ab workout

Flatter Lower Abs – Health and Safety Tips

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If you want flatter lower abs, you should know that your upper abs and lower abs require different exercises if you are building muscles, but not if you’re just toning them.

If you are looking to just tone muscles, then any good group of exercises aimed at the abdominals will deliver the results you need. Of course, you have to do them properly.

Also, doing too many, too soon, is not a good idea. Avoid straining, especially the neck and lower back. You can permanently injure your spine if you aren’t careful.

Body building can be quite different from normal exercising. Building aims at isolating the upper and lower abdominals causing development in different areas.

However, some instructors caution against too much lower ab concentration. They claim that this, also, is a formula for back fatigue and strain, and it doesn’t give you enough isolation to make a difference in specific muscle definition.

The following are some good general low-impact exercises for the abs, which are easy on the lower back and spine.

1. Easy Lower Ab Exercise #1

Sit with your legs extended out to the width of your shoulders. Keep feet pointed up and arms out to your sides, at chest level. Tuck in your abdominals and lean to touch each foot, using the opposite arm, one at a time.

2. Easy Lower ab Exercise #2

Sit with your legs extended in front of you, about your hip width apart. Your toes should point up and keep your knees slightly bent. Pull your abdominals in towards your back. Extend your arms in front of you at chest level, as if you were sliding your arms across a smooth surface. Keep your shoulders relaxed.

3. Easy Lower Ab Exercise #3

Sit on floor with legs bent to the left, right foot near left knee, in a comfortable position. Hold your left shin with left hand, and extend right arm overhead. Look up to the right and gently stretch to the left. Switch sides and repeat the exercise. This is a Yoga move.

If you are body building and need to specifically target the lower abs, here is an excellent exercise, guaranteed to give you results:

  1. Lay on the ground, legs straight, with hands tucked under your bottom.
  2. Tighten abdominal muscles. Keep head and lower back on the floor.
  3. Raise your legs arcing back to a 90 angle, making an “L” shape of your body. Try not to lock your knees. Focus on your ab muscles, instead.
  4. Don’t raise your back off the floor. Lower the legs slowly and repeat.
  5. As you gain strength in those abs, you can stop just before your feet touch the floor and do it again.

These will all work to give you flatter lower abs, and they won’t hurt your neck or lower back. Remember, safety should be the first consideration in your workout routine.

The Flat Stomach Workout – The Bicycle Exercise

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If you want to achieve a leaner and toner abs, you should have a regular flat stomach workout. The best and fastest way to get that flat stomach and target the three main abdominal muscles is by doing the bicycle exercise. What is the bicycle exercise anyway? It is a simple exercise done by lying down on your back while imitating the movements of cycling.

Grab your exercising mat and lay it down on the floor. Now lie on your back, place your hands behind your head, and slightly bend your knees while lifting them towards your chest. This is the starting position. Now, lift your shoulders off the floor using your abdominal muscles and straighten your right leg at an angle of 45 degrees. Slowly turn your body towards the left, making sure that your right elbow touches your bent left knee.

Now, switch sides, do the same cycle on your right, making sure that your left elbow touches your right bent knee, your left leg should be straightened this time. Alternate the movements simultaneously and you’ll notice that you’re doing a cycling motion. Do you feel the abdominals muscles working? You should feel the burn on your upper abs, lower abs, and side obliques while doing this flat stomach workout.

What other flat stomach exercises can you share? Let us know by entering your comments below.

Get a Six Pack – 3 Tips For A Flat Stomach

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We have collected and summarized three essential tips for a flat stomach, which we believe are the key factors in achieving those six packs you’re dreaming of. By strictly following these guidelines, you will be able to get the results faster than you think.

The first thing you have to watch out for in flattening your stomach is your daily diet, this is, after all, the main cause of fat build up in our bodies. If you are used to eating junk foods, it’s time for you to change all that. By eating five to six smaller proportioned healthy meals each day, you are encouraging an increase in your metabolism. When your metabolism is increased, your body is automatically programmed to burn more calories, even the stubborn fat deposits from your belly. Heed these tips for a flat stomach and you’ll get a six pack in no time.

The tips for a flat stomach also include undergoing daily cardio exercises as your fat burning workout routine. Let me tell you this, we all have six packs. The only reason why we can’t see them is because they are covered with thick layers of fat. When we eliminate the fat, we will eventually see our six packs emerging. Cardio exercises don’t always have to be jogging, sprinting, cycling, or any other common notion about cardio exercises. You can choose from various sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and a whole lot more. As long as they get your heart rate up, then you’re clearly burning off those calories from your body, especially on your mid-section.

For a leaner, more toned, and sexier flat stomach, you will need to do abdominal exercises. This is one of the best tips for a flat stomach. However, you won’t be able to achieve a flat stomach by doing this tip alone. You should incorporate the previously mentioned tips as well. Once you have eliminated the fat covering your six packs, toning and building your six packs will be much easier.

