September 3, 2025, 5:41 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Lack of core tension, poor posture, or incorrect breathing technique—these are just a few common mistakes made during abdominal workouts. Trainer and FITBOOK expert Alina Bock reveals what exercisers typically do wrong and how to do it right. This way, you can achieve beautiful abs and a strong core.
Abdominal training is not just for aesthetics but is crucial for the healthy functionality of the entire body. The abdominal muscles, collectively known as the core, form the body’s center and are vital for stability and coordination. A well-developed core supports the spine, ensures an upright posture, promotes pelvic floor functionality, aids breathing, and protects internal organs.
Moreover, effective core training is essential today, as most people spend the majority of their day sitting, to prevent back pain and injuries.
Common Ab Workout Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Many exercisers understand the importance of effective abdominal training. However, mistakes often creep in unconsciously, significantly reducing the workout’s effectiveness.
Lack of Core Tension
One of the most common and serious mistakes affecting the effectiveness of core training is a lack of core tension. This lack of tension is visible, for example, through an arched back during a forearm plank or the lower back lifting during leg raises, heel taps, or similar exercises.
However, the lack of core tension is not always easy to spot; only the person exercising can feel it. It often correlates with a high number of repetitions or a long hold duration. Here, the rule is: A short exercise performed with core tension is always more effective than a prolonged exercise lacking core tension.
The following tips help avoid this mistake: To build core tension, relax the stomach while inhaling and then pull the navel inward while exhaling. In a supine position, tilt the pelvis upward and press the lower back firmly against the floor. Continue breathing normally without releasing the core tension. Perform the exercise from this position.
Too Fast a Pace
Another common mistake I often encounter as a trainer in gyms is performing sit-ups, leg raises, and similar exercises too quickly. It seems like the goal is to finish the abdominal workout as fast as possible. However, it’s better to do fewer exercises or sets at a slow pace than many exercises or sets at a fast pace.
The slower the exercise is performed, the better the core tension can be maintained, and the higher the exercise’s demand and effectiveness. Additionally, a fast pace often leads to mistakes and makes it easier to cheat movements, increasing the risk of injury. Therefore, it is advisable to perform core exercises slowly and, above all, in a controlled manner.
Incorrect Choice of Ab Workout Exercises
Based on experience, abdominal training, often performed after training another body part, frequently consists of sit-ups or similar exercises. Sit-ups are not ineffective, but they primarily train the rectus abdominis and not the entire core. Moreover, there are exercises that engage the entire core and deep abdominal muscles, surpassing the effectiveness of sit-ups as a standard exercise.
Effective exercises that promote the entire core and deep abdominal muscles include:
• Forearm plank
• Side plank
• Knee lift
• Diagonal arm and leg raises
• Heel taps on the Pilates ball
Additionally, tools like the Bosu ball, Pilates ball, balance board, or similar, which make the surface unstable, require the activation of deep abdominal muscles and the coordination of the entire body. This is beneficial as it promotes stabilization, contributing to a healthy posture and preventing back issues.
Coordination—demanding exercises should not be performed after training, but rather at the beginning to ensure enough concentration and strength for the exercise.
Incorrect Breathing
Another important factor often overlooked is proper breathing. Breathing is often held, especially with tense abdominal muscles. However, this increases intra-abdominal pressure and can lead to health issues, particularly in the pelvic floor area. This applies not only to isolated abdominal muscle training but also to all other exercises where the abdominal muscles work to stabilize. This is especially true for full-body exercises like squats, front squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses, and similar exercises. Holding your breath increases abdominal pressure, pressing mainly on the pelvic floor. The longer this continues, the greater the damage.
To avoid subsequent damage, breathing should be adjusted. During the eccentric phase—bending during a squat or lowering the body during a sit-up—inhale, and then exhale during the concentric phase—extending during a squat or sit-up. It’s important not to lose core tension while doing this.