Build Abs

Toning Stomach Muscles

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If you are working on toning stomach muscles, here are a few things to think about.

  1. Not everyone is born with the same set of abdominal muscles.
  2. Toning muscles involves stretching as well as exercising.
  3. Swimming is the best single exercise for toning stomach muscles.
  4. It is easy to strain your back doing abdominal exercises

Abdominal Muscles:

That’s right. Some of us simply don’t have a pyramidalis muscle. This means that no matter how hard you go for the washboard effect, you will not have the same number of bulges. You’ll get the six pack, but not the 8 pack.

Why are abdominal muscles different in some people? Doctors simply do not know. Consider that this will not just influence the all over number of toned muscles, but the lack of a pyramidalis will influence your ability to strengthen lower abdominals, as well.

Stretching:

Building exercises and toning exercises are not exactly the same thing. While you won’t get toned stomach muscles without a workout that isolates this muscle group, you won’t get the tone without doing a lot of stretching, as well.

People often neglect this as part of a routine. These are some of the easiest and most rewarding exercises to do. They are great for warm ups. As any athlete or aerobics instructor will tell you, they keep you from straining. Arm stretches, leg stretches, bending and twisting are all good ways to limber up before you hit the weights or machines.

A little Yoga added to your routine, with its exaggerated movements, can save hours of discomfort with torn or strained muscles, later.

Swimming:

The best addition to any routine that has focus on toning muscles is swimming. It is not only an all over good workout, with fantastic cardiovascular benefits, but it stretches and works those stomach muscles like no stationary exercise can. Almost every muscle in the body is used in swimming.

If you think it isn’t what you want or you don’t have time to add it to your routine, just look at those professional swimmers’ bodies. They all have long, lean torsos, with well defined abdominals and v shaped bodies. They got those bodies by swimming!

Not only is swimming really good for you, it won’t hurt you. Swimming is considered passive exercise. That means less strain on muscles and organs.

Risk of Injury:

Most crunches can be brutal on your back muscles, so don’t add more than 2 additional repetitions to your current routine at one time. That is repetitions and not sets. When you add a new set to your abs routine, do it by adding 2 reps until you fill it out.

If your back hurts, use a brace, or switch to just ball exercises. You don’t have to stop completely, just modify. Check to see that you are doing your exercises correctly, as this can lead to strain faster than anything.

A little common sense and effort will keep you toning stomach muscles till they look great. Just keep these 4 important things in mind.

The Best Exercise for Lower Abdominals

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What is the best exercise for lower abdominals? I’ll tell you right now, the secret doesn’t lie on the “what.” Instead, you should be asking yourself this: “HOW can I maximize my lower abdominals workoutso I could get six pack abs fast?”

The physical fitness industry rakes in so much money, it’s not even funny. Why? Because people like you and me will do almost anything we can to look good, and that includes spending money on gym memberships, dietary supplements, workout tools, and exercise equipment.

You’ve probably been so focused on your midsection that you’ve neglected other parts of your body. Any successful fitness goal – whether it’s building upper arm muscles or, in this case, toning the abdominal muscles – requires you to work your WHOLE body. That’s why some abdominal workout equipments don’t give the best results when used alone.

A complete fitness plan cannot only involve the best exercise for lower abdominals. To ensure well-rounded progress, you need to integrate all three aspects:

1. Low-fat diet;

2. Regular cardiovascular exercise; and

3. Core-specific exercises.

The way you eat will always affect the way you look and feel. If you exercise but eat fatty foods and neglect the essential nutrients your body needs to build muscle, you’re only setting yourself up for failure. This is why a low-fat, healthy diet is very important.

Eliminate or at least limit your intake of unnecessary carbs and fats. Instead, pack your diet with vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains. Stop obsessing about the best exercise for lower abdominals for a second and think about eating frequent yet small and healthy meals.

It is a fact that following a low-fat, low-carb diet alone is also not enough. You need to work out 3 times a week for about 45 minutes to an hour for you to increase your metabolic rate and, ultimately, build muscle.

Cardiovascular workouts, such as jogging and swimming, are vital to a complete fitness plan. I, myself, pop in a fitness video and workout from home if the weather isn’t ideal. You can easily do the same.

After considering your diet and your cardio workout, you are now ready to put those abdominal muscles to work. What then is the best exercise for lower abdominals?

Leg raises have been tried and tested by people from all walks of life. It’s very simple to do AND you can get so much out of it; it’s unbelievable.

All you need to do is lie flat on the floor, place your hands on each side, and raise both legs gradually until you reach a 45 degree angle. Then, lower your legs back down to your original position. Remember to tighten your abdominal muscles all through out the exercise.

To add a little variation, you can either push upward with your hips when your legs are completely perpendicular to the floor, or grip a ball in between your shins as you perform those raises.

Remember these 3 steps – diet, cardio, and the best exercise for lower abdominals – and you will surely get a solid fitness plan that WORKS.

3 Advanced Techniques on How to Build Abs Fast

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How to build abs fast…frankly, there isn’t just ONE way to do it. If that was the case, no one would be clamoring for workout secrets anymore, and we’d all have killer six packs by now. Sadly, we are quite a ways away from that ever happening.

The truth is that there are numerous exercises created to build lean abdominal muscle, and each one is effective to a certain degree. Common human error states, however, that exercising is all you have to do to get six pack abs. This is where most people make that mistake.

There are a number of factors on how to build abs fast. “Targeted abdominal exercises” is certainly one of them. Your main focus should be with the PROPER EXECUTION AND FREQUENCY OF ABDOMINAL EXERCISES.

Each abs exercise targets a specific zone in your midsection, and doing them the right way will ensure your muscles are getting the attention they deserve. Perform these exercises correctly, 3 to 4 times a week — that’s exactly how to build abs fast. Just concentrate on keeping your abdominal muscles tight with every rep and set.

For you to effectively target your abs with these exercises, you will most definitely need to get rid of excess fat that surrounds your upper and lower abdominals. Before you can do a house paint job or renovation, for example, you will need to take out the “clutter.” This is where a LOW-FAT, LOW-SODIUM, LOW-CARB DIET comes into play on how to build abs fast.

Take a look at the way you have been eating and, more importantly, WHAT you have been eating, then ask yourself this: “Is my present diet holding me back from my goal?”

Aside from staying clear of bad fats, decreasing your sodium and sugar intake will also have a positive effect on your fitness goal. Drinking plenty of water and eating well-balanced meals can definitely help turn that flabby belly into toned, washboard abs.

To know more about healthy portions and well-balanced eating that’s ideal for your body time, I recommend a guide that’s NOT another diet book but rather a long-term eating strategy that’s both realistic and effective. Click here for a guide that shows you how to eat to automatically burn fat while eating REAL foods – not rice cakes and diet water…lol!

CARDIOVASCULAR OR AEROBIC EXERCISES is another good technique on how to build abs fast. Not only do these exercises burn fat fast and help tone your abs, but they are also very good for the rest of your body, like your heart and other muscle groups.

Taking your bike out for a spin or running around the block before you go to work are two simple yet easily adaptable cardio exercises you can do.

These three techniques, combined with much discipline and determination, will only take you to great heights. Six pack abs can be a reality for you. Who knows; maybe next time, you’ll be coaching others on how to build abs fast.

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.