How to pump up the upper abdominal muscles. Exercises for the upper part of the press

The press is a solid muscle. You can not train only its top, middle or bottom. But you can emphasize by doing exercises for the upper press or focusing only on training the lower abdomen. If the lower zone is difficult to train due to a small amount muscle fibers and an abundance of connective tissue, then working with the upper press is much easier. It remains only to find out which exercises are suitable for men and women, and which are useless and dangerous to health.

Remember a simple rule: the lower press trains more when lifting the legs with twisting the tailbone, and the upper one - in movements with lifting the body. Exercises for the lower and upper abdomen are difficult for those who do not have a neuromuscular connection - the ability to feel a certain muscle group. This connection is formed gradually during full-body training.

However, with obesity, as well as with poor physical training, undesirable upper press pump and increase the load on the abdominal region. Better start with recreational gymnastics and basic exercises. Worst of all, when men copy the training of performing athletes. Looking at a photo of an idol, non-professionals think that an athlete's training program will help them achieve the same results. But a professional at the time of the competition in the body contains 5-7% fat, and amateurs do not sit on such strict diets.

A big mistake is also made by novice athletes who repeat daily exercises for the upper press for girls from different videos. So they get not a flat, but a voluminous stomach. The reason is too much workload. There are many white muscle fibers in the rectus abdominis muscles. Everyday training makes them grow quickly, but the results of the work are hidden under a layer of "fat" - the cubes are not visible, and the stomach sticks out even more.

"Fat-free" is achieved by calorie restriction, but not by daily exercise. Moreover, training contributes to the accumulation of glycogen in the muscles. And for every gram of glycogen, the body stores three grams of water. So the muscles become rounded and filled. If you conduct classes every day, then the intramuscular glycogen depot is constantly preserved. This is the worst strategy for training abdominal muscles!

How to pump up a beautiful upper press at home and in the gym?

For non-professionals, it is better to perform different exercises in turn: do one approach for each exercise with big amount repetitions. The multi-repetition mode promotes weight loss, does not allow the waist and stomach to grow. You can combine exercises into supersets: perform several approaches consisting of two or more exercises. The press also minimally builds up and maximally “reliefs” a very slow pace and a pause at the top point - static stress.

Breathing plays a huge role: the abdominal muscles contract as much as possible when the lungs are completely freed from air. It is necessary to exhale completely and loudly when lifting the body up. After such training, the stomach will be as hard as a membrane, and even a centimeter layer of fat will not spoil its appearance.

Cubes stand out thanks to the tendon jumpers on the rectus abdominis muscle. Their number and location is determined genetically. Often they are not visible due to a layer of fat, but sometimes it is not possible to draw cubes due to a small range of motion. This is especially true for those who pump the press with weights on the chest. At the same time, willy-nilly, the "span" of the body is reduced.

To make the upper press look good, it needs a certain muscle mass. But these muscles, like others, need rest. For some reason, it never occurs to anyone to do 100 repetitions for biceps every day, but many do not allow their press to recover. Most pros recommend exercising your abs 1-2 times a week. In this mode, glycogen has time to "drain" and the waist becomes smaller than when training every 2-3 days.

Another fact in defense of rare training for the press is the rapid fatigue of the body after such exercises. The fact is that during all kinds of twisting, there is a load on solar plexus- the largest nerve bundle in the body. If you put a lot of pressure on it, then overtraining quickly occurs.

Effective exercises for the upper press

The classic variation is one of the best for men and women. The exercise is performed lying on the floor. It can be done by people with little overweight who find it difficult to train the press in other ways due to back pain. From the side, these crunches look as if the amplitude is incomplete: the lower back is always pressed to the floor, the shoulder blades come off the floor and come back again. But this is exactly the movement that stretches the rectus abdominis muscle and does not allow the iliopsoas muscle to work.

The legs can be bent at the knees and put the feet on the floor closer to the pelvis, throw on the sofa (bending at the knee at an angle of 90 degrees), keep bent in the hang. In all positions, the front surface of the thigh is turned off, which strives to participate in the training of the press.

