Workout of the upper press. Seated crunches

The embossed belly will be the envy of many. I especially want to have it by the beginning of the beach season. A tucked up and smooth belly - with this it is not a shame to flaunt in an open swimsuit or swimming trunks on the beach, catching curious glances on yourself.

We have already been, and now let's talk about how to pump up the upper press at home and consider a few exercises for the muscles of the upper press.

Physiology

The abdomen consists of several parts:

The abdominal wall, which forms the external and internal oblique, as well as the transverse muscles;
Anterior wall with rectus and pyramidal muscles;
The back wall with the square muscles of the lower back.

To strengthen each component of the press, a certain set of exercises is required. It is worth noting the fact that not everyone succeeds in achieving cubes on their stomachs. And here the matter is not at all in the quantity and quality of training, but in the anatomical structure and genetics of a person.

During the period of pumping up the press, you should take care of proper nutrition. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as different types of dairy products, will help you achieve your expected results faster.

Exercises

In upper abs workouts, don't be fanatical. Choose a convenient time for your classes and follow the schedule. It is necessary to perform the exercises 5-10 times for 2-3 sets.

Swivel twisting

Lie on the floor, put your feet on any comfortable surface (chair, bench or sofa), fold your hands behind your head. Slowly rotate the body to the right and return to the starting position. Then turn left. Do not lift your back off the floor while doing the exercise. To increase the load, you can subsequently put a pancake or a dumbbell under your head;

Straight twist

Lie on the floor with your knees bent and your feet folded so that they do not rise during the exercise. You can get the help of a second person to hold your legs. Fold your arms behind your head or cross over your chest. Raise your torso slowly, lifting only your shoulder blades off the floor. Feeling a slight burning sensation after several repetitions, you can be sure that you are doing the exercise correctly;

The video below demonstrates the basic exercises for pumping the upper press:

Book

Lie on the floor, bend your knees and lift up so that the limbs form a right angle with the body. Cross your arms over your chest. Lift the shoulder blades slightly off the floor, then gently return to the starting position.

The embossed pumped up press is the dream of many and the envy of it. Before the start of the beach season, everyone wants to look fit and slender. A smooth, slender belly and cubed abs are the main indicator of good physical shape - with this you are not ashamed to flaunt in an open swimsuit or swimming trunks on the beach. How to properly pump up the upper abs in order to achieve a slim and beautiful figure?

Upper abs - what is it?

The upper press is not even a separate muscle, it is part of the rectus abdominis muscle - more precisely, this is its upper section. In this article, we bring to your attention a set of exercises for the upper press. This complex, which contains all the best exercises for the press, will allow you to find a flat and toned stomach in a fairly short time.

Most of the exercises suggested here will easily help you build your upper abs at home. Some of the exercises can only be performed in a gym.

The abdominal press can be conditionally subdivided into several departments or parts:

The abdominal wall, which forms the external and internal oblique, as well as the transverse muscles;
Anterior wall with rectus and pyramidal muscles;
The back wall with the square muscles of the lower back.

To strengthen each of these areas, a well-defined set of exercises is needed.

Things to Remember

The peculiarities of pumping the press are such that you need to approach this matter without fanaticism. If you want to achieve embossed cubes, you should know that not everyone and not always get them in the end. The quality of training has nothing to do with it. It's just that each organism has its own genetic trait and its own capabilities.

During the period of active pumping up of the press, take care of a competent diet. These do not have to be weight loss courses. The diet should include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Milk protein is a must. This will help you see your training results faster.

Exercises for the upper press

To begin with, we offer you a video on how to pump up the upper press - a set of exercises at home. These exercises are generally quite simple, but also very effective. They are perfect for beginners.

Now more active and advanced exercises. They are ideal for exercising in the gym. Ideally, you will be supervised by an experienced instructor during their execution.

Incline Bench Raises

This exercise for the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle - helps to achieve relief in the upper abdomen - the coveted abs cubes. The quadriceps and hip flexors also work well.

How to do:

Sit on the top edge of the incline bench. Lock your legs and lean back so that your body is almost parallel to the floor.
Raise the chassis to a position perpendicular to the floor.

What to do with your hands? Hands can be folded behind your back, crossed over your chest. It is important to properly fix the feet. If there is no bench, you can use any inclined surface, fixing it to the wall bars. In this case, the legs cling to the crossbars of the wall bars and it is better to bend them a little at the knees in order not to load the spine.

