female abs

9 Great Ways to Work Out Abs

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Finding the best ways to work out abscan be a challenge especially if you can’t shell out any more cash on gym memberships and personal trainers. The good news is that you can do any of these 9 great exercises without even leaving your home or using any complicated equipment.

1. Crunches. Lie on the floor and put your hands across your chest. With your legs a few inches apart, bend those knees and plant both feet firmly on the ground. Curl your shoulders upward and hold it when you get to a 45-degree angle. Slowly go back down and start all over.

2. Frog Leg Crunches. There are many ways to work out abs than just regular crunches, and this is one of them. Place your hands across your chest and lie flat on the floor with the soles of your feet touching each other, forming a diamond. Try to keep your outer thighs, knees and calves as close to the floor as possible. Lift your torso slowly while curling your pelvis and hold that position, then slowly go back down and begin again.

3. Crossover Crunches. Assume the crunch position. Instead of going up vertically, try moving diagonally, doing both sides interchangeably. This will give your obliques a really good workout.

4. Raised Leg Crunches. Different crunch variations are great ways to work out abs, so utilize as many as possible. Lie on the floor and rest both legs up on a chair or bench, keeping your thighs perpendicular to the ground. With both hands across your chest, lift your upper body toward your knees and hold it there. Slowly go back down and start over.

5. Raised Leg Knee-ins. Lie on the floor and tuck your palms beneath your hips. Keep your legs straight out and suspended a few inches above the floor. Lift one knee toward your torso, hold it there, straighten it back out, and then do the same with the other knee.

6. Hanging Single Knee Raises. These raises, although a little more challenging than the rest, are effective ways to work out abs. Hold on to a chin-up bar, your body dangling, with both hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing away from your body. Raise one knee as high as you can while trusting forward slightly. Repeat with the other knee.

7. V-Spread Toe Touches. Lie back on the floor, raise your legs up to 90 degrees, and spread them to form a V. Lift your shoulders toward the direction of one leg, reach out, and hold it for a second. Go back down and repeat on the other side.

8. Hanging Knee Raise Crossovers. This works a lot like #6, but instead of lifting one knee at a time, you lift both. Twist your pelvis as you lift your knees. These added moves are great ways to work out abs.

9. Vacuums. While keeping your upper body upright, place your hands on your hips, kneel down, cross your feet from behind, and sit on them. Exhale as you suck in your gut. Hold for a few seconds, breath in, and then repeat. Not only is this exercise effective, it’s also very relaxing.

Use these 9 great ways to work out abs and you won’t have to worry about flab ever again!

Women With Abs in Classical Art

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Beauty experts today are realizing that a well defined body can be more attractive, but, thousands of years ago, classical cultures knew women with abs were sexier.

Ever wonder why all those sculptures of Grecian Goddesses have six pack abs?

In recent history, men have been the sex with all the muscles – abs on women were rare. Activity that could result in abdominal development was strictly men’s work or play.

Employment of women was restricted by social convention and only the poorest women worked outside of the home. Still fewer worked at physical labor. The odd exceptions to the rule were acrobats and circus performers, neither of which was a socially respectable occupation.

Until the last century, most women did not participate in sports or outdoor activities that would lead to well toned abs. While housework was backbreaking at times, unless you were out back chopping wood, it did not lead to abdominal development.

If you did get muscles, you couldn’t show them off. There was no one to appreciate them.

The accepted view of attractive feminine appearance had been soft and round since the early Christian Era. Muscles and tans were out. It meant you worked, which wasn’t attractive back then.

Going back 2,000 years to the periods of Classical Greek and Aegean History, artistic depictions often showed strong musculature and women with abs would have been the rule. Young girls were expected to compete athletically against males, on equal terms, and most of that competition was done naked!

They ran, jumped, threw the javelin and discus, and even wrestled. A beautiful female body was well developed and it would have been natural to see women with abs competing in the nude, or semi-nude, with men in their own age group.

