Working Out Your Abs Without Hurting Your Back

The majority of people wish that they had "great abs," but while many people try to make it sound like getting good ab muscles is as simple as doing a few easy workouts, this is rarely the case, as most ab workouts are not only far less effective than they claim to be, but many of them are also downright painful to do if your back is sensitive at all. If you are looking for a way to strengthen your abs without hurting your back, the good news is that there are not only a few things you can do that are quite easy, but these "quite easy" things are actually even more effective than most of the other workouts out there!

Most workouts that are labeled "ab workouts" are actually "core workouts" - meaning that they strengthen your whole core, which includes your back - which is important for you to realize; but if your back is in pain from strain, and not from simple "workout pain," you should be doing something different.

Swimming is the best workout for your whole body, including your core, as it is a full-body workout that is also low-impact (which means it will not hurt your joints and muscles), but of course, swimming is not always a viable option if you do not have a pool of your own.

You will actually find that you are strengthening your core quite a bit when you do pushups, but even better than pushups is to assume the pushup position with your elbows and forearms resting on the ground, and to simply hold yourself in this position for as long as you can, repeating this for three to five reps; this might seem like you are doing nothing, but you will actually be giving your ab and back muscles a great workout!

And when it comes to workouts that feel like you are doing nothing, the one that feels this way more than any other is for you to sit on a fitness ball; it might seem like you are doing nothing but just sitting there, but incredibly, you will actually be strengthening your core the entire time!