Did you know that Push Ups and also Pull Ups are not only decent but actually great ab exercises? Sure, this sounds like a clickbaity claim at first, but it is actually backed up by science. Let’s delve into the details and uncover the surprising ab-toning benefits of these classic exercises.
The Push-Up: Not Just for Arms and Chest, Shoulders
When you do Push Ups you use your chest, shoulders and triceps to move up and down, but for your abdominals, it is bascially just a Regular Plank. And this brings us right to the question how effective a Basic Plank actually is.
The Science Behind the Plank
Well when we take a look at this study we’ll see that the Plank is neither among the very best exercises for your rectus abdominis (aka the six pack) nor the obliques. However the Plank is still effective and somewhere in the middle when compared to those other classic ab exercises.
The Hidden Core Power of Push Ups
The next study I wanna show you is even more interesting because it measured the ab activity directly in the push up and compared it to other muscles. Here you can see that the pectoralis comes out on top no matter if you’re doing it on unstable tools like slings or on the ground. However the surprising part of this study is that the abdominals showed a similar activation as the triceps and lats.
Of course we wouldn’t recommend the arm placement used in this study because it’s not the safest and most joint friendly shoulder position. Sure you can still do Push Ups with a wider grip, but I strongly recommend to avoid out flared elbows and an excessive internally rotated shoulder.
Maximizing Push Up Benefits for the Abs
Based on these studies it’s safe to say that the Push Up is a solid ab exercise. However you still need to consider 2 important things to make it work:
- You have to aim for proper joint alignment. So tilt your pelvis backwards and engage your glutes.
- You already have to be able to do a decent amount of Push Ups to make it an effective ab exercise. Simply said: If you can only do 2-3 reps your abdominals are not challenged that much and your triceps, chest and shoulders are kinda holding you back. Sure your triceps, chest and shoulders will always fatigue faster in Regular Push Ups no matter how strong you are, but when you can do more reps you’re also holding yourself longer in a plank position and with that increase the abdominal work.
Taking Push Ups to the Next Level for Your Core
To make the Push Up even more challenging for your abs, you can try the following method in your next workout, preferentially in your last push up set. Here you do as many Push Ups as possible with your regular pace or rep speed. Then when you’re close to failure you hold yourself on top for a couple seconds until you’re ready to do another rep. Try to continue this procedure as long as possible until you can’t do any more reps or can’t hold yourself in a proper plank position anymore. Of course this is not only great for your abs, but also works as an intense rest-pause-set for your chest, triceps and shoulders.
Pull Ups: Another Hidden Gem for Core Strengthening
Ok that’s it about Push Ups, but remeber I also talked about Pull Ups in the beginning. So is the Pull Ups also an effective ab exercise? Well this study says yes! It compared the Pull Up to the Seated Lat-Pulldown, the Kneeling Lat-Pulldown and the the Assisted Pull Up and measured the muscle activity for the Rectus Abdominis; the Biceps Brachii; the Latissimus Dorsi and the Trapezius.
Forty-one uninjured college-aged males and females participated in this study and in this chart you can see the results separated in over 10 reps and under 10 reps done. When we take a look at the Regular Pull Up we can clearly see that the Rectus Abdominis comes out on top and even shows a higher activation than the Biceps and the Lats.
Personal Insights on Ab Training with Pull Ups
However to make the Pull Up as effective as possible for your abs you have to consider some things and here I want to talk about my personal experience and the reason for this video in the first place.
Look, for the last few months I’ve completely sorted out Hollow Body Pull Ups, and mostly focused on Rows and Arched Back Pull Ups.
When I switched back to Hollow Body Pull Ups I got super sore abs after the first session up to a point that shockingly surprised me. Of course I knew that the Hollow Body Pull Up is way more abdominal focused than the Arched Back Pull Up or Rows, but the difference was still an eye opener for me.
So to sum it up: The Hollow Body Pull Up is a very good compound exercise with a strong abdominal component. To make it as effective as possible, always aim for proper joint ailment and keep the abdominal tension at all times.
If you like in-depth exercise explanations like this one, make sure to check our step-by-step workout programs on calimove.com. Every program comes as a detailed online course with all things you need for progressing as fast as possible!
Watch the video For Killer Abs…. Do Some Push Ups!
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