Like athletics, labor was more physically demanding, and the kinds of exercise women did resulted in more developed physiques, as well. In general, average people were healthier, and their view of beauty reflected that.

During the Renaissance, many classical themes were revived, but the view of feminine beauty was still drawn from Church convention. Most women were depicted as images of saintliness. Icons that were delicate and divine had flourished for centuries, and all artists found it hard to break with the formula.

Going forward again, 2,000 years to Victorian times, bare skin was not only immodest, it was illegal. Only women of the lowest moral character exposed any part of the body below the neck.

With the invention of the modern bathing suit, women had the first real chance in centuries to participate in athletics that were demanding enough to improve the way they looked. Waists got slimmer, corsets came off, and fashion began to emphasize other areas of the body besides cleavage.

Feminine beauty has had many guises, and after centuries of social manipulation, the ideal feminine form has finally returned to the classical. Women with fit abs and cut muscles are the ideal of what is attractive, again.

For the sake of health and appearance, maybe the current trend can stay around for a while.

Women Abdominals – What’s the difference?

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After spending months at the gym, toning every inch of your feminine body, the women abdominals still haven’t responded. The woman next to you looks like a professional athlete. She has 6 pack abs and every muscle on her body is defined and sinuous, while you’re still soft and round. Why?

There are three factors at work here that need to be considered.

  • Diet
  • Exercise Program
  • Heredity

The biggest part of the problem could be your diet. Another part could be the exercise program you use. The rest of the problem is probably heredity.

You are probably on some kind of diet already, but it may not be enough. You have to get down under that feminine layer of abdominal fat before you can see those muscles. In order to build lean muscle and break up that layer of abdominal fat, you have to focus on protein. To get sexy women abdominals, your diet should be low in fat and sugar, and also moderate in carbohydrates.

Like most of us, you probably eat your food too fast, as well. Play some soft music when you eat, to help you relax and enjoy your food.

It takes the brain 15 to 20 minutes after you start eating to tell your stomach that you have had enough. Slow down and chew your food longer. It will digest better, and you will get fuller on less food.

If you cook at home, take your food out before you dress or sauce it, or try putting all the fatty stuff on the side, like gravy, and let others choose for themselves. Combine a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits into your menus. You and those you cook for will be healthier, even if they don’t thank you right away.

Pin up a photo of those dream abs in your bathroom, gym locker, or office top drawer. You can paste a picture of your head over the one in the photo. It will motivate you and remind you that looking like that is a lifestyle choice.

Check your exercise program to make sure that you are focusing on the right exercises, and doing them correctly. If you have a trainer at your gym, ask them to take a few minutes with you. This could help a lot.

Last, consider heredity. Remember how your mother looked at your age. Was she athletic? If you have been exercising regularly, you probably look better physically than she did.

There is the possibility that buff women abdominals do not run in your gene pool. Well defined female abs won’t come without sustained effort and the proper lifestyle. To have the physique of an athlete, you’d have to do more. You would have to become one.

By changing your lifestyle, starting with a different outlook about food, and a regular exercise routine, you are already on your way to great women abdominals.

What’s your biggest challenge to building abdominals? Let us know by adding your comments below.

3 Steps to Getting Six Pack Abs for Women

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Women from all walks of life are reminded every single day about their physical imperfections. It does seem like six pack abs for womenare unattainable unless you’re a supermodel or hot Hollywood actress. But the truth is, even the most average Jane can get sexy abs.

Just like men, women have struggled for years to lose weight and define their midsection. Unlike men, however, women are required to exert a little more effort to build muscle. Even though women need to push a little further than their male counterparts, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Don’t be discouraged by all the pessimism going around. You may not be a hot rising star or the new cover girl for a magazine, but six pack abs for women ARE attainable — that’s the most important thing you need to know.

