Abdominal
Exercises
Abdominal exercises are probably
the most difficult and uncomfortable muscles to train, but
the most rewarding. Some experts would go as far as to say
that the quality of your abdominal (abs) muscles makes or
breaks you. There is no doubt what a great 6 pack can do for
an individual, especially a male. There is no better feeling,
ask anyone!
The key to getting visible
abdominal muscles is to reduce the amount of fat covering
the abdominal muscles. Simply exercising the abdominal muscles
alone won’t achieve the best results; this is usually
referred to as “spot reduction”. Spot reduction
is now believed to be not as effective as exercising the whole
body. Research shows that fat is lost all over the body, not
just in the area that is trained.
This article will try and
explain some of the abdominal exercises for getting definite
results. It will also include instructions on how to do these
abdominal exercises. Have fun!
Reduce fat and reveal those abdominal muscles
Two ways of reducing those
fat away from the abdomen includes
* Dieting and
* Exercise
Dieting - If your body is
high in body fat percentage then you abdominals will not show
no matter how much you exercise your abdominals.
Most fitness experts would
agree that eating very little fat and lots of complex carbohydrates
and protein, would help to ensure that you don’t add
additional fat to the abdomen and other areas of the body.
Remember that the abdominal are muscles, they too need proper
nutrition just like the rest of the body.
Exercise - Abdominal muscles
respond to high repetition, aerobic style exercises. Abdominal
exercises includes moderate aerobic exercises 2-3 times per
week, works best to burn fat that’s already stored.
High intensity exercises burns glycogen not so much fat, so
keep the workout intensity down at a level that can be sustained
for 10 to 15 minutes. A light jog, swimming, power walking,
cycling etc are great for burning fat.
Abdominal Exercises
Remember that when you are
performing these abdominal exercises that you should really
concentrate on conttracting your muscles as hard as you can.
It is not a competition, there is no point on doing 100 cruches
if its not working your abs, make sure you do them correctly
and really feel the fatigue in your abs. Below are instructions
for 4 popular abdominal exercises. They include
* Abdominal crunches - upper
ab (1 star)
* Side crunches - side ab (1 star)
* Twist crunches - side ab (2 star)
* Reverse crunches - lower ab (1 star)
* Seated V-crunches - lower ab (3 star)
* Sit-Up - Jack Knife - lower ab (3 star)
* Cable crunches - upper ab (3 star)
Crunches
Of all the abdominal exercises
this may be the most basic and yet effective exercise. Lie
on the floor and place you legs up on a bench if you prefer.
This position ensures that your back is supported and flat
against the floor. Place your hands behind your head or for
lighter resistance, across your chest. Bring the chest up
towards the thighs until you feel a contraction in your abs.
Pause for the contraction and slowly return to the starting
position. Exhale on the contraction. Crunches should be performed
in a continuous and a controlled fashion
Side crunches: side abdominal
Side crunches are essentially
the same as regular crunches with the focus on the oblique
muscles or side abdominal. The same technique applies however
the legs are twisted to one side.
Reverse Crunch: lower abdominal
This abdominal exercise can be done on the ground or on an
incline sit-up board. All you need is something behind your
head to hold. If you use the incline board, use it with your
feet lower than your head.
Lying on your back, hold a
weight or a chair leg (if lying on the floor) or the foot
bar (if using the sit-up board). Keep the knees slightly bent.
Pull your pelvis and legs up so that your knees are above
your chest and then return to beginning position. This exercise
is very similar to a hanging knee raise, but a little less
intense.
V-Crunch
Performe this abdominal exercise
on a flat bench. It's another lower abdominal targeting exercise.
It's almost like lying leg lifts except your chest is at a
45-degree angle starting out. Sit at the edge of a bench and
reach back just enough to support yourself from completely
lying on the bench. Once you're stabilized, bring your knees
toward your chest. You basically want to create a V motion
when you perform them. For example, one end of the V is your
head, the other is your knee. The base of the V would be your
abdomen.
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