5 Great Tips to Flatten Your Abs

Are you not satisfied with the way your stomach looks? Embarrassed to go to the beach or the pool? Or do you just wish to make your abs more flat and firm? If so, then read on. I will tell you five simple tips that will greatly help to flatten your abs - they're easy to do and free. Follow these and create the body that you desire.

1. Perform different ab exercises each week. If you change your abdominal exercises up each week you will speed up your results. Change is good for building muscle because it constantly targets new muscle groups and keeps your muscles from "getting used to" your workout, which limits its effectiveness. So try changing you routine each week and I am sure that you will notice results faster.

2. Proper breathing. They way that you breath during exercise can actually help build your muscle. You should always exhale during exertion. This decreases your internal air pressure, which results in your abs being more involved during the exercise.

3. Eating habits. You should eat fresh, whole, unprocessed foods, while staying away from the foods high in sugar and sodium. You also should try to drink eight glasses of water a day (and no soda or coffee). Try drinking ice water - the extra coldness will actually speed up your metabolism and increase the amount of calories that you burn.

4. Aerobic exercises. Try doing 30 - 45 minutes of cardio 3 days a week. This will help burn extra fat and expose your abdominals, thus increasing the speed at which you start to see results.

5. Keep your abs contracted. Try contracting and hold your ab muscles while you sit, stand, drive, or perform other exercises. This will help flatten your mid section and will actually reduce strain on your back.

These five tips are easy and effective. If you do them properly and consistently, I guarantee that you will start to see results soon. Now is the best time to start building that new, sexy you! To learn more on how to firm and flatten your abs, visit http://www.lifefitnessblog.com/

Would you like to know how to get rid of your belly fat once and for all and get six-pack abs with minimal effort? Click here to learn how I got firm, flat abs.

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Six Pack Abs - Result Not Just From The Workout But Your Mindset Also!

It pretty clear that most people want and train to have strong, cut, ripped and impressive abs. We all want 6 pack abs and there are many many exercises specific for this end results.

But in training my clients I focus very clearly and very obviously on what is the most important aspect of abdominal training....

You can do all the sit ups in the world, but if you are not focused and have 'your head in the right place' - results will not be what they could be.

The first thing to get correct is your mental approach. I've seen many people (and I used to be one of them) who throw in a few ab exercises at the end of a good workout for say chest and shoulders, they give it a 50% effort and then head to the showers.

It is so important to know that whenever you train abdominals you are training a muscle same as chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps or any other major muscle group. Yes they may be smaller - the abs - but you need to focus just as intently on this section of your workout as you would any other.

I am not saying that everyone does not do this...but it is interesting to see the obvious difference in results when people focus 110% on their abdominal training and do it with intensity, as opposd to when they just throw a few sit ups in with some other ab exercises. The mind is a powerful tool and it should be used in conjunction with abdominal training.

Because when all is said and done, six pack abs are absolutely obtainable and easier than you think. But you need to know you can do it and when you train abs - Make SURE you do it as intensely as your mind is telling you to do it.

There are no shortcuts folks, but the results are worth every second of intense focus. And results are guaranteed with this method, not only in abdominal training, but in any other endeavour you take on.

Know you can do it. And enjoy the intensity. The results will come quicker than ever.

(after all - you are going to take the same amount of time regardless...do it properly and you'll beefit greatly)

Tristan Lewis is a Certified Fitness Professional, Personal Trainer and Author of the most informative book on abdominal training on the internet. He has travelled the world training clients and has spent 15 years in over 15 Countries in the research of his book. His AbMetrics - The Global Almanac of Proven Abdominal Training was researched thoroughly and provides many new and exciting proven abdominal exercises as well as a structuring of the 'classics' that work. Get the book now http://www.fastsixpackabs.com

The Best Abs Crunch Exercise

This has got to be the most popular and asked question, ever. And it's also one without a real answer, since there are dozens of great abs crunch exercises. The best is a matter of continued debate and opinion, with personal trainers, bodybuilders, fitness experts, nutritionists, yoga instructors and hobbyists all arguing over which abs crunch exercise is the best.

