An easy and effective way you can strengthen your core is by doing ab workouts in bed. Everyone desires to have a flat midsection. One of the best ways to get a flat stomach is to consistently work on your core by engaging your abdominal muscles. According to Harvard Health Publishing, Strong abs can help you to avoid lower back pains because they enable you to maintain good posture.
Regardless of these benefits, having to wake up and go to the gym every day sounds like an added task to our already busy schedules.
Is there a way you can get the benefits of a good ab workout without all the additional hassle? Yes, your bed offers you one of the best platforms for getting in a good ab workout and this post will guide you through the various ab exercises you can perform.
Let’s get started!
Here Are 6 Bed Exercises For A Flat Stomach:
- The Full Body Crunch
- Reverse Crunch
- Crisscross
- Leg Raises
- Leg Scissor
- Roll-Ups
1. The Full Body Crunch
This is a great ab exercise because it works the entire set of core muscles. Therefore, you do not need to do a lot of them to start feeling the effects. Due to the full-body crunch’s effectiveness, expect grunts and groans from yourself; that’s how you know it is working.
How to do a full-body crunch:
- With your back on the bed, extend your arms behind your head with your feet extended in the opposite direction as well.
- Simultaneously raise your arms and feet 5 inches off the bed.
- While exhaling, drive your knees to your chest then bring your elbows to your sides. For extra stress, you can attempt to touch your knees with your forehead to complete the position.
- Now inhale then extend both your feet and arms so that they are pointing at the ceiling. Ensure that you reach full extension so much so that your shoulder blades peel off the bed.
- Slowly exhale and return to the starting position.
- Now do four sets of ten reps each.
2. Reverse Crunch
Reverse crunches have earned their reputation as a six-pack sculptor due to how they effectively target the lower section of your rectus abdominis in addition to working your transverse abdominis better than the regular crunch.
How to do a reverse crunch:
- Lie on your bed with your feet flat on the bed and your hands placed below your head.
- Press your lower back into the bed then suck in your belly button to raise your feet off of the bed. Ensure that your knees are in contact with each other and bent at 90 degrees.
- Now engage your core to bring your knees to your chest until your tailbone raises off of the bed while simultaneously performing the regular crunch by lifting your shoulder blades off of the bed. Make sure that you are using your abdominal muscles to lift your shoulders and head; not your hands.
- Return to the initial position by slowly lowering your legs, hips, and shoulders. Stop when your feet are about to touch the bed.
- Repeat the movement.
- Perform 3 sets of 8 reps each.
3. Crisscross
Also known as the cross crunch, this exercise is good at working your obliques (side abdominals).
How to do a crisscross:
- Lie on your back with your feet on the bed and your knees bent.
- Put your hands underneath your butt.
- Cross your right leg over your left leg so that your right ankle lies on the left knee.
- Do a crunch by raising and rotating your upper body and shoulders towards your left knee.
- Perform 10 repetitions then switch legs.
- Perform four sets.
4. Leg Raises
This exercise is exceptional at strengthening your abs as well as your hips. Even though it mainly targets your lower abs, your upper abs will receive a good workout as well.
How to do leg raises:
- Lie on the bed on your back with your feet together and legs fully extended.
- Raise your feet slowly while ensuring your legs remain extended.
- Your arms should be at your sides with your back flat on the bed.
- Get your legs up to a 90-degree angle.
- Slowly return them to the starting position but do not let them touch the bed.
- Perform another repetition.
- Do four sets of 10 reps each.
5. Leg Scissor
The leg scissor is excellent for strengthening your abs and quads while loosening tight hamstrings and hips.
How to do a leg scissor:
- Lie flat on your back with your arms by your side and palms pressing into the bed.
- Press your lower back into the bed then simultaneously raise your legs until they are fully extended with your toes pointing at the ceiling.
- With your midsection engaged, slowly lower your left leg until it is a few inches above the bed.
- Now scissor your legs so that you lift your left leg back up as you lower your right.
- Keep the movement steady and controlled and perform 30 reps for each leg.
6. Roll-Ups
The roll-up is effective at stretching your back to release tension as well as strengthening your core.
How to do roll-ups:
- Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched out but your arms fully raised and pointing at the ceiling.
- Inhale, exhale then slowly sit up with your arms still raised, legs fully extended, and attempt to touch your toes with your stretched arms. You should use your core to sit yourself up.
- Exhale and slowly return to the initial position with your arms still raised.
- Attempt five at first and gradually increase the reps as you get accustomed to the exercise.
Diet and Nutrition Plays a Crucial Role
The above exercises are an efficient way of strengthening your abs. They will also assist you to lose weight by torching that belly fat.
However, what you put in your mouth is what matters the most when it comes to seeing the number on the scale drop.
In fact, individuals that watch their diet lose as much as 2 pounds every week. The same study revealed that those that simply exercised without a good diet plan dropped less than half a pound every week.
As such, you will need to consult a nutritionist to guide you on the appropriate diet and nutrition plan that you should be following. A good diet will allow you to see your results much faster as well as making you healthier. Combine the two aspects and you’ll be flaunting a six-pack in no time.
Here Are 7 Benefits of Doing Ab Workouts in Bed
- You get to exercise the first thing you wake up: This is not only beneficial physiologically but psychologically as well. Working out first thing in the morning will give you a hormonal boost that combats lethargy. This makes you attack your day with unlimited ferocity.
- Your lower back will thank you: Most ab exercises are typically performed on the floor. The hard ground, however, puts a lot of stress on your lower back which may cause a significant amount of pain. You might end up trying to focus on not feeling the pain rather than concentrating on your core. Your bed mitigates this.
- No need for extra equipment: Even when working out on the floor, you will need to invest in mats or padded boards. Working out on a firm mattress, however, eliminates the need for these extra costs while offering an even better surface.
- Anytime is a good time: Just chilling and watching Netflix in bed? Great, that sounds like a good time to work your abs out without any additional hassle. This way, you will get in more workout time than the average person. Remember muscles are a product of consistency. So, by incorporating your ab workouts in bed during your chilling time, you will get the benefits of strong abs.
- You get to lose more fat: Getting in a workout on a fasted stomach helps in burning more fat. When the body does not have anything in the stomach to use as fuel, it turns to the fat deposits which are stored as energy reserves.