Ab Exercise to Take Punches?

Question

Let me just get this out of the way: I'm not trying to be a "tough-guy", I train in martial arts and try to gear most of my exercises toward that. What is a good ab exercise that would help absorb a hit being taken to the solarplex (upper ab region)?

Answer 1

The two best in my opinion are:

-Tie a medicine ball to short piece of rope or a belt no longer then 75 cm stand with your back to the wall and swing it side to side without it ever falling lower than your waist. Focus on not leaning forward.

-Do crunches and have someone drop a medicine ball on your stomach when you are flat then throw it back to them.

I find these two alone re plenty for amateur fight training.

Answer 2

much of the detail about how to train to get used to taking a hit is good so I won't repeat it-

however, at the heart of this you also need to stregthen your abs and while people have mentioned "sit ups" or "crunches" and then taking shots with a medicine ball, they have not given you detail about the type of ab excercises you need to do to stregthen your abs in addition-

you need to stregthen your ENTIRE CORE, just focusing on one part of your abs will not get them nearly as strong as if you hit all the ab groups- and there are five key ones.

upper and lower abs (which crunches would hit), obliques (which side to sides should hit), transverse abdominus (bridges), and back (back extensions).

so building up your muslces will help you build stronger abs so in that area you can take more and it will supplement your "deadening the nerves" workout.

I should caution you though- odds are you don't have limitless amount of time- and focusing on taking a hit in your abs is less important than say protecting your face, or ribs.  if you find yourself focusing too much on this one area that is not as vital a target or area as your face, then you need to re-think your training and focus on more vital areas- I"m not saying you shouldn't do it, just don't over emphasize it.

FYI- another method- while not popular and certainly not going to increase your attractiveness to women is one used by gladiators in ancient rome- they had a diet designed to build a layer of fat on thier bodies so as to offer some measure of protection in unarmored areas. now against a sword or trident, It couldn't be that much- IMO, however if you ever tried punching a really fat kid in the gut, well you would know.  just for completeness I've adde the "become a lard-*** option".

Answer 3

Good old-fashioned heavy leather ball.

Answer 4

breathe and get popped thats the best way i have found that doesnt require you to buy anything just work out with someone ....take turns...just remember the more you exhale the tighter your muscles and the less pain so get the breathing down before hand....

Answer 5

situps with people punching you in the gut

Answer 6

Have a friend lightly hit you in the stomach with a medicine ball.  It is a great way to learn to take a hit to the gut.

Answer 7

Learning to breathe out when something strikes is the absolute most effective thing you can do.  Most exercises for ab/core strength will help (mummy crunches, sit-ups, leg-lifts, planks).

My favorite non-calisthenic tool is the Medicine ball - old school but effective. You can get one for around $30 or you can just fill a rubber kickball with water if you're making your own.  I'd say 10 lbs is a good weight to start with - I use a 16 lb ball or a 12 lb ball depending on what I'm doing.

If you are on your own, lay down like you are doing crunches - make sure you have some padding underneath you so your spine doesn't get sore.  Take the medicine ball and drop it from about 1 foot above your body right on the plex/abs.  Exhale as the ball hits you, but let it bounce off - don't cheat by catching it with your hands.  

If you have a partner, they can drop the ball on you as well, but passing is more effective - stand facing your partner. Have your partner throw the ball into your guts - start off light and build up, don't try to show off.  Catch the ball AFTER it hits you - don't soften the shot by partially catching it.  This works catching it against ribs, lower stomach, or plex.  Just be respectful of your partner and don't throw harder than he/she asks.  You can seriously get hurt.  This exercise sucks enough when you do it right...

Lastly - again for partner work - stand with your arms on your partner's shoulders and let them punch you quickly, but not hard, in the stomach/plex.  Try to exhale and tighten up with each punch.  It's easy for the first 5-10 punches, but as your breath runs out you'll have to breathe deeply - THAT'S when it hurts.  Again, respect is key on this - showboats get hurt, but if you're smart you'll get strong and be able to breathe correctly with the punches.  

- I have 2 kids - both under 50 lbs.  I let them climb on my stomach sometimes - they poke, prod, elbow, knee, jump, and really make me work hard to breathe.  It's fun for them, and actually a good exercise they can participate in.  I just have to know my limits and tell them when enough is enough.