Luckily, they do generally agree on a few things, which is that the best abs crunch exercise is actually a combination of several exercises rolled into one. This killer abs crunch exercise will work out your upper and lower abs (at least, it will work your rectus abdominis from several angles to ensure maximum fiber stimulation along the entire vertical length of the muscle, since isolation is impossible within a single muscle), it will attack your obliques, and promote size and strength of the entire abdominal section.

So here it is, the best abs crunch exercise. Be warned though, it's not for the faint of heart. If you want all in one, you have to be prepared to put in all your effort.

Lie on your back, and cup your hands behind your head. Lift your head off the ground, but don't use your hands to pull. They're just there for support - your abs should be the muscles doing the work. Next, bring your knees up to your chest. OK, that part was easy. Now comes the hard part.

Straighten out your right leg, keeping your foot 10-12 inches off the floor. Your left leg should stay where it is, bent with your knee up to your chest as far as is comfortable. As you straighten your right leg, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, lean forward and twist your upper torso so you touch your right elbow against your left knee. Feel the abs and obliques working?

To complete one repetition, you basically swap legs. Relax your shoulder blades back onto the floor, then draw your right knee back into your chest and simultaneously extend your left leg. As you do so, lift the shoulder blades off the floor and twist your upper torso the other way, touching your left elbow against your right knee as it reaches your chest. You should be doing a kind of bicycle motion with your legs, and twisting your torso left and right alternately whilst doing mini crunches. Perform 10-15 reps, then rest. After 90-120 seconds, do another set, and then another if you can manage it.

After doing a few sets of the best abs crunch exercise, you should be able to feel the effect all over your abs. The twisting works your obliques, the crunches work your upper abs and the bicycle legs work your lower abs, all at once. So there you have it. The best abs crunch exercise.

David Spencer is a fitness nutcase. He has spent years learning about exercise and just as long working on his own six pack abs Getting your own flat abs is not as hard as everyone makes out, but you do have to do it properly - visit The Truth About Six Pack Abs to find out exactly how David and hundreds of others got theirs, and how you can get yours.

The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 1

All About Abs

What You Really Need to Know About Abdominals: Two Key Concepts You Must Meet to Let Out the 6 Pack

Introduction - Understanding the Abdominals

Congratulations!

You are about to learn about a region of the body that almost everybody wants but somehow the secrets escape them. The weight loss industry may be a billion dollar a year market but a close second is all the late night infomercials about abs, 6 packs, 6 second abs and how to get ready for the beach and show off that region.

When it comes to abdominal training there are two basic areas of confusion. First, the myth exists that a 'specific' region exists like the 'lower abdominals.' Many people will claim their upper ab region is developing just fine but the lower abs are not responding to training. They are looking for a magic lower ab exercise that will target that region. If you do a search for any muscular images of the abdominals, it's clear that the rectus abdominus (a long winded name for the abs) is just a single muscle running from the sternum to the pelvis. These 'lower abdominals' simply don't exist.

The reason the lower region seems to be less responsive to training is that it is a natural fat storage area! Simply put, your entire ab region is probably responding to overall training but the lower region is simply not showing because it is covered up by a layer of fat. That area just happens to be the place that fat is the last to go. Very simply, the lower abdominal area is benefiting from your crunches and reverse crunches. The problem is, you just can't see it!

TEST: If you don't believe this then try this simple test: lie down on the floor in a typical crunch position. Place one hand on your lower abdominal area and the other on your upper abdominal area. Now perform a slowing crunching movement. You will feel both areas contract simultaneously as you curl up.

The second area of confusion revolves around exercise selection. Almost everybody still continues to perform hanging leg raises, knee-ups or similar exercises in an attempt to target the 'lower abs.' While these exercises do affect the abdominal area, they are not the best selection.

It's easy to clear up this exercise selection confusion if you understand the differences between the hip-flexion and trunk-flexion. A muscle called the psoas and related muscles (this is located deep against the spine) are responsible for hip-flexion while your abdominals are responsible for trunk-flexion.

