The Awesome Abs Workout

There are planks — and then there are superplanks. Train your abs like you never have before with the next installment of Yahoo Health’s original workout series, Triple Threat. (Photo by Will Mebane, graphic by Priscilla DeCastro/Yahoo Health)

What do your abs have in common with a 13-year-old? They’re both oh so misunderstood.

People tend to lump all of the abs together. But your abs are actually a relatively complex series of distinct muscle groups, each with different functions in the body. They include your deep core muscles (transverse abdominis), side abs (obliques), and six-pack muscle (rectus abdominis).

Most abdominal exercises predominantly work one of these groups. Planks, for example, primarily train the deep ab muscles. Traditional crunches target the upper part of the six-pack muscle.

“If you really want a defined midsection, you need to work all of them,” says fitness expert Adam Rosante, author of The 30-Second Body. “No amount of holding a plank in the world is going to give you a defined six-pack if that’s what you’re after,” he tells Yahoo Health.

One common way to hit every section of the abs is to systematically move through exercises that target each area. For example: Perform side crunches for your obliques, then do some planks for the deep abs, and so forth. That works, Rosante says — but it’s also a big time suck.

A better approach: Choose exercises that work two or three sections of the core at once. This is not only more time-efficient, but also more functional, Rosante says. Exercises such as the power plank and X dog (shown below) train your abs in a way that’s similar to how you use them — any time you pick up your niece, kick a soccer ball, or haul a suitcase around the airport. “You’re actually moving through planes of motion that mimic movement patterns of life,” he explains. “That’s translatable strength.”

In Rosante’s original workout for Yahoo Health, each exercise hits multiple abdominal muscle groups for a superefficient core-sculpting circuit.

“A body that’s well-balanced and moves well from all angles is one that’s going to look great from all angles — and stand the test of time in terms of avoiding injuries,” Rosante says. “When you train for functional strength, an ancillary benefit is a smoking-hot body.” For the best ab-revealing results, pair this core circuit with a healthy diet and a full-body fat-loss workout plan, he adds.

Related: 4 Moves to Build Lean Muscle Without Weights

How to do this workout: Perform 12 reps of each exercise on both sides of the body, then immediately jump into the next exercise with minimal rest. After one round (all three exercises), rest for up to a minute; repeat for a total of three rounds. Do the workout three times per week on nonconsecutive days.

1. Power plank

This is not your average plank. (Photos by Will Mebane)

Start in a plank position with your elbows on the ground beneath your shoulders and your forearms pressed against the floor. Your body should form a straight line. Lift your hips and draw your knee to your chest, pause, then return to the plank. Alternate knees with each rep. Perform 12 reps per leg (24 total).

Related: 7 Easy Pilates Moves for a Beginner Core Workout

2. Under the bridge

This move hits multiple ab muscle groups at a time.

Lie on your left side. Stack your feet on top of each other. Prop yourself up with your left hand and raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Raise your right arm to the sky. This is the starting position. Rotate at your waist to thread your right arm underneath your body; reverse the movement to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Complete all of the reps on one side, then switch.

3. X dog

This particular move trains your abs in a way similar to how you naturally use them in real-life settings.

Get down on your hands and knees. Reach your left arm toward the wall in front of you; straighten your right leg and reach your foot toward the wall behind you. This is the starting position. Bend your right knee and windmill your left arm behind you to touch your fingertips to your shoe (or get as close as you can). Reverse the movement. Perform all of the reps on one side, then switch sides.

Read This Next: 5 Fat-Burning Body Weight Exercises

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