Since the 2020 pandemic, many people have become accustomed to exercising more at home. Some have even incorporated this routine into their daily lives. For this reason, a number of personal trainers have emerged, offering workout routines to help people do them from home. According to personal trainer Tyler Read, a well-designed standing exercise routine can define the abdomen in 30 days. An exercise routine combined with a balanced diet is key to achieving physical results, and let’s not forget the mental benefits as well.
The movements we will explain now strengthen the abdominal muscles and, at the same time, activate the rest of the body
The abdominal muscles are among the most difficult to work and see results from, as they depend on many factors such as diet, body type, genetics, hormonal changes, and so on. Therefore, there are a number of exercises recommended to strengthen this area. For example, the obliques are the muscles located on the sides of the abdomen that, when well-defined, form an almost perfect V shape. The movements we will explain now strengthen the abdominal muscles and, at the same time, activate the rest of the body, burning more calories and improving posture. It’s important to keep in mind that this is a crucial muscle group because it provides stability and balance, improves posture, and allows the torso to perform rotational and lateral flexion movements.
According to Tyler Read, standing exercises are a great way to work your abs. When you’re standing, your core works harder to keep you stable. This constant activation helps flatten your stomach, improve balance, and make you feel stronger overall. For example, there’s the standing wood chop, which involves holding a weight or even a water bottle and twisting your torso up and down, simultaneously activating your abdominal and oblique muscles. The chopping motion mimics everyday movements, making it functional and effective for slimming your waist. It’s important to note that you should stop the exercise if you experience any discomfort and consult a qualified professional, as some exercises, if not performed correctly, can cause even minor injuries.
Improvement in stability and balance
You can also try the standing oblique stretch. This exercise lengthens and tones the sides of your torso, essential for abdominal development. By bending to one side with an overhead stretch, you activate your obliques as you stretch them. It’s a controlled movement that helps define your waist. Among the benefits of doing standing abdominal exercises is the improvement in stability and balance. When performing standing abdominal exercises, you activate not only your core muscles but also your body’s stabilizers, such as the muscles in your legs and back.
It also protects the lower back by promoting proper stabilization
Other exercises you can do include the standing knee-to-elbow twist. This exercise, which involves bringing your elbow towards your opposite knee, strengthens the deep core muscles and improves rotational strength. If done consistently, it also protects the lower back by promoting proper stabilization. You can add standing side crunches or standing marches with twists to your routine, as well as standing side leg raises with reach. In this last exercise, you lift one leg out to the side while extending your arm towards it. This exercise combines balance, hip strength, and abdominal activation in a single movement. It’s especially good for working the obliques, as well as the hips and lower back.
Finally, the benefits of this type of exercise are numerous, considering its low impact. For example, these exercises simulate everyday movements, making them a functional exercise; there is greater muscle activation, as explained above, because you are standing, engaging more muscle groups in the movement, including glutes, quadriceps, and lower back muscles; posture is improved since working the core while standing promotes better body alignment and can help correct postural imbalances, as it forces you to maintain an upright posture during the exercise and aids in calorie burning. Due to the involvement of multiple muscle groups, standing abdominal exercises can increase calorie expenditure compared to traditional floor exercises, while also activating cardiovascular function.
