pre-core base fitness, but then I’m going to jump in the deep end with these. Thank you for the demonstrations - eye-opening!👏
Just exactly what we needed. Thank you Eugene for always delivering.❤
Thank you! 🙏
What a cool portion of knowledge. Thank You😎
I guarantee this is the best ab workout video ever
Very cool! I have been doing sit ups hanging back completely on the hyper extension machine, very effective and good deep stretch
Good stuff. Never saw anything from you before. But I'm a serious core enthusiast never skip my core and train it 4 days a week. Been looking for a new challenge.
Definitely going to try these
this is superb. So many ideas for exercises. Thank you!
Enjoy!
Alec is a beast. Great video. Vegainz
The ghd stuff is inspirational. Didn't think about using them that way. The side bends though I've been doing it for a while and they make my obliques sore as hell.
Usually, these types of abs exercises in general tend to hurt my back even if I focus on my technique, it still hurts. I'm not a newbie I work out for more than ten years. but still.
Great tips for ABS, will improve my ABS even more! Thx
This is great thanks fellas
I eat my dinner when I watch these videos so I can pretend I'm having dinner with Eugene.
Don't forget to keep your elbows off the table, son
You could find out where he lives and eat outside his front door. Or not.
Great video!
Awesome now I’m trying to recreate that set up on a budget
This is great! I am on week 3 of thick and quick beginner half marathon and loving it.
Awesome name for a program! Do you have a link?
program is here! join.ganbarumethod.com/alec-blenis/
Glad to hear it!
More Alec content thanks
I know you dont do sprinting but i would love to see some content like that too hahaha ❤❤ much love and great videos specially these last months even better !!
3AM life-changing fitness enthusiasts unite!
My gym doesn't have GHD, still doing garhammer raises, which I saw on a different Eugene video. They are also quite good. Thank you
YES! This is PRECISELY what I was looking for! I'll add these to my routine (with some modifications because my gym doesn't have a reverse hyperextension machine) with my favourite: the cable crunch (the GOAT). Firmly believe that bodyweight ab exercises are a waste of time.
Wow... good one
AMAZING CONTENT!
This is great. I always struggled with finding a good Abb stimulus. Am sure to try these. Edit: welp seems I am too weak to properly do most of them
Alec: "Up, up, up" Eugene: "Yeah, I am" 😂😂😂 What a great video, thank you. Will check out Alec's content. Seriously impressive.
John would love this ❤
These exercises are insanely good
These are great exercises. Everyone emphasis lengthened porsion of exercises but abs dodnt get much love as far as I saw. These exercises are great for that. I did know about twist and sidebend but ghd stuff is new for me. Is there a variation without ghd?
Amazing video
Amazing !!!
Alec: Up, up, up! Eugene: Yeah I am *not moving* lol great video! Cant wait to try these exercises!
Great video
With the QL side bends, I've found that putting the hip rest right below hip line recruits more glute med/minimus. Also I know he says hip rest leg in front, but I do it with that leg behind and twisting the torso towards the hip pad. This position I feel, allows the greatest stretchy in the QL muscle.
Twisting as you descend and untwist as you ascend incorporates Obliques training. But holding the twist through the eccentric and concentric is all QL+some glute. I do these fresh then Glute Med,Max,Mini kickbacks after.
That was so dope.
My dad who is 53 has trained body building naturally since he was 15, he reached his genetic peak around 23, but the ONLY muscle group that ever grew was his AB’s whenever he was in his 40’s he started doing dragonflags and he has the best ABs I’ve ever seen naturally. Better than this guys as-well
I'm at the point where I'm close enough to unlock the 7th and 8th ab I'm going for it! Hope to get some gold here!
Alec's core is an alien life form on his body.
Excellent
man, I thought I was getting good range of motion with exercise balls but this is probably the best
Very pleasant to see that these are the exact execises I am already doing with some equipment variation. Just wondering... the sidebend, would it not be possible to do in a cable tower?
we need a video on the back side of the core as well
This guy has watched dr Mike
"Biiigggg stretch"
Im a big Dr. Mike fan. But Dr.Mike has nothing on this guy
This guy has, in my eyes, the perfect body composition and muscle placement And I never realised how much this channel is humble... He rarely shows nude bodies except when he really needs to show muscle definition... But he shows the technique first and always and I appreciate that.
