My #1 Ab Exercise Choice & Why

This hits the 6-pack, the lower abs, and the hip flexors!

The challenge of coaching 30-40 students at a time has made me rethink the ATG system in terms of:

1. Can I realistically buy and store ten of these?

2. Can I scale the exercise to all the students?

3. Is there a satisfying and measurable target?

So here’s my verdict for the abs, and why…

Hanging ab straps are affordable and easy to store, plus you can work on this with just a bar - no straps needed!

It gives a satisfying goal of knees to triceps (back of arms), but all my students can start at some level!

To be clear, the form is:

-Balls of feet on floor

-Pull elbows down as you drive knees up

-Lower down, and repeat

It doesn’t matter how high you go: Train it, recover, and repeat, aiming for long-term progress.

The 6-pack is well known and gets hit hard by this.

But so do the lower abs and hip flexors!

Strength below the belly button is a modern weak point, making this very helpful for running speed and lower back stability.

My fastest athletes can readily get to 20 full reps!

That’s an outstanding goal which puts anyone above the norm for this ability.

At that point, I suggest maintaining that, or, for more extreme goals, trying the following form:

-Balls of feet on floor

-Pull elbows down as you drive knees to triceps

-Straighten your legs!

-Then lower down, and repeat

So we’ve got something that’s:

-Accessible

-Scalable

-Measurable

That’s a winner for my students, and for me!

Broader Context:

In the ATG system we’re already developing leg muscles and hip flexibility, so the Full Knee Raise is a well-suited complement to PICK UP those improved legs.

Conclusion:

Exercise is one of the beautiful freedoms of life and I love every exercise YOU enjoy.

My personal purpose in life is to help the next generation. That forces me to sharpen accessible, scalable, and measurable systems.

The byproduct of that is a system which is also particularly advantageous for home training, since you don’t need any bulky or expensive machines!

But don’t let the simplicity fool you.

A common denominator I’m finding in studying many of the world’s most stunning athletic transformations:

SIMPLE AND ACCESSIBLE PLANS (then getting really good at them!)

So there’s a beauty in finding tools that are both realistic for anyone to apply, yet good enough for those who are willing to pay the most for their exercise.

And this is one of those tools.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

For the American-made hanging ab straps in this article, as well as the flexible, foot-shaped shoes I’m wearing: atgequipment.com

For my up-to-date, full-body program (“Exercise Skills For Life”): atgonlinecoaching.com