4 Exercises to Treat Weak Abdominals
Without a doubt, weak or loose abdominals can be considered arduous and lasting torture. The simple fact of even being aware that your abdominal region is soft with hanging skin can generate thoughts that contribute to low self-esteem.
Low self-esteem can then cause doubts and questions to arise: is it possible to stop abdominal sagging? How can this be done in an effective way? In an attempt to clarify this subject, this article will present some key insights. Don’t miss them!
What is abdominal looseness?
Before we dive in, we must begin by explaining what abdominal looseness is. First of all, it’s important to bear in mind that loose muscles don’t just occur in the abdominal region, but also in the lower part of the face – the jowls – the glutes, the legs, the arms, and even in the eyelids.
However, in this article, we’ll focus on explaining what the looseness located around the abdominal zone is. This can manifest due to the loss of muscular tone in the area, as well as the decrease in the skin’s nutrients – such as elastane and collagen. This causes the supporting tissue to lose strength, leading to this problem appearing.
Some of the causes of this looseness are the following:
- Being overweight
- Bad posture
- Having recently given birth
- Poor eating habits
- An inactive lifestyle
All of these factors weaken the muscles relative to the abdominal zone, like the majority of the core zone, which works to stabilize the body in general. Programmed physical activity can contribute to the treatment of weak abdominals.
Exercises for weak abdominals
Regular exercise helps to improve posture and eating habits. Furthermore, it makes life more active, which serves to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity.
In other words, physical activity ‘attacks’ the principal causes of weak abdominals. Based on that, we’ll continue to present some exercises that have been recommended to treat the problem.
Leg raises for weak abdominals
This exercise can be done symmetrically or asymmetrically; it’s recommended to include both varieties in your routine against weak abdominals. Frequent use of this exercise allows the core to strengthen, which contributes to better posture.
Additionally, this exercise also helps to tone the lower region of the abdomen. As such, it helps to bring a better definition to these muscles and diminishes the original problem.
The plank
The plank is one of the most recommended exercises when looking at strengthening the abdomen. Although it may look easy, its complexity makes it a good isometric alternative to combat weak abdominals.
There are many ways to do this exercise – one is even showcased in this article’s first picture. However, the most common is supporting yourself on your forearms and tips of your toes.
Mountain climbers for weak abdominals
This exercise’s execution is quite difficult, but it’s worth the effort. In this case, the objective is that the right elbow touches the opposite knee and vice-versa; this movement strengthens all of the abdomen’s muscular area. Doing it often helps to reduce abdominal weakness, toning the abdominal and oblique muscles.
Knee raises
Mixing aerobic exercises with strength and resistance training is usually a great option to treat abdominal weakness. An exercise with these characteristics is knee raises.
To do this, you have to jog on the spot and ensure you lift your knees as high as possible. These jumps help to increase energy expenditure, in other words, it’s an aerobic exercise. In turn, it strengthens and tones the obliques, abdomen, lumbar, and legs.
Execution of exercise
To include the exercises mentioned in this article in your routine, you should do a four or five series, with 15 reps for each. Of course, this largely depends on the physical condition of each person.
The only exception is the plank. This shouldn’t be measured in series but rather in time. One option is to do it for approximately 20 seconds once. This time should increase over time to improve physical capacity.
How can we treat weak abdominals?
Physical exercise is one of the options used to treat the weakness; however, it’s not the only option. Ensuring you lead a life that includes good habits is usually the way to get a good body.
Among these practices, a balanced diet and discipline are also important. To expand upon the latter, if you include these exercises in your routine, for example, but only do them one or two times a week, you won’t notice much of a difference.
To conclude this article, it’s always best to visit a medical professional to determine the reason for the abdominal weakness. We must remember that this could be caused by an underlying illness that may require surgery.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Lima, E. P. F., & Rodrigues, G. B. de O. (2012). A estimulação russa no fortalecimento da musculatura abdominal. ABCD. Arquivos Brasileiros de Cirurgia Digestiva (São Paulo). https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-67202012000200013
- Calatayud, J., Casaña, J., Martín, F., Jakobsen, M. D., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2017). Progression of Core Stability Exercises Based on the Extent of Muscle Activity. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000000713
- WHO. (2020). Enfermedades no transmisibles. Organización Mundial de la Salud.
