No More Crunches - Yoga & Pilates for Abs

When we think of working our abs, we often think of things like crunches and sit-ups. BORING. If you've just about had it with traditional ab exercises, why not take your abs to a whole new level? Yoga and Pilates are two great ways to strengthen your abs without doing even one crunch.

Yoga and Your Abs

Yoga is great for the abs and don't forget, it's also notorious for reducing stress and increasing flexibility. Yoga can be relaxing, invigorating or downright hard, depending on which version you choose. One thing is clear, yoga works your abs. Here's how:

• Posture - Yoga emphasizes proper posture which requires using your belly to support you during both seated and standing positions
• Breathing - You'll use a type of belly-breathing to engage the ab muscles
• Pelvic stabilization -Many poses require that you use your abs and back to keep your pelvic area in one place
• Stamina - With some types of yoga, you hold poses for quite a long time, which means that your abs (and stabilizer muscles) get a great isometric workout!
• Flexibility - The most notable side effect of yoga is, of course, more flexibility which can help prevent injuries and keep you feeling oh so good.

Top Yoga Videos

Pilates and Your Abs

Pilates and yoga are similar in that they are both mind/body activities with a focus on breathing and posture. However, Pilates is concerned with strengthening the body by engaging the muscles of the torso and lower body, so it's very dynamic. Here's how:

• Posture - Like yoga, proper posture is emphasized during standing and lying exercises.
• Breathing -Again, breathing is an important part of Pilates in that you engage the abs to pull air in and out.
• Pelvic stabilization - This is one of the more crucial parts of Pilates. The idea is to stabilize your pelvis, engage your abs and back while moving your arms and legs around in various ways (such as leg and arm circles). These are the more difficult Pilates movements.
• Abs Back - Pilates has very specific exercises targeting the abs (and not a crunch in the bunch). The ab moves (such as the plank) engage every muscle in your torso to stabilize your body. Ouch!
• Endurance - Holding your body stable while doing various arm and leg motions will build muscular endurance and give you a new appreciation for your abs and back!

Top Pilates Videos

Yoga and Pilates can be a refreshing addition to your usual routine, but they don't take the place of traditional cardio and strength training exercises. Remember to focus on a well-rounded program to strengthen and condition your entire body and mind. Check out this workout that incorporates basic yoga and Pilates exercises for the abs.