What’s your best flat stomach tip? Let other users know by sharing your comments below.

Exercises for Washboard Abs

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Most of us are still wondering what the right exercises for washboard absare, much less how to do them. Find out the most effective exercises for toning, strengthening, and ripping your abs.

Before you begin exercising, make sure that you’ve got a diet and workout plan in place. Exercises are important, but getting washboard abs requires a healthy diet and cardio workout, as well.

The most effective exercises for a set of washboard abs are:

  • Weighted Sit Ups
  • Ball Crunches
  • Full Body Crunches
  • Bicycles

Begin with 5 repetitions of each exercise and gradually work up to 20, several times per week. To avoid injury, start out slowly and step up your workout at your own pace.

Weighted Sit Ups

Required: A small weight or similarly sized object(a hardcover book or bag of flour)

  1. Lie down on the floor with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
  2. Place the weight on your chest and hold it in place with both hands.
  3. Contract your abdominal muscles.
  4. Slowly lift your head and back up from the floor, while keeping your feet on the ground.
  5. Go up as high as you can and hold it for a second.
  6. Then slowly return down and repeat.

Ball Crunches

Required: An exercise ball

  1. Place your feet flat on the floor and sit on the exercise ball.
  2. Lie back slowly, letting the ball gently roll until your thighs and torso are in a parallel line with the floor.
  3. Begin raising your torso halfway up, while contracting your abdominal muscles.
  4. When you reach a 45 degree incline, stop and lie back down slowly.

Full Body Crunches

  1. Lie down on the floor.
  2. Bend your knees and place your hands across your chest.
  3. Contract your abdominal muscles.
  4. Bring your shoulder blades up off of the floor several inches while bringing your knees up at the same time.
  5. Hold this position for a few seconds and then lower yourself.

Bicycle

  1. Lie flat on the floor.
  2. Rest your hands up next to your head and bring your knees halfway up.
  3. Begin a bicycling motion with your legs.
  4. Alternate between touching your left elbow to your right knee and your right elbow to your left knee. Repeat.

When exercising, common sense and safety should be observed. If possible, exercise on an exercise mat or carpeted floor in a room with a moderate temperature. Keep yourself well hydrated. If you feel burning or tingling, perform less repetitions at one time.

If you follow these exercises for washboard abs and maintain a sensible diet and workout plan, soon you’ll have that washboard look you’ve always wanted.

What other exercises for washboard abs can you think of? Add to the list by leaving your comments below.

2 Key Points to a Successful At Home Abs Workout

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Did you know that an at home abs workoutis just as effective as exercising at the gym? Forget about throwing on your signature gym clothes and driving through traffic. You can get a pretty decent six pack abs workout without even leaving your house.

Think about it. Sure, you can sign up for gym membership or spend a wad of cash on the coolest exercise equipment. But even those things can’t guarantee you ripped abs.

You need to possess two important things before you even think about spending on anything else.

1. Knowledge. Information on abdominal muscles training is virtually ALL AROUND YOU. Make time and start researching on how you can successfully carry out an at home abs workout without having to spend a dime. Continuous learning will only get you to your goal faster.

2. Dedication. This would most certainly have to come from you. You must stick to your six pack abs workout and follow through to the end. Without dedication, you might as well say goodbye to those rock solid abs.

To get you started, assign an exercise area in your living room, bedroom, or basement. This will greatly help you in maintaining your workout routine. Every time you enter that space, you will feel instantly motivated.

The only two things that I consider as good investments for an at home abs workout are the yoga mat and exercise ball. They are hardly expensive and you can use them for other kinds of muscle-targeting exercises as well.

You can start off your routine by working out every other day, doing at least 3 abdominal exercises. It’s important that you do not strain your muscles, so having a whole day’s rest in between would do you a lot of good.

Begin your six pack abs workout with these three simple exercises:

  • Bicycles. For this exercise, you need to lie flat on your yoga mat. Place your hands next to your head with palms facing upward. Alternately bend your knees and begin a cycling motion. While doing so, try to touch your right elbow to your left knee as it comes up, then again with the other side.
  • Ball Crunches. To continue with your at home abs workout, take your exercise ball and sit on it. Slowly lean back and allow the ball to roll under you. Stop when the arch of your back is resting comfortably on the ball. With both feet flat on the floor, perform regular crunches. Always remember to keep those abdominal muscles tight.
  • Full Body Crunches. With this exercise, I’ll need you to lie back down on the floor. Place your hands over your chest and bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground. Lift your shoulders off the floor a few inches as you pull in your knees at the same time. Hold it right there for as long as you can and then slowly go back to your original position.

Remember to start slow and finish hard. I know you’re EAGER to get those six pack abs. But gradually increasing your reps as well as the intensity of each exercise is the best and SAFEST way to carry out your at home abs workout.