The closer to the pelvis the hands are located, the easier it is to perform the exercise. It is best to cross them on the chest or bend at the elbows, holding the fists at the chin. The most difficult thing is to keep your hands behind your head, because in this case there is a desire to pull your elbows and neck towards your legs, which often leads to injury.

Twisting in the simulator while sitting

Sitting on the crunch machine, grasp the top handles with your hands and place your feet under the rollers. The angle at the elbow should not exceed 90 degrees. Use your abdominal muscles to twist forward. Do not fold completely (the body should not touch the hips) and always keep the abdominal muscles in tension.

The simulator with handles allows you to master crunches while lying on your back with an increased amplitude. During twisting, the abdominal muscles contract as much as possible, and at the lowest point they are completely stretched without strain on the back.

Kneeling crunches at a crossover block or a rope-handle trainer (prayer)

Get on your knees facing the block simulator and grab the handle with your hands. Rounding your back, lean forward and try to touch your legs with your elbows. The handle should be behind the head at about the level of the neck. Perform a movement without jerking with light weight due to the work of the abdominal muscles, not the arms.

Exercise is good, but also does not relax his upper part. The load level is slightly less than when twisting on the horizontal bar. The movement is performed with emphasis on the forearms and the back tightly pressed against the simulator. The press is always under control, the legs do not hang out. You need to raise your legs slightly bent at the knees as high as possible, turning the tailbone slightly forward. At the top, the legs are held for 1-2 seconds and not lowered to the end.

Pumping up the press is easy - the hardest thing is to get rid of the fat layer, under which the muscles are hiding. And in order to achieve this and get a traced relief press, you need to do basic exercises on the whole body and conduct cardio training.

Ineffective and dangerous exercises


For many, pain in sports is synonymous with performance. However, pain is not a sign that the exercise is beneficial. Correctly compose training programs taking into account individual characteristics, do not forget to do the plank and vacuum, do not harm your health and watch your diet!

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Pump up the press at home Why girls don't need abs

What man has not dreamed of a belly with embossed cubes, and what girl - about a flat, toned tummy, which is not ashamed to demonstrate on the beach?

In practice, these dreams are followed by a very real question: how to pump up the upper press at home?

Before you start exercising at home, you need to remember the following points:

  • abdominal muscles are often covered in fat, so you will have to seriously review your diet and switch to a balanced and lower calorie diet to get rid of fat;
  • the abdominal muscles are able to recover quickly, so you will need to constantly change the load;
  • you need to practice daily, preferably in the morning before meals or at least 2 hours after meals or 2 hours before bedtime; it contributes better reinforcement muscles;
  • full load is 20 sets of 15-20 repetitions;
  • exercises should be performed at a fast pace with maximum muscle tension so that a burning sensation appears in them;
  • it is impossible to give the body a full load right away - it will be unbearable for him; it is better to start doing exercises with fewer sets and repetitions, but carefully watching correct technique- the video that will be presented in this article will help you with this;
  • people who are prone to fullness, it is advisable, in addition to the proposed set of exercises, to devote time, and brisk walking, in order to get rid of extra pounds in the form of fat.

And the last thing: do not expect the result to appear quickly, for example, in a week. Practice shows that in people of normal build, without pronounced fat deposits on the abdomen, the result of training at home will appear no earlier than in a month.

And in order to keep it for a long time, ideally forever, training cannot be stopped. But by that time you yourself will be so involved in them, you will experience such “muscle joy” from the hormones of joy endorphins released into the bloodstream that training will become a necessity for you.

The best ways weight loss

Without going into the anatomical details of the structure abdominals, we only note that many of the exercises recommended to pump the upper press to cubes are also recommended for pumping the lower one, where especially a lot of fat accumulates. So, performing this complex, you can solve other problems.

Do not forget to warm up beforehand, it is necessary to warm up the muscles before training and tone the body.

It may consist of swinging arms and legs, and other energetic body movements.

: universal exercise for all press. Lying on your back and pressing your feet to the floor, slightly spread bent knees; hands at the back of the head or extended along the body.

Raising your torso, stretch your right shoulder to your left knee, stay in this position for a few seconds and return to initial position. Repeat for the other side of the body.

