Strong abdominal muscles and a proper body shape contribute well to a man’s personality. Fitness plays a key role in this aspect and workouts can help you open the doors. Multiple exercises train different body muscles and give strength to let you feel strong. For abs, there are hundreds of exercises and Weighted Butterfly Situps is one of them.
This exercise is a pro variation of butterfly situps with an addition of a weight. In this descriptive blog, we will uncover major aspects of this particular workout and find some Alternatives to weighted butterfly situps. So let’s get started without any wait!
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Basic Information
Weighted Butterfly Situps are considered like butter for the abdominal muscles because of their effectiveness. This cost-effective exercise requires nothing except a surface mat and you can perform anytime.
While performing the exercise, your feet are connected whereas you have to lift yourself/down. Weighted butterfly situps have a good command for losing extra calories and guaranteeing a slim waist. It forces you to lift weight while keeping the core engaged.
Benefits of Weighted Butterfly Situps
There are numerous benefits of performing this particular exercise for a human being. Whether you are enjoying your evening or busy in your morning routine, a few reps of this exercise will keep you active. Let’s grab some of the major health and fitness advantages of this certain move.
Stamina Booster: Weighted Butterfly Situps play a dominating role in boosting the overall stamina. It keeps the blood circulated in the body which will help you stay active.
Warm-up Game: If you are preparing yourself for hard training or machine-based workouts, then Weighted Butterfly Situps will activate your muscles.
Core Strengthening: this exercise is exceptionally best for the rectus and transverse abdominal muscle groups. The purpose of this workout is to train abs and to make it more effective for the core, you can perform it with resistance bands.
Range of Motion: During the move, you have to bring yourself up from the bottom which requires a greater range of motion. Moreover, it also flexes the hip joints and is gentle for the knees too.
Body Balancing: if you have weak body balance or face problems with posing yourself, then consider performing weighted butterfly situps regularly. Not only does it generate power through abs but also is ideal for better posturing.
This workout is best for beginners if they have just stepped in and want to focus on good abs. To increase the workout intensity and to challenge your flexibility feel free to perform this with weights.
How to Perform Weighted Butterfly Situps
Weighted Butterfly Situps are very simple but if you do not perform them properly, it does not generate fruitful results. You have to follow the workout guide and pay attention to gain positive results. Here are a few steps that you have to follow while performing this movement:
- With your arms over your head and heels touching each other, lie on the surface. Make sure to have a bearable weighted plate in hand.
- Core engagement is very important and as you are using bodyweight you must have to flex your body.
- Lift yourself by generating power through your abs and utilizing the hip flexors. Make sure to reach the heels by bringing yourself into a sitting position and bringing the body back.
- Don’t lift your hips or heels in the air while moving the body. Try to keep a neutral spine throughout the movement.
- Repeat the steps for a fixed number of repetitions and perform at least three sets.
If you are feeling pain in the back or knees, then you have to discuss the matter with a physiotherapist. You can talk to your fitness expert in case of any issue regarding the proper movement.
Alternatives to Weighted Butterfly Situps
If you are suffering from osteoporosis or endometriosis, then this exercise is not ideal. In this case, you have to find alternatives to weighted butterfly situps and experience them. Here are some of the dominating exercises for abs that you can try instead of this particular exercise.
1. Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle Crunch is another best alternative to weighted Butterfly Situps due to its core significance. It is more effective than simple crunches as it forces your legs to move wider. If you want to improve coordination, flexibility, and stability at the same time with a single workout, then think about bicycle crunches.
Keeping your back straight and legs up, lie on the ground with hands under the neck. Now you have to bring your right elbow up to make a connection with your left knee. Repeat the movement with alternate body parts and carry on the movement for the desired number of reps. Don’t forget to engage the core for positive results.
2. Hollow Rock
If you have a problem with situps and cannot rotate the body, then you must make a pose for training of muscles. Hollow Body Hold is a posing movement that will require you to pause. You will not move while keeping your abs active and stable back support.
All you need is to bring your arms over your head and straighten the back along with your legs. Now lift your legs and arms to an adjustable point by engaging the abs. hold the pose for 3-4 minutes and feel the pressure. If you have just started a gym, then Hollow Rock is ideal for muscle activation.
3. Dead Bug
Instead of moving the whole body, you have to just move your arms/legs to train abs. Yes, Dead Bug is the exercise that requires you to make movements through your legs and arms. It not only stabilizes your abs but also mobilizes the shoulder joints. Your hip joints will become active and a greater range of motion will be experienced.
Along with better body posturing, this movement contributes well to enhancing your cognitive functionalities. Lie down on the ground with an engaged core and straight back. Bring your right arm and left leg up through the air while keeping the others down. Now repeat the movement with alternate legs and arms but at a slow pace.
4. Plank
Plank is one of the most advantageous exercises for the core and the entire upper back. Moreover, to master pushups, you first have to learn the plank position. This movement does not require you to move any of the body parts or lift upward/downward for muscle activation.
It is very gentle for the person suffering from joint problems or facing back pains. Stand on the four pillars in such a way that your wrists are parallel to your shoulders. Put the pressure on the abs and hold the position for 20 seconds merely.
5. Bird Dog
If you want more than core strengthening without heavy workouts then Bird Dog is the best choice. Being the best alternative to weighted butterfly situps, it improves your posturing and athletic performance, especially for climbers. It brings stability to your anterior abdominal muscles and active spinal muscles. It puts you in such a position that your hand fingers are parallel to your heels through a straight line.
To keep the core engaged, you have to pose on one arm and leg while lifting the others in the air. Holding the position for 10 seconds will activate the required muscles so you must have stamina to bear this pain.
6. Hanging Leg Raise
If you cannot lie on the surface due to backaches or knee joint issues, then try to hang and target the abs. Hanging Leg Raise requires you to bring your legs up towards the chest level by flexing the hip joints. It puts tension on the abs and you might feel tight while bringing yourself up. With a hanging leg raise, you can also get rid of the extra fats around the belly to make it straight and strong.
Conclusion
Due to some minor issues, we cannot deny the efficiency of weighted Butterfly Situps. However, depending on a single exercise for the most useful muscle group is not good enough. Therefore, we have listed some alternatives to weighted butterfly situps that will not only activate the abdominal muscles but also enhance your posturing. Try to experience the above-mentioned exercises and feel the difference around the belly fat. Stay connected for more informational fitness blogs!