Thursday, January 7, 2010

Are You Sabotaging Your Own Abs Workout?



Abs workouts are like most things in life. There are is a good and effective way to do them and several ways to do them wrong. In the case of exercises, doing the things the wrong way can get pretty bad and often result in pain and injuries. Here are some tips that will help you do things the right way.

Repetition Freaks

There are people who do way too many repetitions. More repetitions won't mean that you'll get a six pack overnight! What matters most is the form, and with normal repetitions you'll get the most out of an exercise. If you feel it isn't working for you it must be the form or an ineffective abs exercise for you.

Control Your Knees

When doing crunches, the most basic stomach exercise, put your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent so they are pointing the ceiling. Keep them like this all the way. Don't lean them or widen them. It can lead to back injury.

The Straight Leg Lift Problem

Avoid this exercise because it does more for your lower back pain than for your abs.

Sleeping

The ways you sleep help shape your abdominal workout. If after sleeping you get back pain, then you are sleeping in a wrong way and need to recover. Use a good pillow, or an orthopedic pillow to relieve sleeping problems. The worst way to sleep for stomach exercises is on your stomach on a soft mattress, since it requires you to arch your back.

Lack of Resistance

To develop your abs or any other muscle you must work with resistance. Even crunches have resistance - gravity. So avoid those twisting exercises where you have no resistance, they are great for warm up but not for strengthening.

Remember also to give a rest once in a while to your abs. Rest is required to make the muscle grow. It is true that abs muscles don't need too much rest but when starting out, give them just a day so they'll be stronger the next time you engage in your abdominal workout.

Learn how to get the stomach you want and more Abdominal Exercises. While you are there be sure to join our newsletter for tips and more product reviews.

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