Simultaneous lifting of arms and legs : lying on your back, smoothly raise your outstretched arms and legs so that at the top point the fingertips touch the insteps of the feet. Hold this position for a few seconds and return to the starting position.

Half rise : lying on your back, stretch your arms along the body, bend your legs at the knees. While inhaling with arms raised, raise the body, tensing the press as much as possible, and stretch up; while the lower back does not come off the floor. On exhalation, return to the starting position.

Leg raise : lying on your back, put your hands behind your head. Gently raise your legs at an angle of 45 ° to the floor, hold them in this position and just as smoothly return to their original position.

Penknife: stretch out on the floor in a row, at the same time raise your arms and legs so that your knees reach your chest.

Lying leg raise : stretch out on the floor in a string, slowly raise straight legs vertically upwards, fix in this position and after a few deep breaths return to the starting position.

Lying half leg raise: the exercise is completely identical to the previous one, but more difficult: raise the legs not vertically upwards, but at an angle of 45 ° to the floor and fix in this position, straining the press as much as possible.

deflections: lie on your stomach, pulling your socks off, squeeze your hands behind your back into the castle. Raise the upper body as high as possible without lifting the lower abdomen off the floor. Lock in this position for 5 deep breaths, then return to the starting position.

Knowing how to pump up the upper press at home, you can achieve good results, if you perform the training program in good faith, in compliance with all the nuances of technology.

As for training for girls, we must not forget about the characteristics of the female body. For 2-3 days before menstruation and after them, training should be abandoned in order to avoid too much physical exertion for the body.

Intense workouts on other days will help you make up for what you missed, and the end result will surely please you - all that remains is to keep your abs in such great shape.

I welcome all readers of my blog! In this article, we will analyze the exercises for the upper press. They are definitely worth our attention, if only because most beginners do them incorrectly. Why is this happening? Due to ignorance of the anatomy of the abdominal muscles. Besides, .

Most of the work on the press depends on your diet, and only 20% - from physical activity. Knowing this, it is already easier to approach the task - a beautiful press. To begin with, I will tell you what the upper and lower press are in terms of anatomical structure person.

Before analyzing the exercises for the development of the press, you need to know where to look for it. Visually, the press looks like the upper 4 cubes of the rectus muscle, plus the lower section (usually 2 cubes). We also have oblique lateral muscles and the deepest of all is the transverse.

Any exercises you perform act on the entire torso, forcing the press to tense as a whole, and not in parts. During processing effective elements workouts for the press, which I will discuss above, the entire rectus muscle works. We cannot make it function partially. Remember: upper and lower abs do not exist!

Anatomy of the abdominal muscles

The general functionality of the muscles, of which, in fact, our stomach consists, is to form abdominal wall, protection internal organs from impacts, posture formation and body stabilization. The abdomen itself consists of three main muscles: rectus, transverse and oblique.

It is worth noting that, depending on the individual characteristics of a person, each group of his muscles will appear in the relief in varying degrees of severity.

The task of a professional trainer in a rocking chair is to select individual training for every athlete. Each person, be it an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph, the body is worked out differently. This should not be forgotten. But back to our stomach.

    • Straight muscle. This is the most longus muscle our torso. Due to its flat shape, it runs all over the stomach, and starts from the chest. In vertical directions, several smaller muscle bundles emanate from it. It is this group of muscles that helps us to pump up the relief.

With the help of the rectus muscle, a person lowers the ribs, pulls the chest to the bottom, can bend the spine and raise the pelvis. Thanks to this particular muscle, one of the strongest in our body, we keep our posture, bend the spine better. That is, you understand that training the rectus muscle is needed not only for a clear relief, but also for the strength of our posture, general health. A competent approach to classes allows you to get rid of pain in the back and shoulder blades, a burning sensation between the shoulder blades.