By the way, thanks to the wall bars, you can change the slope of the bench and regulate the degree of resistance (load on the muscles) during the exercise. The minimum incline is suitable for beginners, the steeper incline for advanced athletes.

To create more resistance, you can take a weight on your chest - for example, a "pancake" from a barbell or a pair of dumbbells in your hands.

Perform 3 sets of 10-20 times, depending on your capabilities. Over time, the load can be increased.

As an option for home, you can perform this exercise simply while lying on the floor. The legs should be firmly fixed and bent at the knees.

Twisting the body

This is an exercise for your upper abs and obliques.

How to do:

lie on the floor, bend your knees at an angle of 90 degrees, and put your hands behind your head, you can lock them into a "lock".
Slowly lift your shoulders and lift them off the floor, leaning forward slightly. In this case, the lower back should remain on the floor, only the chest, shoulders, arms and head are raised. There is no movement in the lower body, in the hip joint - this must be monitored.
Return to starting position.

Perform 3 sets of 10-20 times.

Twisting on the block

This exercise engages the entire rectus abdominis muscle, not just the upper section. In addition, the oblique abdominal muscles are also included. The exercise is performed using a special simulator with weight blocks. Adjust the load (number of blocks) on your own or with the help of a trainer, depending on the degree of your physical fitness.

How to do:

Stand with your back to the upper pulley and grasp the cable holder / handle with both hands.
Bend forward by twisting the body to the right.
We return to the starting position.
We repeat the exercise now with twisting the body to the left.

Perform the exercise 3 sets of 20 times.

Exercise for the upper press on the horizontal bar

This exercise is difficult to perform and requires good preparation.

How to do:

Grab the bar with your bent knees and hang upside down.
Raise your torso until your elbows touch your knees.
In this case, you can make turns left and right.

Exercise works the upper abs.

"Frog"

According to contemporaries, this is Bruce Lee's favorite exercise in order to pump up the abs. The effect will hardly be long in coming with a competent approach to implementation.

How to do:

Hanging on your hands from the bar, bend your knees and lift them up to the level of the abdomen.
Do not help yourself by swinging and straining your back muscles. Pulling up is done only due to the work of the abdominal muscles.
Hold this position until a strong burning sensation appears in the muscles.
Do 3 sets of 10-20 reps.

In the future, you can raise your knees to chest level.

Beginners should listen carefully to their body. Observe experienced trainers, listen to their advice on how to properly swing the upper press. This will help you avoid injury, overtraining, and frustration. Train correctly and your figure will take on its beauty.

Twisting. We lie down on the floor, bend our knees (90 degrees). The back is pressed to the floor, raise the upper body (shoulders) and exhale, lower the inhalation. We do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Twisting with a turn. The exercise is performed in the same way as the first, only when lifting up we make turns to the sides.

Raising the legs (lying). The starting position is lying on the floor, in order to lift your legs up it was comfortable, you need to grab onto something behind your head.
As we exhale, we first raise our hips, when the knees are in the lower part of the press, we stretch our legs up (more towards the head), lower our legs, and exhale. We carry out 3 sets of 8-15 times.

Jackknife. We lie down on the floor, we stretch our arms behind our heads. At the same time, we pull the knees to the shoulders, while touching the legs with our hands. The back should come off the floor, with an effort to exhale, inhale relaxation. We do 3 repetitions of 8-15 times.

Legs bends. Lying on the floor, raise our legs up (evenly, without bending). We spread our hands in different directions (for emphasis).
We lower our legs to the floor, so that 15 cm remains. We pause, raise to the starting position, then we do the same, only in different directions. We do 3 sets of 8-15 times.

Legs behind the head. A difficult exercise, mastering which you will give a good load to the upper press.
Lying on the floor, we stretch our arms behind our heads, raise our legs up at the level of the press and put them behind our heads. You need to catch the moment when the muscles of the upper press begin to work actively. We perform 3 sets of 8-15 times.

Reverse slope. We sit on the floor, bend our legs at the knees, the back is absolutely even, the feet are pressed to the floor, we stretch our arms forward (palms look up).
We tighten the abdominal muscles as much as possible and gradually lower ourselves backward, exhaling, wait for a short pause and straighten up. You need to go down until you feel a strong tension in the muscles. We do 3 sets of 8-15 times.

Additional tips:

Jump rope (as fast as possible);

While straining your abdominal muscles, perform circular movements with your hips, feeling the abdominal muscles;

Lead an active lifestyle, do not sit still;

Do self-massage of the abdomen (pinch);

Run outdoors;

Do the exercises correctly, watch your breathing - this is important!

