abdominal muscles

Great Abs In A Month

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If you want to have great abs in a month, there are 3 things you need to do.

  1. Workouts
  2. Diet
  3. Activity

Most people believe they can get by with joining a gym. You can, if you eat moderately and work out four times a week for six months. But, if you want great abs in a month, you need to put in a little more effort.

Everyone else thinks that exercise and diet are all there is to it. That is the biggest part, but not all. There’s another great strategy – it won’t give you great abs in one month, but it will help. Let’s cover these 3 first.

Workouts

Always start by warming up. Body stretches that focus the abs with side twists and front and side bends are good. Don’t cut this short. At least 15 minutes of just warming up will double what you get out of your routine, and help you avoid muscle strain and soreness.

Throw in some aerobics. Pick something you can do in 20 to 45 minutes, that gets blood circulating and burns calories as well. Jumping rope, swimming, using the rowing machine and regular aerobics are all good for your heart and your abdominal muscles, as well.

Now you are ready for the leg lifts, crunches, ball crunches, curls, bicycles and weights. A good gauge of what you need is to try doing ten. Whatever you can do is a set for you.

Do one set of each. Rest, stretch, walk around, then do one more of each. The next time you start, your set will contain one more of each exercise. Repeat this till your up to multiples, then switch off to something more intense.

If you’re a female, you might try just leg lifts or reverse crunches instead of standard crunches. They are less hard on the neck, a frequent point of strain for many women due to anatomy.

And diet?

You are going to get out of it what you put into it. This doesn’t mean you should starve, but if you don’t reduce your caloric intake to less than you burn each day, you won’t lose a pound. Since most extra pounds are fat, you need to shed them to expose those abdominal muscles hiding underneath.

Recommendations:

  • give up desserts and junk food
  • reduce bread and other starchy foods, like pasta and rice
  • increase vegetable and fruit intake
  • increase your water consumption

Other activities

If you don’t know it yet, the gym or mat is not the only place to give yourself a good workout.

You can:

  • spend a few hours on a weekend morning walking the dog.
  • take up rowing, swimming, hiking, rock climbing, just for a start.
  • stretch every chance you get. This means at work, also – some isometric exercises require no more than resistance, like a wall, and they’re great for abs.
  • walk to the store instead of driving

Note: There is one more thing that is important, and that’s your posture. If you slump or lean when standing, you will never look fit, no matter how much time you spend exercising. Think good posture all the time.

  1. Sit up straight in your chair, at work and home.
  2. Imagine a cord that lifts you from the top of your head. Let it pull you up, stand tall and then relax.
  3. Think posture when you work out and you’ll get more out of your exercise and avoid back strain, as well.

Most exercise outside of the gym is free, and it will keep you healthy long after those abs have turned into washboards.

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.

Why are Abdominals Important?

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You’re probably asking yourself, “Why are abdominals important?” I think it’s good that you raised that question.

It’s important that you recognize the different parts of your abdominal muscles and their functions before kicking off your abs workout. That way, you avoid any untoward injuries that could render you incapable of performing abdominal muscle exercises. It will also prepare you for any other future fitness goals.

We all know from the gecko that six pack abs are hot. But that only covers aesthetics. Have you ever wondered about the importance of well-conditioned abs in relation to overall physiological performance?

The body is a very complicated piece of machinery, and every part of it is crucial. Muscle groups, including your abdominal muscles, are especially significant because they determine physical strength and resistance. That is mainly why abdominals are important – the stronger they are, the more efficient your body gets.

You’re probably aware that the abdominals are situated between the ribs and pelvis. What you might NOT know is that your abdominal muscles are responsible for shielding your internal organs from external blows and giving your upper body a full-range of motion.

Why are abdominals important and what are the parts called? They are divided into four major parts namely:

  1. Transversus abdominus
  2. Rectus abdominus
  3. External oblique
  4. Internal oblique

Each of these sections is equally essential so you have to keep them strong and conditioned.

The Transversus Abdominus is the innermost layer of abdominal muscle responsible for stabilizing your torso and maintaining internal body pressure. You can just imagine how things can be if this part of your abdominals was weak.

The Rectus Abdominus, which can be found in front of the pelvis and in between the ribs and pubic bone, is responsible for horizontal and vertical movements. It is also responsible for giving off the six pack indentation. So when you say “ripped” or “washboard,” you’re actually referring to the well-defined Rectus Abdominus.

The External Obliques are located on each side of the abdomen. Now these muscles make it possible for you to twist from side to side. They also maintain abdominal pressure.

The Internal Obliques, on the other hand, can also be found on each side of your abdomen, directly beneath the external obliques. Their main function is to provide support to your external obliques every time you lean over or twist around.

Now that you know what the 4 main parts are, you can better develop and effectively carry out your abdominal training routine. Six pack abs are definitely more than just something nice to look at. Think about it – they were put there for a reason.

