One of my clients asked me what are the best ab exercises for a strong core.
This is probably one of the most common questions that people want to know, but they are asking it for the wrong reason.
When my client asked this question, I had to ask them a question back.
“Do you want to have a stronger core or do you want your abs to show?”
This is an important question because having a strong core and asking what the best ab exercises are doesn’t equal a six-pack.
If you look at the strongest people in the world, they don’t have jacked abs but they have a bloody strong core.
Look at strong men and powerlifters.
These guys are so strong and require so much core strength to lift heavy items, but they aren’t ripped.
HAVING A STRONG CORE DOESN’T = A SIX PACK

Visible abs doesn’t mean you have a strong core, it means you have a low level of body fat.
Having a low level of body fat means being lean and having less body fat around your stomach.
So the question is do you want visible abs or do you want to know what the best ab exercises are for a strong core?
Because visible abs are attained through your diet and levels of body fat not how strong they are.
You need to focus on your diet if definition is the goal.
Building A Strong Core

If your goal is to build a strong core then you do want to make sure you’re including ab exercises into your program.
Here are some of my favourite ab exercises:
– Planks and plank variations (long lever planks, side planks, thread the needle, rollouts)
– Pall of press
– Hanging or lying leg raises
– Landmine or regular Russian twists
– Ab crunch machines
You don’t need hundreds of variations, the basics just like everything else are effective.
I’d recommend throwing in three sets of one or two of these exercises two to three times a week into your program.
So remember if a strong core is the goal, train your core, if abs showing is your goal, then focus on your diet!