Following his video outlining the old-school strongman tricks that still work for building muscle, Athlean-X founder Jeff Cavaliere C.S.C.S. is back to demonstrate five exercises for developing your abs that have been around for decades and have stood the test of time.
First up: the dragon thrust. This exercise all about stability, as you focus on keeping your torso rigid while you extend it out. Cavaliere considers it kind of an “anti-plank,” as it engages the glutes and posterior chain muscles instead of the anterior chain muscles. “This is going to be easier for someone who’s starting out,” he says.
Second is the ab scissor. Start by sitting at the end of a bench and reclining until your pelvis is in a posterior tilt, extend your legs, and then raise them up one at a time so they’re at a right angle to your torso, creating a definitive squeeze. There are a number of benefits to this move, says Cavaliere, including placing less strain on the lumbar spine than some supine (laying down) exercises, and it keeps tension on the abs throughout the entire movement.
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Third is the seated broomstick twist, a classic bodybuilder move which Cavaliere has updated to make it safer on your back. “It’s not just about simply twisting as fast as you can,” he says. “It’s about feeling what you’re supposed to feel, which is targeting your obliques.” Sit at a posterior tilt and round your thoracic spine, then you’ll only need rotations of around 20 degrees to really engage your obliques.
Fourth is the single-side dumbbell carry. As Cavaliere has previously pointed out, unilateral movements can work your core harder than when you’re lifting weights on both sides. When you pick up one dumbbell, in order to stabilize and keep the shoulders level, you are forced to contract the opposite side of your body. “Maintain a stable pelvis, maintain a stable shoulder positioning,” says Cavaliere, “and walk as far and as long as you can.”
Fifth and final is the captain’s chair. While leg raises or knee raises on a hanging bar will put a lot of pressure is going on the wrists, the captain’s chair distributes that across the forearm allowing you to focus on working your abs with bicycle twists and straight leg raises. “The fact is, you’re going to be able to get more quality repetitions out here because of this device, taking the demands off of your grip, and putting it all where it’s supposed to be,” says Cavaliere.
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