You also need to know HOW you can achieve a great body. Setting these three central and realistic goals will help you get your fitness program in gear:

  1. Get rid of belly fat;
  2. Build a cardiovascular workout routine; and
  3. Zero-in on those abs!

Dieting has had a perceived negative connotation, especially for women. When in fact, all it requires is regularly eating (take note: not STARVING) the right kinds of food. Forget about fad diets, artificial food supplements, and extreme “zone” regimens for a second, and concentrate on getting the essential macronutrients by eating well-balanced meals.

This is the first step to getting six pack abs for women.

The female anatomy is designed to store more fat in preparation for childbirth and rearing, but don’t let that get in the way of your goal. If you’ve been used to eating on the go (e.g. fast food and take-out), it is high time you re-evaluate your eating habits. Changing the way you eat and what you eat can improve your metabolism considerably.

A little planning and a whole lot of determination can go a long way when it comes to your diet. By eating small, balanced meals frequently, you allow your body to stay nourished and “full” so you don’t over-eat at any given time. Sticking to lean proteins, a small amount of healthy fats, and whole grains is ideal.

The next step to getting six pack abs for women is a well-rounded cardiovascular routine. Regularly performing a variety of fun, blood-pumping exercises, such as aerobics classes, jogging, and swimming will help condition your WHOLE body.

These holistic exercises will also prepare your abdominal muscles for your next and final goal – abs training and sculpting.

Really getting in there with regular crunches, sit ups, or other ab-specific exercises will help define and sculpt your obliques, and lower and upper abdominals. Increasing your reps and frequency is crucial in developing six pack abs fast.

If you really think about, getting six pack abs for women isn’t complicated at all. Six pack abs don’t discriminate, and so shouldn’t you. Get right on your fitness program and start working on those abs today!

Women Abs – The 3 Things You Need to Know!

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Why don’t women absrespond instantly to exercise? Go to a gym and you will see women with well defined, sexy abs. But how did they get them? And why isn’t exercise enough?

Well, three primary things go into developing your abs:

  1. Diet Plan
  2. Exercise Program
  3. Genetics

Diet is often the thing most lacking. Exercise plays a large role as well. The rest, sadly, is genetics.

Whatever kind of diet you are on, including none, can probably be improved. If you want to see those abs that you’re developing, you will have to strip away your layer of abdominal fat first.

To build muscle and strip fat, your diet needs two things: high protein, and low fat. To keep everything going smoothly, you will need the right amount of carbs, and try not to get too much sugar.

Fast eating can be a big problem. Eating too fast results in often eating too much. Try eating with a light distraction, such as some soft music, to help you to relax and enjoy your food.

Your brain won’t tell you that you are full until 15 to 20 minutes after you start eating. Slow down and chew your food longer. Your digestion will be better, and you will feel more full, on less food.

Cook at home? Try taking your portion – before – you dress or sauce it. Put the fatty stuff, such as gravy, on the side. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be mixed into every meal. You and your culinary cohorts will be on the right track to fitness and health.

Motivation is a powerful tool. If you have a problem visualizing those sleek women abs, or refraining from those rich deserts, you may need something more concrete.

Carry a picture of what you consider the perfect abs. You can put copies where you need them most, such as the exercise area or the kitchen. They will help to remind you what all the dedication is about.

Double check your exercise program with an expert. A short run through with a local trainer can make a world of difference. Find out if you are working all of the areas you need to, and how to work what you’re not.

And now, the genetics. Was your mother athletic? How did she look at your age? With a regular exercise plan, you probably look more in shape than she did.

There is the possibility that buff women abs don’t run in your family. You may have to work like an athlete to look like an athlete. This often involves changing your whole lifestyle to accommodate the stringent requirements.

This may be more than you’re willing to commit to. But, even if it is, exercise and diet will provide you with a leaner, toned look.

By changing your lifestyle, starting with a different outlook about food, and a regular exercise routine, you are already on your way to great women abs.