Why are abdominals important and how can they keep you safe? Having a strong core means that you can easily prevent neck and back injuries. By working your abdominals, you are allowing your midsection to bear some of the weight and the pressure. Also, it helps provide support so that you always keep your balance and your body remains upright.

“Why are abdominals important?” – now you know why. So start building those abs, not just to look good, but also to maximize motion and prevent injury.

What new insights have you realized about your abdominals? Feel free to share them by entering your comments below.

Get Female Abs – Six Pack Women Secrets

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Most fitness trainers hear the question “How do I get a flat stomach?”The truth is getting a sexy body is going to take work. But with the help of female abs six pack women secrets, it will be a piece of cake. Getting a flat stomach and sculpted abs is going to take a combination of good nutrition, cardio exercise and exercises to target the ab muscles themselves. The best results happen when you combine all three of these techniques.

1. Good nutrition is the foundation for fitness. It is the key secret of female abs six pack women. You’ve got to control the kind and amount of food that you put into your body on a daily basis. If you get most of your calories from fast food and processed junk, you are not going to have a healthy body.

When you eat natural and whole foods, you’ll create a healthy physique. You’ll also give your body the best chance it has to create lean, tight abs.

Instead of cutting calories, try spreading your food intake out throughout the day into five to six small meals a day. You’ll keep your metabolism fired up all day long and burn more fat.

2. Exercise is the second important component of the female abs six pack women secrets. Cardio exercise is the best way to burn fat. It doesn’t matter what type you pick as long as you do it regularly.

 

Cardio exercise can include running, walking, dancing and cycling. Whatever moves your body and gets your heart pumping faster will help you burn fat. You’ll lose the fat that has built up over your ab muscles.

3. The last and most important female abs six pack women secret you should know is to continue with exercises specifically targeted to work your abdominal muscles.

Remember your ab muscles have three different layers. To reach all three, it is better to do less reps at a more intense pace.

A lot of women believe they need to do 50 to 100 crunches per day. They think that’s one great female abs six pack women secret. If you do these many reps, how can you be sure that you are using the right form? It’s better to do less reps correctly than lots of reps. When crunches are done properly, 15 to 20 a day should be plenty.

To do a proper crunch, you’ll have to focus on using you abdominal muscles, and not your back or arms, to lift your torso. Raise your head slowly and stop as your muscles contract. Don’t try to touch your knees. Hold the position for a few seconds and then slowly return your head to the floor.

The key is in doing each crunch slowly and deliberately. Don’t power through them. Feel the muscles contract and hold them. This is the best way to get your dream body. Now, isn’t it good to know all the female abs six pack women secrets?

The Top Six Pack Abs Muscle Exercise

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If you’ve been dying to make your spare tire into a six-pack, you are not alone. Sculpting abdominal muscles seems to be a national obsession. Just look at the amount of infomercials on television in the last few years that have products claiming to create the washboard stomach of your dreams!

Fortunately, there are effective six pack abs muscle exercises that you can do in your very own home, with very little equipment that will sculpt your body the way that you want!

Before we start describing the six pack abs muscle exercises, there are a few tips we need to cover. First, know that in order to create the washboard stomach of your dreams…you need to commit to doing the exercises! This is not something that’s going to happen overnight, folks. Practice makes perfect, and regular exercise makes a perfect set of abs.

Secondly, spot training like these ab exercises work…but only if you don’t have a huge layer of fat covering up your stomach. If you are overweight, you need to commit to doing aerobic workouts too to whittle down your overall weight. Only then will you be able to see the benefits of your six pack abs muscle exercises.

Finally, get a journal, spreadsheet, wall calendar..whatever you like…to track your progress. Invest in a tape measure (they are really not that expensive) and record your waist size weekly. On the weeks that you feel you aren’t getting anywhere, look back to your measurements. Those will show you the real picture!

Now on to the six pack abs muscle exercises!

1. Abdominal Crunch

You can perform this lying on the ground or leaning on a large fitness ball. This old standby will sculpt your abs like no other exercise out there. Place your hands lightly on the sides of your head and lean your head back. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and then lift your chin towards the ceiling. Even though it sounds odd, the tongue part is really important!

2. Alternating Leg Extensions

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Bring both of your knees up into the air, and then extend one leg out in front of you. Keep the other knee pulled in. At the same time, bring your opposite shoulder towards the bent knee. Try to touch your elbow to your opposite knee. Switch sides and repeat.

3. Reverse Crunch

This really helps target the lower abdominal muscles. Lie with your arms out toward your sides and palms against the floor. Lift your hips and bent knees off of the floor by pulling in your lower abs. Then return them to the floor.

These six pack abs muscle exercise should be repeated on alternating days, or every day, depending on your fitness level. Remember to track your progress and give yourself time to sculpt your middle.