Hip Flexion: Occurs when your lift your knee (or knees) towards your chest. For example, when you do a hanging knee-up, you will feel a burning sensation in the lower abdominal region (this alone convinces most people it's working that area). What is actually happening is the psoas is being stressed. You'll never be lean enough to see this muscle! Of course the abdominals are involved in this exercise for stabilization but it's not the primary muscle and so it's not the most effective. Other concerns revolve around the psoas being overworked that can lead to back problems.

Trunk Flexion: Occurs when you perform an exercise where the pelvis and sternum approach each other during the movement. At this point, you are in a state of maximal trunk flexion. Going any further and you'll engage the psoas muscle and you will be using hip-flexion (like in a full sit-up). When you train your abdominals you need to flex (or contact) your trunk.

FACT: For effective abdominal training, stick with trunk flexion movements (crunches and reverse crunches).

This series will focus on trunk flexion exercises so that tension is directly on the abdominals as that is the primary muscle we want to work. [Other muscles involved in stabilization will be involved but will not be the primary focus.]

That's all! The abdominals are just a muscle like everything else. There's nothing special about them that makes them any harder to obtain or develop then any other muscle group. Still, there are thousands of messages on community forums and fitness gurus everywhere get hundreds of messages a day regarding this. Not to mention the countless ab technology products that appear in stores every year promising a faster, easier way to get ripped abs. The purpose of this report is to tell you exactly step-by- step what you need to do to get ripped abdominals.

The Myths of Ripped Abdominals: - Countless crunches - Working them out every day - Strange machines or dangerous exercises - Fad diets - Fat burner pills - Marathon cardio sessions - Targeting lower and upper regions

The Secret of Ripped Abdominals: - Low percentage of body fat - Having the muscle to show

Did I just blow the end of the story for you? Hopefully not.

Key Concept #1: You Must Have a Low Percentage of Body Fat For starters, if you have a layer of body fat covering the region, you will never be able to show the abs. For men, this is the LAST place the fat will disappear from which makes it the hardest body part to show.

You "get abs" from reducing your body fat and you reduce body fat mostly through diet and cardio..

And yet, somehow this concept escapes people. In order for the abs to show proudly, you must have a low percentage of body fat! There's really not a whole lot more to it.

Men: 10% or lower Women: 15% or lower

Why is that so difficult for most people?

Simple. In order to get your body fat that low you must be absolutely focused on your diet and fat burning metabolism. 99% of people (including myself) are not as perfect on the diet as to burn off our natural body fat stores. So in order to get rid of that last layer, you must burn off the last remaining body fat stores. And to do that you must have great nutrition habits (above and beyond just being active).

Key Concept #2: You Must Have Abs to Show

First off...

If you are 110 lbs and just skin and bones and 3% body fat but no muscle really, then it's not a surprise why your abs aren't popping out every time you take off your shirt. There are a few people I've run across that are well below the 10% body fat limit and yet they are puzzled when their abdominals don't show. That's almost as easy as 1+1. You MUST have abs to show!

You can have a low body fat percentage but if you don't have anything to show, you'll just see a flat stomach (which is good) but no definition and certain no 'packs.' There are also individuals who have 15% body fat but their abs are so developed they can show off a 4-pack. While they don't have that low of a body fat percentage to classify as 'ripped' they do have great development and certainly the muscle is there. Just think what it might look like on them if they were to be 10% or lower?!

That's where ab exercises come into play. Performing key abdominal exercises is a key to developing the trunk region to the fullest. Many people are looking for the illusive lower ab exercise or performing exercises they believe to target a certain region but are really working the wrong muscle. Having abs is as simple as doing the right core exercises. That will be part of the 6 months of ab training at the end of this series.

Now that you understand some key concepts in order to get the abs to show, let's figure out how to eliminate that annoying layer of fat around them.

Stay tuned for Part 2 that will discuss why nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success.

If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com