    • Oblique muscle, it is also external. We smoothly moved on to the widest muscle group, located in the side of the chest, on both sides of the abdomen. This muscle located above the internal muscle on the abdomen and sides, and helps us twist the body in different sides, tilt other abdominal muscle groups and pull down the ribs. Nature also entrusted this strong fabric to endure the hardships of life: to lift and carry various loads.
    • Oblique (internal) muscle. We call this tissue fan because it has a flat, wide shape, unfolds like a fan on the stomach and forms the second layer of muscles. The muscle hides under its outer oblique counterpart.
    1. Body rotation
    2. bending chest to the bottom
    3. Press compression
  • Transverse. This muscle encircles our torso, forming the so-called athlete's belt.
    Functions transverse muscle extremely interesting for girls and women, because it allows you to get the coveted waist, reducing it. In addition to turning the body, muscle tissue is responsible for its inclinations and pulling the costal bones.

Now you know what functions each of them is responsible for and it will be easier to understand what to train and what results to expect.

Contraindications to exercise

There are contraindications for swinging the press, as well as adding additional weight to the chest during twists. Women should pay special attention to such nuances. The risk zone is the displacement of the pelvic organs. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting exercise.

Serious contraindications for both men and women are recent operations on the abdominal cavity, hernia of the navel or spine, pregnancy and the first months in the postpartum period. Everyone likes beautiful abs, but if you have diseases of cardio-vascular system you should consult with a medical professional. If you do not follow these simple truths, fitness can become a dangerous activity.

Abs workout program at home

We move smoothly, having a mat or gymnastic equipment at hand. We will do it without a simulator, but it would be nice to stock up on weights

The following exercises are suitable for both beginners and professionals - this is the main working base for pumping muscles that athletes perform. Don't forget to warm up every time. , get them ready before training.

  • Twisting. Lie down on the mat and try to bring your chest as close to your pelvis as possible. This exercise allows you to tighten the cubes. Only the upper region of the body should move, but there is no need to bend the lower back. Put your hands on your chest, lift your legs on the floor, or rest them against the wall. Before you raise your head, shoulders and tighten your abs, inhale and hold your breath, then tighten the rectus muscle. In this position, you need to stay for a few seconds, exhale, and return to the starting position. Do 4 sets of twisting from 15 to 40 times - for beginners this will be enough.

  • Leg lift. To perform this exercise, also lie down on the mat, stretch your arms along your back. Bend your legs at the knees and lift your pelvis off the mat - the bottom of your body should be pulled up to the top. When performing lifts, it is important to maintain a smooth movement, to avoid jerks. So, take a breath and at this time raise your legs and pelvis at an angle of 90 degrees. Hold this pose for a few seconds, exhale and slowly lower your lower torso with your legs. Performing this task allows you to tighten the press, and at the same time use the muscles of the thighs.

  • Folding. Great exercise for the abdominal muscles, because it is effective, and it is very easy to perform it at home. Lie down on the floor and raise your hands behind your head so that they are in line with your legs. Exhale, raising both straight legs and arms at once. Your legs should be raised as high as possible, and your fingers should touch your socks. This exercise will allow you to fold (twist) your body in half. In this position, you need to hold out for a few seconds, and while inhaling, lower yourself back. The delay is perhaps the most difficult part.

We have analyzed the basic exercises that are very easy to perform at home. In combination with proper diet, they effectively affect the abdomen. You need to do them 3 times a week - do not forget about regularity.

The following video will also be useful for those who are interested in the question of how to pump up the upper press.

What exercises for the upper press can be done on the horizontal bar

Your work will consist of several approaches. Give these exercises no more than 40 minutes.

So, we stand upright, clamp the crossbar with our hands and hang for a few seconds. As you exhale, bend your knees, slowly bring them to your chest, while inhaling, lower them to the starting position. The second position is straight legs raised 90 degrees. Both examples should be done for 10 sets each.

For beginners in this business, it is better to start by strengthening the grip strength of the crossbar with your hands. To do this, just hang on the bar for 10-15 seconds, doing 4 continuous repetitions. As soon as you feel that the muscles have adapted, increase the number of repetitions.

Rookie Mistakes

Without a view from the outside, mistakes are inevitable. But some of them can be avoided.

