Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Starting Your Own Abs Workout



There are a lot of different exercises to get a tight stomach; their difference is both in the form and in the equipment. Some need you to use a specific machine; others are very simple and just require you to use natural resistance. There are some exercises that works the whole body too, such as Pilates or Yoga exercises. However there are also some exercises that are very basic yet bring results to millions of people.

One of these is the traditional crunch. These are great exercises to work the rectus abdominus with less train than in the sit-ups. In the traditional crunch you just lie on your back and raise only the upper portion of your body (head, shoulders and upper back) to about 30 degrees. The key is let your stomach take control and avoid grabbing your head. Also the three parts must be aligned, you should not arch you upper portion of the body. For proper form you can browse the Internet and check Youtube, there are literally thousands of pics and videos available.

Besides the traditional crunch, you should also perform the side crunch to work on your transverse abdominal muscles and your obliques. This is the zone where the infamous "love handles" are located. The technique is the same a sin the crunch, only that your body is twisted to one side. Again, do it slowly and with total control to get the most out of this stomach exercise.

Along with these two basic exercises you should include other movements. The stomach has different muscles and working them as a whole will give you a much better definition and midsection toning. Also, if you feel that an exercise isn't working for you, don't worry. Try another, not all bodies respond the same way to the same set of exercises. Remember that there is a whole variety f abs exercises to try out there.

While you can get a flat stomach with these exercises, nothing will happen if you don't commit to a workout and stick to it on a daily basis. For this purpose you should include exercise that re both fun to do and at a normal difficulty level for you. Some people get engaged in difficult workouts and end up quitting after a few days of trying.

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

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Lose Belly Fat - 4 Tips To Get Ripped Abs Without Sit Ups And Crunches



Do you spend hours doing crunches or sit ups and yet, you are not getting ripped or six pack abs? Chances are you've been doing it all wrong!

It's a common mistake in most people who want visible abs to do abdominal exercise only. Sure, you develop abdominal muscle but it's only hidden under a layer of fat. In fact, you may find your ab getting bigger as a result of the increased muscle mass.

If you want visible abs, your focus should be on reducing excess body fat.

Low body fat = ripped abs

You achieve low body fat by burning more calories than you consume.

Here are 4 tips for losing belly fat effectively and permanently.

1. Interval training

Research has shown that interval training is more superior to slow, steady cardio for fat loss. Your metabolism remains elevated post workout, thus resulting in the after burn effect. Effectively, you continue to burn calories even after an interval workout but not after a long, steady cardio workout.

Also, if you don't have long hours to spare in the gym, interval workouts enable you to achieve the most fat loss in the least amount of time. Some examples of interval workouts are wind sprints, hill sprints, swimming sprints and speed rope jumping. You can also do intervals on a treadmill, stationary bicycle, stairclimber, rower and elliptical machines.

2. Nutrition

Proper nutrition is the key to fat loss. No matter how much or hard you train, you'll never get visible abs if you live on crisps, sodas, fast food, cookies and other crap. Don't fall for any of the low carb, low fat, high protein and other fad diets. Instead, eat a healthy and well balanced diet that includes various food groups - carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Eat 5-6 small meals a day to keep your energy levels stable. Choose wholesome, natural foods, preferably organic, and avoid processed foods. Avoid refined and simple carbs that contain white flour and white sugar. Your main sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Include a source of high quality, lean protein with every meal. There are several benefits to consuming lean protein. Your body burns more calories from digesting protein than carbs or fats. Protein keeps hunger at bay and gives you a feeling of satiety. It is also necessary for building lean muscle that controls your metabolism and burns calories.

Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and to speed up fat loss.

Consume healthy fats from avocado, flax seed (or flax oil), nuts, seeds, fish (or fish oil), etc. Essential fatty acids help to regulate appetite and burn fat.

3. Resistance training

Resistance training not only sculpts your body but is important for building muscles. Like interval training, it raises your post workout metabolism so your body continues to burn calories even when you are doing nothing.

Aim for low rep resistance training, i.e. 8 reps per exercise, as it has been shown to boost metabolism after the workout.

If your goal is to burn fat, don't isolate your body parts by training certain muscle groups using single-joint movements. Isolation exercises such as leg extension, bicep curl and tricep kickback burn little body fat. Shift your focus from single-joint to multi-joint muscle movements such as squats, lunges, split squats, pushups, chinups, rows, step ups and deadlifts. These are full body movements that work many muscles at one time, burn more calories during each workout and increase your metabolism post workout.

4. Reduce stress

Stress has been associated with belly fat. In stressful situations, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Excess cortisol production leads to build up of belly fat. A fat belly is more than ugly looking. Accumulated fat in the abdomen increases your risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Be aware of your stress level and learn to manage it through yoga, meditation, qi gong, tai chi and other stress reduction techniques. The truth is there's no quick fix for losing belly fat. Forget about ab gadgets, diets or magic pills that promise to give you lean abs. They are nothing but scams.

