No time for extensive exercise? Then try to at least integrate more exercise into your everyday life. Multitasking is required - then you can train your body while you do your normal tasks like brushing your teeth or shopping. Would you like to use your abdominal muscles a little more often? You can even do this by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. We explain how exactly you can train your abdominal muscles at home and on the go, without investing a lot of effort and time. But then no more excuses!
Standing on one leg to strengthen your muscles
Surely you have oftensomething while standingto do, be it cooking, folding laundry or brushing your teeth. You can also train your abdominal muscles by simply standing on one leg instead of both. However, it is important that you do not lean to the side. Keep your upper body straight as this is the only way to activate your abdominal muscles. You may even feel them tense up as you do so.
This tip is great if you want to train your obliques. At the same time, the muscles in the back area also work, so that you also stabilize the spine. Hold the stand on one leg for 5 seconds and switch sides. Repeat three times. After some time you can then increase the time and increase your performance.
How to train my abs at home – side planks on the wall
You can also perform this exercise while standing. Support yourself with your elbow on the wall (e.g. while brushing your teeth). The legs are slightly further away from the wall (like a wooden plank leaning against a wall). Make sure that your body is really straight and that your hips do not sink inward over time. The further you move your legs away from the wall, the more intense the tension becomes (but don't overdo the incline so you don't suddenly slip). You can also slightly lift the inner foot for this purpose.
This exercise is great if you want to train the oblique abdominal muscles, among other things. Not only walls are suitable for support, but also other stable surfaces such as the kitchen counter or a higher table. Are you just waiting for your sauce to boil? Then run one in the meantimeside plankthrough!
Pelvic exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles
Think of the pelvis as a type of weight that you want to lift using your abdominal muscles. So you can do it at any time in your everyday life when you are standing upright. To be more precise, try to tilt your pelvis slightly. Don't worry, it's not as noticeable as it might sound, so you can do it in public too. Focus on your pelvic bones (the ones that stick out) and lift them forward as if you were trying to flex them toward your chest. This allows you to train the muscles in the pelvic area in particular, but also the upper abdominal muscles. Five sentences should be enough to start with. After a while, increase the number.
Train your side abdominal muscles with the stairs
If you want to do something good for your body in everyday life, take the elevator or escalator insteadnormal stairs. This isn't anything new in and of itself, but what you might not know is that it can even help you strengthen muscles in your stomach - provided you don't hold on to the railing. With every step the side muscle groups tense, always alternating between the right and the left. Is this intensity not enough for you? Then just skip one step at a time and take two at a time.
Additional weights strengthen the muscles in your stomach
And if you also carry your shopping while climbing the stairs, it tenses your muscles even more. But don't pack yourself like a donkey with several bags full. This could lead to more injuries. Take it slowly at first and only take one shopping bag, which you always switch to the other hand after five steps. To improve, you can increase the number of steps at some pointwell-trained abdominal musclesalso carry two bags at the same time. Of course, you also benefit from carrying shopping bags in your hand when walking normally and not just when climbing stairs (which, by the way, also trains your legs and bottom).
Train your abdominal muscles while sitting
Even if you work while sitting, you can do something for your muscles. If you're looking for upper and lower abdominal exercises, leg raises are a great option. You sit straight on the chair with your legs on the floor at a 90 degree angle. Depending on your condition, you can now first lift the bent leg. If you are more trained, you can extend your leg forward to increase the amount of weight you have to lift.
Hold the raised leg in the air for five seconds, then slowly lower it again. Then repeat on the other side. To intensify the exercise over time, you can easily increase the number of seconds or lift both legs at the same time. It is important that you continue to breathe and do not accidentally hold your breath. Do you feel the tension in your stomach?
Speaking of “breathing”: Evenwhile breathingyou can train the abdominal muscles. If you exhale the air completely with each breath, the muscles in your abdominal area will tense up on their own. If you do this consciously, you can also hold your breath for a few seconds after exhaling before inhaling again. By holding, you strengthen the muscles additionally.