  1. When twisting, do not try to lean forward with your hands behind your head. Our task is the maximum tension of the cubes, not the back. Also, immediately get used to keeping your hands on your chest. This correct position, because in the future you will add weight to the chest, holding it with your hands
  2. Avoid straining the neck muscles and vertebrae. It won't lead to anything good.
  3. Some people think that in order to work with the press, you need to do body turns on a sports disk. This exercise will not help you pump up the press, and generally pump anything up, because sharp turns are unnatural for the body. All this can lead to a pinched nerve.
  4. Turning with a heavy barbell with the whole body is dangerous for the spine. If you still want to make turns, then do it without weight


How to increase the effectiveness of training

If you want to develop powerful cubes, do not miss one of the main rules: this is a muscle like any other, so here you need to add additional working weight. Simply twisting without adding weight is not as effective. Prepare in advance the working weight, which is suitable for shells from the bar. While at home, you can prepare other weight-efficient items (dumbbells) - the main thing here is to know their weight.

For the load, you must put additional weight on your chest - for starters - 5 kg. The diameter of the pancake should be small so that it does not interfere with your curling. In the future, the load can be increased at your discretion, but so that the weight does not interfere with twisting. An important addition: for girls, I would recommend keeping the maximum tension not exceeding 10 kg.

Try to stack pancakes closer to the neck to get the maximum load on the press. It is also important that when twisting they do not outweigh to the lower abdomen, making it easier for you to work.

Shall we pump up in a week?

You will have to spend at least 3 months of training on pumping up cubes, provided that you stick to a diet. At proper nutrition, normal health, methodical training and sufficient rest, you will definitely achieve visible results. But it won't be cubes yet. Before them, you still have to work hard, increasing the load gradually, regularly complicating the task.


A little about proper nutrition

The lion's share (80%) of your abs is due to diet. Without a diet plan, physical exercise and the exercises will not be effective. I will not touch on this topic in detail, but I will write the main postulates that must be strictly observed:

  • Do not forget about vegetables and greens, fruits
  • Eat more often, but in small portions - stimulate your metabolism
  • Drink plenty of fluids, as exercise contributes to severe moisture loss

Summing up

Let's clarify important point: in what part of the workout to download the press? It makes sense to engage the abdominal muscles at the end of a workout if there are heavy exercises in your daily arsenal. Correct answer: at the end or after basic exercises.

That's all, friends. I hope that this article has clarified many points for you, and also inspired you to start a long journey. But nice abs worth it. Subscribe to blog news, share this article with friends - there is a lot of useful information ahead of you.

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However, paradoxically, to eliminate protruding folds and tubercles in the lower abdomen, a trained upper press is required, the muscles of which tighten the entire abdomen at once and make it perfectly flat. To bring these muscles into tone, it is enough to do exercises aimed at working out all the main muscles of the core, for example, the bar and twisting in the "bike" position. However, there are also special trainings focused on strengthening the invisible problem area- that's what you can call it upper muscles press. The most popular exercises are listed below.

Pull-up push-up

  • Place two dumbbells of your usual weight on the floor, approximately shoulder-width apart.
  • Grasp the shells and take the position for classic push-ups.
  • Lower your torso to the floor and perform a regular push-up, still keeping your hands on the dumbbells.
  • Returning to the starting position, raise your right hand with the projectile to the level of the body.
  • Hold for a few seconds, return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the left side.

Since the upper press is easier to work with dumbbells, try to find shells of the optimal weight. For beginners, one kilogram will be enough. If you exercise regularly, try starting with 3kg dumbbells. Raising your arms to the body, make sure that the torso does not sway: strain the upper press and maintain the most stable position.

Flexion - squat - press

  • Take a pair of dumbbells and relax your arms at the sides of your torso. The palms should face forward.
  • Keeping your shoulders still, bend your elbows and bring the dumbbells as close to your shoulders as possible. Immediately after that, pull your hips back and lower yourself into a classic squat. The thighs should be at least parallel to the floor.
  • Get up in full height and stretch your arms with dumbbells over your head.
  • Return to starting position and repeat the movement.

Oblique, upper, lower abdominal muscles and the most problematic women's zone- hips - perfectly worked out in this simple, but very effective combined exercise. In addition to eliminating excess body fat on the most visible parts of the body, you train the biceps, giving the arms more attractive outlines.