Now you know how to pump up your upper abs at home. you are the creator of your body and only you can fulfill your plans!

The relevance of the issue of the beauty of the press is especially increasing on the eve of the summer season. Not everyone has the opportunity to work with a personal trainer, therefore, if you wish and perseverance, you can pump up cubes on your stomach and at home. Before deciding on a serious step, you need to develop your own program for creating an ideal figure, which will include not only strength exercises for the press, but also cardio training, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

If you ignore the principles of balanced nutrition, a beautiful abs will remain hidden under a layer of fat.

In order to lose extra pounds and better pump muscles, you will need to limit the calorie intake of the diet. This does not mean that you have to "go" on a strict diet: such drastic measures are necessary only for those who suffer from moderate and higher obesity. It is usually sufficient to calculate the daily calorie intake according to age and occupation and not exceed it.
Another important rule is eat well, varied and useful, that is, exclude junk food.
Vegetables, cereals, fruits are useful from carbohydrates. Up to a third of the diet should be protein foods.
Drinking enough water is also recommended so that the body does not feel thirsty when sweating profusely during sports.

Some athletes practice a special diet - the so-called " drying press". During it, the amount of carbohydrates is sharply reduced, and the diet is almost one protein food. Drying is very difficult for the body so it hardly makes sense for non-professional athletes.

For general health improvement and increase in body endurance, do not forget about cardio training. They are necessary for those who want to get the abs in cubes, as they accelerate metabolic processes and cause the breakdown of adipose tissue covering the muscles on the abdomen. A great option is to run in the morning, exercise on cardiovascular equipment, ski, ride a bike at least three times a week for 30-50 minutes.

The actual program of exercises to strengthen the press should include:

Warm up.
Stretching.
Basic exercises for the upper and lower abs (10-40 minutes).
Hitch.

To pump with maximum efficiency, all exercises are performed with a high amplitude, and the breaks between sets are no more than 10 seconds.

You can do a variety of exercises, or you can choose 2-4 of the most convenient ones, repeating several times.
The number of workouts for beginners is no more than 2 times a week, and after a few sessions it is gradually brought to 4 times a week.
Strength training on a daily basis can be harmful to the body, as muscle recovery must last 36-48 hours.
The best option is this: 3 strength exercises for the press and 1-2 cardio workouts per week.
You can tighten the abs more effectively if you periodically change the sequence and types of exercises: this way the muscles will not get used to the same type of load.

You will also have to take care of sports equipment and home gym equipment. True, for training on the press, you will need a minimum set: comfortable sportswear - light, open, as well as a mat or bench for the press. There are exercise machines for the press - balls, discs, etc., which can be used to diversify the workout.

Preparation for the lesson and warm-up

In order not to stretch the muscles of the lower back, you need to warm up well before exercising. Duration of warm-up and stretching - about 10 minutes .

The first group of exercises is aimed at making the muscles more elastic.

Exercising on a treadmill or running for 5 minutes near your home, pedaling a stationary bike, jumping rope, or walking in place are great ways to warm up.

You need to stretch carefully, without sudden movements. After a workout, the final step is also a slow, gentle stretching exercise. A gymnastic ball, resistance bands, etc. are well suited for this part of the class. It is better to stretch all muscle groups, paying attention not only to the back and abdomen.

Examples of exercises:

slow leg raises from a lying position on your side;
pulling up the outside of the feet to the buttocks from a standing position and lying on one side;
flexion and extension of the knees, several squats;
throwing a bent leg (one over the other) from a sitting position on the floor;
side bends with hands fixed in the lumbar region;
neck bends, etc.

When organizing a workout, you need to remember that both the lower and upper press should be pumped, and the first is strengthened much more difficult.

Therefore, it is necessary to pay due attention to training and the lower body.

You can independently choose a set of classes by choosing exercises for it from the following list:

"Bicycle". Lie on the floor, join your hands behind your head. Stretch the press with force, while doing rotational movements with your legs in the form of pedaling. The next variation of the "bicycle" is more effective: the net on the floor, rest your palms on the floor, and then pull your knees to your chest, imitating cycling. Duration - 40-60 sec.
A similar exercise for training the lower abs. Sit on the floor, bend your legs at the knees. Rest your palms on the floor, then quickly straighten your legs, stretching forward, then pull them back to your chest. Repeat 15 times.
Lesson for the lower abdomen. Lie on the floor, keep your straight legs suspended and perform scissor movements. Legs go one after the other in turn. Duration - 1 minute.
Strengthening the upper press. Lie on your back, bend your knees and keep it suspended. Swing the press in the usual way, that is, lift the body up. It will not work to raise the body high, at least a little is enough. Repeat 10 times.
Twisting "butterfly". The top of the press works great. To perform, lifts of the body are made, as with a normal swing of the press, only the knees should be spread apart, and the feet are pulled up to the buttocks (8 times).
In addition to simple twists, reverse ones are also effective. You need to lie on the floor, stretch your arms along the body. Bend your knees, then raise your legs so that the buttocks come off the floor. Hold for 3 seconds, straighten your legs.
Twisting with legs apart. You need to sit down, rest your feet on the floor. Pull your legs to your chest and "surround" them with your hands, without touching. Then straighten your legs in front of you, and spread your arms to the sides. The second part of the exercise: after lifting the knees, spread the legs in different directions (10 times).
Double rise. To perform, you need to raise the top and bottom of the body at the same time. To do this, the legs are straightened, the arms are extended forward. If you can't master this rather difficult exercise right away, you can bend your knees a little when lifting. Later, you need to try to do the exercise with straightened legs: in this version, it is extremely effective for all abdominal muscles (up to 10 times).
In order to strengthen the lateral muscles of the press, do one of the types of twisting. Lie on your side, bend your legs a little. Put your hand on the floor, bring the other behind your head. Raise your legs up, and then bring them to your chest. Repeat on the second side (10 times).
Another option for pumping the lateral abdominal muscles. Lie on the floor on your side, squeeze your legs together, bend at the knees. Then lift the top, or rather, move in the air parallel to the floor towards the knees (15 times).
One more thing can be done side lift exercise. To do this, lying on the floor, bend one leg at the knee joint, put the other leg on the knee (it will touch the knee in the ankle area). Then, with the elbow of one hand, they stretch to the opposite knee - the leg that lies on the one standing on the floor. Repeat on the other side (10 times).
Exercise for the press on the horizontal bar. Grab the horizontal bar with your hands, bend your legs and, with the effort of your body, raise them as close to your chest as possible. Stay in this position for a couple of seconds, relax. Try to do at least 5-10 repetitions of this exercise.

In addition to the usual exercises on the board or floor, you can use other exercise programs. They require a higher level of training, but they diversify the life of an athlete and are highly effective. For example, you can do body and leg lifts on a Roman chair, work out with dumbbells and a barbell, do exercises on a fitball, do twists on the uneven bars, on a horizontal bar.

Exercise video

Upper Press Exercises

Pumping up the press in 10 minutes!

Answers on questions

How often to train to build abs?

It is best to observe the rule of the "golden mean" - not to be lazy and not to overuse classes. The best option is to train 3-4 times a week, plus devote one or two sessions to cardio exercises.

What is the most effective abdominal exercise?

There is a rating of the effectiveness of exercises to strengthen the press, which was compiled based on an assessment of the degree of influence of exercises on the condition of the abdomen. The specialists also measured the load in the muscles, which turned out to be unequal. As a result, the “leaders” among strength exercises for the rectus muscles were the “bicycle”, classical twisting and leg raises from the “hanging” position. The oblique muscles of the press are well pumped when performing reverse twists, lateral leg raises and the same "bike".

How to increase the effect of abdominal exercises?

In order for the body not to additionally have to deal with the surplus of incoming calories, as well as to quickly burn deposits of fat on the belly, proper nutrition should be organized. First of all, the diet is carefully calculated in terms of calorie content, then harmful products are removed from it (fatty, fried, salted food, canned food, sweets, white bread, etc.). If possible, the menu is enriched with vegetables, nuts, low-fat protein foods. In this case, the effect of the exercise will increase significantly.

Attention, only TODAY!

Usually, the abdominal muscles are conventionally divided into the upper press, lower press and lateral. The upper press is called the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle. It is much easier to pump up the upper abs than the lower or side abs, since it is more involved in everyday life.

Basic exercises

According to experts, good abs with cubes can be obtained even with homework. It is only important that work on yourself is correct, regular and conscientious. To learn how to build your upper abs, we suggest you familiarize yourself with a number of key exercises.

Twisting

Twisting and twisting is very effective when acting on the upper press. It is performed as follows: lie on your back with your knees bent. Feet can be on the floor, lie on a bench at a right angle, or actively participate in the exercise. Hands are folded behind the head. It is necessary to slowly raise the body and turn it - first to the left, then to the right, trying to ensure that the elbow touches the opposite knee. The lower back is fully pressed to the floor, only the upper back should be involved in the exercise. The ascent is done by exhaling through the mouth, lowering by inhaling through the nose. For a start, 8-10 times 3 sets are enough. Gradually increase the number of repetitions to 50.

