Top Trainer Is “Shocked” By How Hard This Exercise Works Your Abs

Forgotten what a deep abdominal burn feels like? 

Try this and work your abs harder than you thought possible

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If a deep abdominal burn—from your workout, not a hot wings binge—is

 a distant memory, it’s time to exterminate your regular core routine.

 That lack of soreness means that your abs likely adapted to the

 exercises you always throw at them. In turn, you need to shake

 things up to continue to make gains. 

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“I was messing around with bands and I stumbled upon this variation of the

 dead bug exercise,” says Dean Somerset, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist 

from Alberta, Canada. “I did a few sets of it and it sort of shocked me how

 hard it worked my abs.”

As the band resisted dead bug’s name implies, it’s a variation of the dead bug—a bodyweight core exercise which Men’s Health Fitness Advisor Bill Hartman says is one of the best for strengthening your abs. Better abs function, Hartman says, may reduce back pain and translate to improvements in all sports and lifts in the gym. 

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“The dead bug works so well because it trains your abs to really lock down and stabilize your spine so your back doesn’t flex,” says Somerset. “But adding the band overloads the exercise, making your abs work harder than they ever could with bodyweight alone.”

Somerset, who is an injury rehabilitation and prevention expert, also likes the move because it hits your abs hard without compromising your back, a commonly injured area. “A lot of the most popular core exercises put load on the spine and discs in your back,” he says. 

Add it to your routine, and prepare to feel the burn.

Instructions
Loop the midpoint of a resistance band (one with a handle at each end) around a pole or squat rack, about 2-3 feet off the ground.

Lie on your back 2 or 3 feet from and facing away from the anchor point of the band, a handle of the band in each hand.

Raise your legs so that your hips and knees are both bent 90 degrees. Your back should be naturally curved, your hips and upper back touching the floor with a slight arch in your low back.

Keep your shoulders pressed into the ground and raise your arms so that they’re perfectly vertical and in line with your shoulders. The band should be taut, “pulling” your arms back toward the anchor point. This is the start.

Take in a big breath of air and then slowly straighten and lower your right leg down until it’s just above the ground. As you do, slowly blow out all the air in your lungs (that’s when you’ll really feel the burn!). Bring your right leg back to the start, and repeat on your left leg. Do 6-8 reps on each leg (the band should be stretched enough that you can only do that many reps). Do up to 5 sets.