The good news is that you can attain a set of lean or six pack abs through a healthy diet plan and effective training program that promote fat loss.

If you're interested in taking your fat loss efforts to an entirely new level, grab a free fat loss ebook which details 27 unique methods for boosting your metabolism and losing belly fat

Tired of long boring cardio workouts and seeing no positive results? Discover how to lose body fat and gain muscle with just 3 short workouts a week.

Get the free "Big Fat Lies" ebook that exposes the 12 biggest scams, lies and deceptions in the diet, supplement and weight loss industries at http://www.shedthefat.com

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Monday, May 26, 2008

How To Get Great Abs



You see the great looking models on the infomercials with great abs using the particular device being advertised and the before and after photos that seem pretty darn convincing. There will always be a procession of so called "experts" who make some sensational claim like build great abs in 5 minutes a day or lose weight without Cardiod or by drinking some special formula. Remember that to have great abs you have to get rid of the fat first.

But really, when it comes to having great abs, losing body fat is the most important aspect for most people. Patterns make for great abstract images. The key behind great abs is your DIET.

Great Abs is 90% what you eat and 10% exercise. There are a few things you need to keep in mind and add to your lifestyle to get great abs. How to do I get great abs.

Cardiod Exercise If there is one thing that is an extremely important step in how to get great abs, then it the need for cardiovascular exercise. Yeah, we know, pasta was all the rage a few years ago, but how many Italians do you see with great abs over in the old country, huh. Remember, great abs are made in the kitchen.

Great abs are formed much in the same way as any other muscle group. The good news is there is another way to get these great abs without having to take supplements and risking your health. but a question of When will I have my great abs.

Who knows what they are putting in these supplements that will give you these great abs. You need to make sure you get rid of the fat so that you can see the great abs you are looking for. I hate to be the one to tell you this but there are no magic pills that will make you thin, cure your life in seven days, get rich over night or have great abs in two weeks.

Accepting yourself is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. All of these are important factors as we obviously want the best of all worlds; great absorption, soft and quick-drying. When some people ask me how I am able to get my abs so defined it is if they are trying to get the "big secret" to great abs.

While I prefer and strive to build a more rounded physique, if just having great abs is your thing then that's fine too. For great abs and good health, the ideal is to reduce body fat down to no lower than 15-20% for women. Aerobic Training - The key to having great abs is burning more calories than you take in.

Your diet is one cornerstone of your quest to great abs. Similarly, as though ignoring a great absurdity, those who do not read books, or appreciate art, or enjoy music, will sometimes be treated with a secondly manner. If you want great abs, don't make it more difficult than it has to be.

Target Exercise A common misconception amongst most people is that to develop great abs you have to do sit-ups. You are about to read the real secret to great abs and how to lose the abdominal fat without spending money on supplements or following some diet-of-the-month and it's going to be a very simple formula that you can follow. Here are five essential tips for how to get great abs.

I provide a ton of great abs exercises in my book, but one of THE highest resistance exercises for the abs, is hanging leg raises (but NOT the way you see most people at the gym doing them). Creating an abstract image can be easy - creating a great abstract image is difficult. Com to learn more about getting GREAT ABS. Great full body workouts include: Tai Chi Yoga Kick boxing Martial Arts Core Strengthening Plans Ab Targeting:If you want great abs, the final step in your workout plan should be ab targeting exercises.

Soli Kator
http://www.solikatir.com/Sexy-Flat-Abs.html

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Monday, April 7, 2008

The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 3



All About Abs - Ab Training

Exercises for Variety and Development Step by Step Abdominal Training Explained

Concept 1: How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs

Do you remember hearing somewhere that in order to get the abdominals you want; you've got to train them everyday? I know I heard that from several sources. None of those sources had super ripped abs.

Fact: Many of the people who DO have ripped abs train them 1-3 times per week.

Train your abs 1-3 times per week. I would recommend training them after a smaller body part workout like chest and biceps and abs, or shoulder, triceps and abs. You can do them on your off days as well. Try to avoid doing them with legs as it's a major body part. Try to avoid doing them first as you'll need your stabilizers to be 100% when they are used in other compound exercises.

You probably already know this... your abs can be trained a bit more frequently then most other muscle groups because of two factors:

1. The muscle density is different allowing for different recovery time

2. 99.9% of programs do not encourage you to train abs to muscular failure

You don't want to train abs to muscular failure for the purpose of this guide.

Concept 2: How Many Exercises Per Session

If you're like me, you don't want another session added to your workout that is going to add another 20 minutes to your gym time. But like any other muscle, the abdominals require a bit of stimulation but just enough to grow and change and become stronger.

Unlike other body parts, you won't be doing countless sessions for abs. In fact...

Use 3-5 exercises per session

That's all you really need. Use the schedule listed in this guide or just pick 3 different exercises and do 3-5 different exercises per session. You can vary your rest up to 90 seconds.

