Flutter Kicks
Flutter kicks are an extremely simple and fool-proof abdominal exercise that targets the upper, middle and lower rectus abdominus.
Once you’ve mastered slow and controlled flutter kicks on a bench I recommend increasing the resistance with a pair of ankle weights.
Movement: Isolation
Targets: Abdominals
Required: Yoga Mat
Optional: Ankle Weights
Flutter Kicks Form:
Lay on a mat with your hands under your glutes, legs straight and feet off the floor.
Begin performing small constant leg movements, lifting your right leg slightly followed by your left leg higher – repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Common Flutter Kicks Mistakes
Training Abs Too Frequently
Abdominal training is a lot easier than many make it out to be.
You do not need to train abs every single day, in fact if you’re training them hard it’s detrimental to progress.
You do not need to dedicate entire workouts to your abs.
Like all other muscle groups, the abs require time to recover after they’ve been hit hard.
I recommend throwing in a 15 minute ab workout 2 – 3 times per week at the end of your regular workout… do not train abs first before you go into heavy squats or deadlifts as your core will be fatigued and will become the weak link in your exercises.
Not Venturing Beyond The Sit-Up
The sit-up is without a doubt the most common ab exercise, chances are when you think of abs you instantly think of sit-ups, and lots of them.
I personally find 2 issues with the sit-up and cannot remember the last time I incorporated sit-ups into my ab workout regime.
The sit-up places the lower back in a compromised position when performed with bad form.
The sit-up does not work the entire abdominal region, i.e. it neglects the lower abdominals.
Thinking Ab Exercises Will Get You Abs
The cliche saying, ‘abs are made in the kitchen’ is correct.
Six pack abs are the result of low body fat, for men the abs start popping around 10% body fat and continue to get more defined as you delve down into the single digit body fat range. For women, abs are visible around 15% body fat.
In order to burn fat and get down into this low body fat range we need to subject our body to a calorie deficit (i.e. be consuming less calories per 24 hour basis than our body needs to maintain its current weight). Without a caloric deficit fat loss is literally impossible.
A caloric deficit is induced via a combination of diet and exercise, ab exercises can assist you in burning calories to place you in a deficit to lose fat… but if you’re eating too much there’s no colossal number of sit-ups, leg raises or planks that’ll get you the six pack abs you desire.
Similar & Substitute Exercises
- Side Planks
- Hanging Leg Raises
- Cable Crunches
- Dragon Flags