Raising the hips

Starting position: lying on your back, arms extended along the body, palms down. At the same time, the legs are simply straight. You can also perform this exercise on a horizontal bench, holding onto it with your hands behind your head. The bottom line is to raise the legs up at a right angle as you exhale and lower them to their original position while inhaling. The correct technique for performing this exercise for the press involves the absence of jerks, the movements should be smooth. Slight bending of the legs is allowed. When lifted, the pelvis is completely torn off the floor.

"Penknife"

Starting position: lying on the floor in an extended position ("string"), arms extended behind the head. On exhalation, the body and legs are simultaneously lifted. At the end point, you need to linger for 1 second and slowly return to the starting position. Due regard should be paid to coordination. For a better workout of the abdominal muscles, try not to lower your legs and arms to the end, holding them a short distance from the floor.

Turns of the legs

To perform in this case, you need to sit on the rug, raise your legs perpendicular to the floor, and then lower them: once straight, then on the sides. There is no need to bring your feet to the floor surface, it is desirable that a distance of about 15-20 centimeters remains. Note that the turns of the legs allow you to pump up the upper and lower abs cubes.

Exercises on simulators

The exercises described above are great for home use. In the gym, you can additionally perform some more.

Twisting on the block

You need to stand with your back to the upper block, kneel down, and then grab the cable handle. You can hold the handle behind your head, or in front of your chest. When doing an exercise for the upper press, remember that the load increases in proportion to the height of the arms. The bottom line is to lean forward while twisting the body.

Lifting the body on an incline bench

You need to sit on the upper edge of the bench, fix your legs, lean back. Starting position - the body is almost parallel to the floor. Lift the housing perpendicular to the floor. Return to starting position. In this case, the hands can be brought into a "lock" behind the head, crossed over the chest or folded behind the back. At the top of the exercise, the stomach almost touches the hips, at the bottom, the body is parallel to the floor.

Twisting on the simulator

The technique is as follows. Sit on the simulator, fix your legs, grab the handles. Bend to the knees, twisting the body. Return to starting position. On some simulators, resistance is produced by lifting the weight, on others - by chest pressure on the stop. This exercise is effective for the upper abs, obliques, and serratus anterior abdominal muscles.

A little more about classes

Basic exercises should be enough to achieve high results, provided that they are performed well, of course. At the same time, there are a number of other, additional exercises that will be useful if you want to pump up your abs:

try just lifting your upper body. To do this, lie down on the mat, bend your knees at right angles and start lifting. During the exercise, the upper press should be in an extremely tense state. In this case, hands must be pulled forward. Having raised the body to the top point, you need to try to maintain this position (strive for a 10-second hold);
Alternative option: when performing the exercise, clasp your hands behind your head;
Another option: the same actions, but the arms are crossed on the chest;
Sit on a bench (any other object that allows you to bend) and begin to perform inclinations. You should linger in half the fold (the longer, the better).

On the effectiveness of training

To properly pump the abs, several factors must be taken into account that accompany a high level of exercise efficiency.

First of all, it is important to consider that the anatomical structure of the body, which cannot be changed, is essential. Nutrition also has an impact on the effectiveness of training, so it is necessary to correctly balance it. And with all this, you need to understand that you will not be able to deal with the upper press only. Many, as they exercise, ask themselves the question: "why do not abs cubes appear, but fat still remains?" Additional exercises are required to effectively address this problem. A great option is regular high-intensity cardio loads. A minimum of 20 minutes of such loads per workout is recommended.

Additional inventory

In general, upper abs exercises can be performed without equipment. Nevertheless, certain items will come in handy in some cases. First of all, we need a bench, since some exercises are performed on it. For a more comfortable and safe exercise, it is also recommended to stock up on an exercise mat. Finally, you need barbell pancakes: when the exercises begin to be performed with ease, the pancakes can be used as a weighting agent.

About contraindications

Before you start pumping the upper press, you need to make sure that there are no contraindications. So, it is strongly discouraged to start training for those people who suffer from high blood pressure, have problems with the vascular system. It will be difficult in the presence of thoracic osteochondrosis, lumbar lordosis. It is very important to pay attention to all of these factors.

With a competent approach to working on the upper press, taking into account all possible contraindications, as well as accompanying favorable factors, the result will be very impressive, moreover, it will be achieved quite quickly.