Front Squats - probably best ab exercise

[tarun]

I can do 3x60 second prone bridges right after doing 3x12 reverse crunches but my front squats still suck.

I definetely think front squats need huge amounts of core stability & strength but I havent felt much carryover. With other exercises like overhead press though I can feel the benefit of every little bit of ab strength gained through bridges & crunches.

Well the thing is bridges and crunches are also harder for people who weigh more as opposed to light people... since you do have to support your own bodyweight up.

[dylanamus]

To be fair, they're harder for people who have a higher ratio of fat to lean mass And more importantly, people with longer limbs. For the these reasons, I have to do them for several minutes to really feel a worthwhile effect, so I feel my time could be better spent and therefore don't do them anymore.

I have found ab rollouts just using the barbell to be the most effective isolation exercise for the core. Leg raises (from a chinup bar) rely too much on grip and upperbody strength, but are good while they last. If you can do dragon flags, these are the ultimate ab exercise in my opinion, but it's a bit of a catch 22, because by the time you have a strong enough core to do these, you don't really need the additional focus on abdominals (for practical purposes anyway).

[Shoke]

anyone have any good links on how to do barbell ab rollouts?

[ricepower]

anyone have any good links on how to do barbell ab rollouts?

I tried these with a skateboard! Nothing to it, you just need something with wheel. Hold on with straight arms and roll out forwards on the ground as low as you can then bring yourself back up. I found them harder than dragon flags.

[dylanamus]

I've noticed there is some confusion in circulation about what defines a dragon flag... and often extended leg reverse crunches are mistaken for them. A properly executed dragon flag that does not require all your arm strength to anchor is extremely difficult to do. Of course, roll outs are damn hard too, but they are much easier to fine tune to suit how hard you want to make them simply by altering how far you roll (set distance from a wall), the rolling resistance, the size of the roller, and whether you kneel or not...

[ricepower]

I've noticed there is some confusion in circulation about what defines a dragon flag... and often extended leg reverse crunches are mistaken for them. A properly executed dragon flag that does not require all your arm strength to anchor is extremely difficult to do. .

Oh my god, you are totally right!

I thought I learned what a dragon flag was from members videos/youtube and just learnt them the same way. A real dragon flag indeed has no flexion in the torso, all in the shoulders. Seems an excellent exercise but very tough and probably not so great for your neck. Im going to learn them though!

[atypical1]

I have found ab rollouts just using the barbell to be the most effective isolation exercise for the core. Leg raises (from a chinup bar) rely too much on grip and upperbody strength, but are good while they last. If you can do dragon flags, these are the ultimate ab exercise in my opinion, but it's a bit of a catch 22, because by the time you have a strong enough core to do these, you don't really need the additional focus on abdominals (for practical purposes anyway).

Concur on the ab rollouts. I do them with dumbbells and they are intense. Do you do the rollouts from the knees or the toes?

james

[dylanamus]

Hey James, I do them from the toes, but I can't get back up if I stretch to completely flat, so I do them to about 3/4 of the way down. Works a treat.