You've got to wonder why people train abs by themselves for 30 or more minutes at a time. That's crazy! And most of the people coming out of those "Ab Blaster" classes don't even have abs. They are doing longer sessions for a single muscle group then you ever need to engage in.

Simply put, 3-5 exercises will do just fine.

Concept 3: Using Cardio as A Metabolism Boosting Tool

For maximum fat loss, you should do cardio 4-7 days per week for 30-60 minutes (the amount is variable depending on your results). You could continue running or mix up the type of cardio you do (stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, and other continuous aerobic activities are all excellent fat burners without the high impact and joint stress of frequent running).

If time efficiency is an issue for you, you could perform high intensity interval cardio training and achieve very efficient results with even briefer workouts (20-30 min per sessions, or less, if the intensity is high enough) Once you are satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition, you can cut back to 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes for maintenance.

Concept 4: Advanced Techniques

Part of this guide is to ensure that you use all the techniques possible in order to achieve the results you want. There are two techniques you can use so that your routine doesn't become 'routine.'

1. Tempo Variation: Another way to increase the effectiveness of the training program is to focus on the tempo of the exercise. Tempo just means the speed of the exercise. For example, a 3-1-1 tempo means you'll take 3 seconds to lower the weight, then you'll pause for 1 second, and then you'll lift the weight back up in 1 second.

2. Variety: It's been said that your body will adapt to any routine within 5-6 workouts. By including many different exercises, it will be impossible to adapt. Not only will your body be continually challenged but the variety will help to ward of getting bored of doing the same things every week, every workout.

3. Multiple Angles: While the abdominals are classified as a 'single' muscle, that doesn't mean you can't work it from a variety of angles in order to achieve the maximum stimulation. Many times an individual will have their upper abdominals developed but are lacking any real "visual" development in the lower abs. Rather then focus on a section of the abdominals, this guide will encourage you to work the muscle from a variety of angles for the best possible stimulation.

Stay tuned for Part 4 that will flat out give you 6 months worth of ab workouts you can do.

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 Learn how to develop the perfect set of abs, the nutritional secrets that will have you in summer shape and the revolutionary training that eliminates the need for 100+ crunches per day. Proven methods to get your abdominals to show.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Lose Your Belly Fat And Show Off Your Six Pack Abs



Have you noticed that most people will never fail to include abdominal muscle exercises in their routines and yet somehow or other, they can never own that coveted 6 pack abs?

Have you been religiously doing your abdominal muscle exercises? Is your abs showing to your satisfaction? No? Why? Do you know that your abdominal muscle is one of the easiest muscles to build but yet why is it that most people have difficulty in developing that 6 pack abs?

Here is the truth. Those of you who are working out your abs regularly do probably own that much sought after six pack. Yes, you do. The only trouble is that your belly fat is covering them. Your abs will not show up well if you have a body fat ratio of more than 12%. The more fat you burn off, the more defined your abs will be. You will own that rippling washboard abs when your body fat is 10% or less. So if you have fat on your belly, forget about abdominal exercises and burn off the fats first.

There is another reason why people put in so much effort to develop their abdominal muscle and yet their abs are not showing although they have low body fat. Again, there is a simple explanation. They are doing the wrong exercises and working out in bad form.

Let’s take for example the most common abs exercises, the sit up and the leg raisers. Everybody seem to be doing these two exercises not knowing that these exercises really don’t do much for their abs. Don’t believe me? Ok…try this. When you do your sit up or leg raisers, place your palms on your hip on the area connecting to your thigh and perform the exercises. Tell me what did you feel? Ahhh….you are getting it. Those muscles there are doing most of the work. Those are your hip flexor muscles. Since your hip flexors are doing most of the work, how can you develop your abs effectively?

So you say, from now on I will do crunches instead. Well, I have another surprise for you.

Most people perform their crunches wrongly too. Think about it. Why is the exercise called “crunch”? It is because you must squeeze your abs so are that you are crunching them. In order to squeeze your abs hard, you have to curl up like a prawn and breath out all the air in your lungs at the top position and then squeeeeeeeze the muscles so hard that you feel a burn. That will take a few seconds to crunch out all the air before you lower to the beginning position again. You can’t do this effectively if you just go up, down, up down, up down rhythmetically. So, if you have been doing hundreds of crunches everyday with minimal result, now you know why. In fact, it is almost impossible for the average guy to do tens of properly performed crunches and not to say hundreds of them. The same squeezing principle applies to other abs exercises.

Ok….now that you know why your abs are not showing up well, so get on with burning your fats and perform your workout in correct form. You will then see your 6 pack abdominal muscle in no time.

Chris Chew is a personal trainer of actors, pageant winners, models and other celebs.

He is the author of Burn Fat Build Muscles Fast! and runs a fitness school in Singapore Personal Trainers

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