Cross lunges

  • Take a pair of dumbbells and hold them about shoulder-width apart, letting your arms hang freely along your torso and placing your palms with the backs facing out.
  • Do right foot step forward and to the side so that the right foot is in front of the left (as in a curtsy). Lower your torso until your right knee is at least ninety degrees bent.
  • Hold this position for a few moments, then return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

If your goal is top for girls based on classic squats and lunges will help you train the right muscles. Unlike crunches and traditional leg raises, thigh-tension elements allow you to shape your whole body, not just your belly and waist.

Slopes with a ski expander

  • Take the ski band and step on it with one foot (you can use two feet for the most resistance).
  • Hold the ends of the expander in each hand at a shoulder-width distance. Bend at the waist and lower your torso until it is parallel to the floor. The knees should be slightly bent, the lower back in a natural, relaxed position.
  • Bring the shoulder blades together and pull the expander towards the upper abdomen. Hold this position, then release the tension and return to the starting position.

Sports equipment, shaped a bit like a skipping rope. It can be either single or double. A double expander provides an increased load on the muscles, so working out the upper press with it is usually easier.

Jump squat

  • Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Grab a pair of dumbbells.
  • Drive your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your torso as low as you can into a regular, traditional squat.
  • Place the dumbbells on the floor, then jump your legs back into a push-up position, as you would for a normal push-up.
  • Then jump back into a squat. Stand up to your full height and jump again.

As you might guess, the purpose of this exercise is not only top part the press, but also the main muscles of the cortex, thighs, buttocks and chest. Considerable benefits are brought by the element of cardio load - double jumping. It provides the maximum possible burning of excess calories, bringing closer the fulfillment of your dream - getting the perfect figure.

Modified squat with dumbbells

  • Hold two dumbbells directly above your shoulder line. The arms should remain completely straight. Throughout the exercise, intensely tighten the press.
  • Return to the starting position with your left foot in front of your right. Do not place your feet in a straight line - the distance between them should still be shoulder width apart.
  • Drive your hips back and bend your knees to lower your torso into a normal squat, but with legs apart. Hold for a few seconds in this position, then use to return to the starting position. Perform a whole set of repetitions in the indicated position, then place the right foot in front of the left and duplicate the set.

Dumbbells add resistance and heaviness, so choose the weight of the shells thoughtfully. Don't worry about upper abs exercises being all about strength training for legs; in fact, to perform squats, push-ups and lunges, it is necessary to use exactly those core muscles that often do not even strain during classic ab exercises. Use the unique opportunity to tighten your tummy and get rid of "baggy" through really effective exercises.

Frog in plank

  • Starting position - emphasis lying, as for push-ups. The torso should form a perfectly straight line from the shoulders to the ankles.
  • Pull your right foot forward and place it next to right hand(or as close to it as possible). Try not to move your hips - they should neither sag nor rise.
  • Return your leg to the starting position and repeat the movement on the left side.

Since the upper press determines the external attractiveness of the most problematic area - the abdomen, the above exercises should not be neglected. It is possible that they will help you find the figure of your dreams.

If you are closely monitoring your body and want to be slim and fit, then it is very important to have beautiful belly, which is the desired result of hard training. And, for sure, if you have taken up this issue seriously, you have already encountered the problem of pumping the upper abdominal muscles.

How to properly pump up the upper press? What program should be followed for this and what nutrition should be observed in order to achieve this goal? Consider key points, which will help answer these questions and "build" an attractive shape of the upper abdomen.

The "nature" of the upper press and its features

In the world of fitness and bodybuilding, abdominal muscles are usually divided into top, bottom and side press. The upper press is in contact with lower muscles chest.

The abdominal muscle is single and does not consist of different parts, but in sports, for convenience, the abdominal muscles are divided into separate zones, so we conditionally distinguish between the upper and lower abs.

Most athletes strive for the perfect form of the press. Agree, it’s nice to look at a sports figure with beautiful “cubes” of the abdomen, regardless of whether it is a female or male silhouette?

Exercises for the upper abdomen especially important because this part of the press is most pronounced - it visually separates the chest and stomach, thereby emphasizing the shape and striking in the first place.

