8
votes
Accepted
What quiet exercises should I be fitting into a short morning workout for all-round fitness?
I suggest you take a look at the Scientific 7-Minute Workout. It's free (and so is the NY Times app for it), and it's effective (it's the result of research published in ACSM'S Health & Fitness ...
8
votes
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Running-101: For beginners who would like to give up smoking
Your question is pretty subjective, because nobody can tell you how much to run, or whether or not you'll even enjoy it as a regular activity. Same with diet and time of day, that's all personal and ...
8
votes
Accepted
Can an intense core/abs workout gives you diarrhea?
No. Diarrhea is a symptom of what's going on inside your stomach. Your abdominal muscles are outside, and don't have any effect on your digestive system.
If you have a problem with diarrhea, you ...

Alec♦
- 17.3k
8
votes
I don't feel my ab workouts
Just to get this out of the way
Probably one of the most commonly uttered phrases around here, but it can't be said often enough: A flat belly is made in the kitchen, not in the gym. It doesn't matter ...

Alec♦
- 17.3k
7
votes
What quiet exercises should I be fitting into a short morning workout for all-round fitness?
Yes, it is going to be useful. Especially if you slow down your cadence (speed of repetition), you will get a good pump and you will see greater increase in your physical strength, which is something ...
7
votes
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Benefits of Overhead KB Walks
Congratulations, you found the secret muscle group, technically known as the "everything".
Being slightly more serious, loaded carries are one of the best exercises you can do to improve strength, ...
6
votes
Accepted
Core training on "rest" days
First, lower back exercises shouldn't be done ONLY on rest days. Of course, since you're already hitting your lower back with squats and deadlifts, it kinda makes the comment redundant; I just needed ...
6
votes
Accepted
Abdominal role in squats
Squats train all of the supporting muscles of the torso -- including the anterior/abdominal muscles -- if you use a Valsalva maneuver.
Consider performing each squat repetition using these steps:
...
6
votes
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When and how often should I train my core/abs?
The amount of (appropriate intensity) training volume necessary to maintain Ab Hypertrophy is typically going to be zero sets per week. The minimum volume required to make progress is also typically ...
6
votes
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Are the basic barbell lifts not enough for the "core"?
‘The core’ is one of the most ambiguously used, misused, and poorly understood terms in physical fitness. Much of the trouble with this discussion originates from our distinct ideas of what the core ...
6
votes
Are situps considered a good core workout?
Short answer: No. As an exercise they are sub-par, and as a workout they don't even qualify. But we can tweak it, and add to it, in order to reach our goals. I agree with the article author's decision ...

Alec♦
- 17.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Wallsit - Any Benefit to the Wall?
The squat and the wall-sit both are done for different purposes. You could mix them, but that could mean diluting the individual advantages of each. Try doing a wall-less sit of the kind you describe, ...
4
votes
Accepted
Core stability - how often and long?
I roll my eyes a little bit at "core" exercises, because your body works as a full whole so if you're doing proper full body exercises your "core" (which isn't some agreed-upon anatomical term) will ...
4
votes
How do I avoid tightening my butt muscles while doing my core exercises?
First, other than using your spinal muscles (erector spinae) and to some extent your posterior serratus, the exercise you describe won't really work your back. It will minimally work your deltoids, ...
4
votes
Accepted
Exercises for Abs (Chronic Neck Pain)
Here's one I haven't seen bother the neck, the Pallof Press. (Or, because I hate exercises named after names, what I call "Ab Punchouts"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3siU3GmosE
It’s crucial to ...
4
votes
Abdominal role in squats
It is a bit more complicated than that.
The main abdominal muscles are the rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and the transverse abdominis. The purpose of these muscles is two-fold: on ...
4
votes
Are the basic barbell lifts not enough for the "core"?
Basic barbell lifts train bilateral strength for the core sufficiently for most athletics. They do not maximize all athletic qualities in the trunk, nor do they resolve all problems in the trunk, so ...
4
votes
Need progressively harder isolation core & abs exercises
There's two separate issues here: definition and strength.
Definition is primarily diet.
Searching the web for ab/core exercises provides a wealth of options. Without equipment:
Strict crunches
...
3
votes
What quiet exercises should I be fitting into a short morning workout for all-round fitness?
Ten minutes of daily slow quiet bodyweight exercises will make you stronger. To get stronger you'll need to progress to steadily more difficult versions of an exercise. Convict Conditioning has a ...
3
votes
What quiet exercises should I be fitting into a short morning workout for all-round fitness?
I really think Morning Yoga would be great for that time slot and it's obviously quite quiet. It doesn't have to last long to be beneficial (if you type whatever time frame you'd like to work with in ...
3
votes
Accepted
Can a well-conditioned person sit up using only their core?
Yep, it's pretty do-able. I just did one right now to be sure. There's actually a bunch of muscles involved since you're locking your legs straight to help on the lever aspect.
The exercise is ...
3
votes
Plank Progressions
Planks are isometric exercises, great for warming up & an important skill to build for future (more advanced) exercises. They challenge your bodies ability to recruit muscles in combination to ...
3
votes
Plank Progressions
I strongly recommend reading this article regarding the right way to perform planks. Here are some relevant quotes:
A plank should be a very intense, full body contraction that lasts only 8-10 ...
3
votes
Can ab wheel replace crunches?
The ab-wheel and products like it can give you much faster results than crunches and sit-ups alone. I would advise that you have to have almost perfect form when using wheel type products and must ...
3
votes
How to use less abs/core in this exercise?
Other than bracing your midsection, you shouldn't be using abdominals at all in that exercise unless your form is very poor. The abdominals main function is to either curl the upper torso towards the ...
3
votes
Accepted
How to tighten core during normal activities?
The best thing you can do, is to forget about trying to consciously tense your abs during daily activities.
There is nothing inherently wrong with relaxing the stomach muscles, especially during ...
3
votes
Accepted
short exercises to improve core strength, balance and flexibility?
Short exercises I can do of a morning, without specialist equipment, that will specifically help me with balance and both flexibility and strength in my legs and back?
Look to reddits r/...
3
votes
Is planking with a weightlifting belt beneficial?
The purpose of a weightlifting belt is to boost the effect of a valsalva maneuver in increasing intrathoracic pressure during heavy lifts, where that pressure is used to keep the torso rigid. You take ...
3
votes
Best bicep improvement for a skinny 14-year old?
Tweaking what you currently have would be pointless. You need to follow an actual plan if you want good results. Under the best of circumstances a man can only realistically hope to build a single kg ...
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