YouTube clip Jimmy Outlaw: My top four core exercises for six pack abs

Next summer is definitely coming - and who doesn't want to be well prepared with a nice six-pack? Apart from that, it's not just about how you look, but also about fitness, health and how you feel about your body. The fact that you can present yourself sporty and muscular on the beach and in the outdoor pool is of course a bonus.

But how does that work? Let's take a look at the four best core exercises from Jimmy Outlaw, the personal coach from Germany who has been working as a holistic functional trainer in Zurich for a long time. Jimmy runs his own YouTube channel called Jimmy Outlaw Training, where he regularly posts new hands-on videos.

First exercise: Flutter kicks with raised shoulder blades

Lie on your back, keeping your lower back flat on the floor. Lift your legs and move them alternately from bottom to top. This looks a bit like a scissors movement, but this exercise is not to be confused with the scissor kicks. The lower back should be in constant contact with the ground (this is not the case with the scissor kicks). To achieve the best training effect, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and stretch your arms upwards with your fingers spread.

Second exercise: Elbow Plank

You can do the Elbow Plank in two versions: with your knees on the floor or with your body stretched out on tiptoe, which roughly corresponds to the posture you would adopt when doing push-ups. Stretch your body (in both variants) and alternately stretch your arms forward, making sure your palms are completely touching the floor.

Third exercise: Side plank on the elbow

Here it is important to place the elbow at an angle of 90 degrees under the shoulder joint. Support yourself on your elbows and, in the first variant, keep your knees on the floor while you pull the leg that is not directly touching the floor towards you and then straighten it. This is fine as an exercise, but the effects are even better if you try to push your hips off the floor and back down after each flexing and straightening of the leg. In a variation of this task, try to keep your hips off the floor and pull in the leg that's farthest from the floor in this pose. Here, too, you can try to lift your hips even further away from the floor after pulling up and straightening the respective leg.

Fourth Exercise: Hollow Hold

In this form of exercise, you first sit normally on the floor, then slowly lean backwards, always keeping your shoulder blades off the floor. Keeping your buttocks and lower back touching the floor the entire time, slowly raise and keep your legs straight. Extend your arms parallel to the floor. In the first version, you simply remain in this posture for a while. In a second variant, you begin to rock slightly forwards and backwards in this position. At the same time, pull your stomach inwards and always maintain this body statics and body tension when rocking.