It's not only about aesthetic beauty, but also about practical value, since a trained stomach is directly proportional to affects human health:

  • helps in the prevention of the treatment of a number of diseases (stomach ulcer, gastritis, colitis, problems with the liver and biliary tract);
  • lowers abdominal pressure, which improves breathing processes;
  • exercises for the upper press are of increased interest for girls, since pumped up abdominal muscles make childbirth easier.

For symmetry, in combination with the upper press, it is also necessary to pump the lower press. For more information on how to do this, see the article "Exercises for the lower press."

Upper Press Exercises

How to pump up the treasured upper press cubes and can it be done at home? Luckily, a beautiful belly you can pump up without a bunch of complex simulators or special shells. Anyone can do this without even leaving home - all you need is a floor, a training mat and willpower.

If you feel pain or discomfort while doing the upper press exercise, reduce the load. If the discomfort does not go away, stop pumping the press, transfer this exercise to next workout- do not work through pain, this can lead to injury to the abdomen.

However, despite the fact that the press can be pumped in almost any conditions, there are rules, that must be followed in order to achieve best result when forming a beautiful upper press:

Basic exercises for the muscles of the upper press

Leg raise

Starting position - lying on your back. We hold straightened arms, pressed along the body, on the mat with palms down, legs straightened, feet together. While inhaling, we raise our legs until an angle of 90 degrees is formed in relation to the body.

In case you want to get an enhanced workout, then you should not bring your legs completely perpendicular to the floor so that the abs are constantly in tension. As you exhale, lower your legs, but not completely, so as not to touch the floor. Do 3-4 sets of 15-25 reps.

"Penknife"

Take the same position as when lifting your legs, only keep your hands above your head, pressing the back of your hands to the mat. At the same time, as you exhale, raise your arms and legs towards each other until the toes of your feet touch the fingers, while engaging the muscles of the body, as if twisting into a “ball”.

While inhaling, we return to the starting position, without touching the mat with our feet. The exercise is more difficult than the previous one, therefore we reduce the number of repetitions - 3-4 sets of 10-20 times.

Trunk lift with twist

Lie on your back, hands should be behind the head in the "castle", knees bent, feet on the mat. We begin to move the body to the legs, touching the left knee with the right elbow, and then lower the body back, but not completely (the back should not touch the mat), while the legs are in a fixed position.

Of course, you can pump up the upper abdomen at home, but for a higher and faster result, it is better to use special simulators and shells. Let's move on to the main exercises for the upper press in the gym.

Raising the body on an incline bench

Sit on the simulator, fix your legs. Fold your hands behind your head in a “lock”, in case it is difficult for you, you can cross your arms over your chest. Begin to slowly lower your body towards the back of the bench until your back is approximately parallel to the floor, and then begin the reverse movement until your abdomen almost touches your thighs.

We exhale on the rise, inhale - on the lowering. During the exercise, you should not keep your back straight - this is a mistake. The abdominal muscles should work, not the back, so we keep the body in a slightly bent position. We repeat the exercise 3-4 sets of 15-20 repetitions. In the future, you can do this exercise with additional weight, holding it in front of you, pressing it tightly to your chest.

Fold on top block

This exercise can be done standing or sitting on your knees. We hold the rope with our hands near the head. The bend is performed exclusively with the help of the abdominal muscles, and not the back. The most common mistake is to do the exercise, accelerating with the whole body, using the arms and pelvis. When twisting, we exhale; when we move back, we inhale. We perform the movement 3-4 sets of 15-25 repetitions.

The best exercise for the upper press - video

The lying crunch is a very popular upper abs exercise among athletes and is performed both at home and in gym, so let's look at it in more detail in the video. The lying twist has several various ways execution. This video shows an option when the arms are pulled forward when twisting.

In conclusion about the upper press

A beautiful upper press can be pumped up as in gym, and at home, provided that at home you have to spend a little more time than in the hall. The upper press cannot be pumped up with the help of exercises alone- you need to follow a diet and adhere to a certain training regimen.

What exercises for pumping the upper press do you prefer? Share your experience of training this muscle group in the comments.