I had been using cable twists for a long time but lately had to take a break because I was getting pain in my left hip/glute/lower back, and it was definitely them causing it. Maybe I'll try to ease into them again cos I do really like them
Hey Eugene, great vid as usual. For the QL side bends, does an incline bench work if you don’t have a 45 degree back extension machine? Or is there any other alternative set ups?
Awesome video, what brand is that GHD?
Oh yea I tell my patient this as well. A topic I wan to cover in near future
Some good stuff here. I never do side bends and don't advise anyone to either though. They're bad for your lumbar spine and can lead to sciatica issues.
dont be an ass-->dont max out on them and you will be just fine (at least if you are healthy😅) you have to position your leg correctly and maybe have it bent otherwise you might very well annoy your sciatic nerve
Just don't overload them too quickly and you'll be fine
I wish my gym had this. I have been doing this exercises on a decline bench 😢
Been doing full dragonflag for almost 15 years and very few things beat that. The tips on the crunch are little gems that can be applied to every kind of situps and crunches (it's best if you can fully extend the rib cage like in this video or with a fitball ). Doing all this plus the side bends always resulted in the best abs (at a specific amount of BF) for me. Training ABS very well makes all the difference in performance ad aestethics specific to a certain BF percentage.
i agree, the dragonflag honestly is one of the best ab exercises that targets your entire abs along with obliques if done correctly along with other parts of the body
Awesomeness yeeeeeees yeeeeeeaaaahhhh yeeeeeees!! 👏😎👏
Holly shit 😅 what a great workout 👌🏻
Can someone provide a link or a searchable product name for the devices they were using to do these ab exercises? I have not seen them in my gym.
I got sore just watching… but I can’t wait to try
I'm gonna love doing the last one and first one if I can. Last one will be good since I need to hit sides a lot harder then I have been
Now THAT is an ab workout blueprint. Thank you Eugene!! May I ask about the rolling whiteboard in the back. Where is that from?
I made it
I wish I had these special props
Any alternatives for those who don't have access to a GHD and Roman chair?
Check the pinned comment!
This is great! I'm afraid of abs as I usually get cramps! Any advice? Thanks!
He looks good... damn good!
Ab roller is my fav...
How does one eliminate hip flexor dominance on crunch variations tho? Especially those reverse crunches, your abs are already stretched out long before you lower your legs, so the bulk of the eccentric just goes straight to your hip flexors and it just becomes an isometric for the abs
This is mental! Can someone call DR MIKE plz, he needs to see this!
I do wish he would release a video for abs. Could really use some options for deep stretch.
Am watching you guys like Bill Lumberg drinks his coffee, except I'm enjoying a frosted mug of cold beer. Cheers.
During the GHD exercise are you just hooking your feet or are you driving down down with your heels( hamstring contraction) to take the hip flexors out of the movement?
5:50 Eugene quietly contemplating his life's choices in the background.
What machine is the one you do those obliques - what brand?
What is the name of the equipment used in the GHD and the side bend?
Dear Eugene! Dear Alec! I am a big fan of your Training videos especially for the abs! I have a little gym back home and I like your glute ham developer in this abs training video. Would you please be so nice to tell me the name an company of this product? Thanks a lot an greetings from Austria! Michael
LEGIT, THE STRETCH, YOU CAN ALSO DO RANDOM CORE EXCERCISE THEN STRETCH IT USING YOGA BALL :)
Is there a way to make a setup similar to the GHD without actually using one, as my gym doesn't have one?
What if you don't have access to a GHD?
Then screw you
You can try similar variations, like some people lay on the floor and hold on to racks to do reverse GHD sit-up
Hyper extension
I figure something like a Bosu ball would allow you to have that lumbar support. Could make it work and many Gyms have one.
Decline situps perhaps
What is the make and model of the GHD used in this video?
I don’t have access to a ham raise machine what’s the limited equipment option?
New subscriber
Would love a beginner level style
Regarding these exercises, how would you include them in a program? I'm thinking one exercise per day in a week with 5 or 6 days of training
Awesome. Now I just need a GHD...