Another Exercise to Create Those Sexy Six-Pack Abs

This exercise will help add to the "WOW!" factor when people see you in a swimsuit. It is a great workout not only for your abdominal complex but also for your lower back and for overall body strength in general. It is sounds extremely simple to explain. Let me assure you that the first few times you attempt it you'll find it to be quite difficult. However, after a week or two you will have mastered the motion and be able to increase the amount of weight you are using, thus exponentially improving the exercise results. This exercise is one more "arrow in your quiver" to get the abdominal look you want.

The exercise is called the "Russian Twist." It was taught to me by Jim Cawley, the owner of Dynamax Medicine Balls. I don't normally mention specific products in my writing but his product is pretty much the industry standard for medicine balls and I want you to know how to get one.

Jim is a fine gentleman living in Buda, Texas, where he makes those great medicine balls. The balls are available in two-pound increments from 4 pounds to 20 pounds. I would highly recommend getting at least one as they are among the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment ever invented. To show medicine balls versatility and timelessness, I read that one of the U.S. Presidents in the early 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt I believe, would set-up a volleyball net on the White House lawn and have the staff divided into two teams. One team would throw a medicine ball over the net and if the other team was unable to catch it, a point was scored by the throwing team. The medicine balls pre-date Teddy Roosevelt, but I believe that example helps show the versatility of the ball in exercise.

To perform the Russian Twist, begin by sitting on the floor with a medicine ball in your hands. I recommend you start with a four-pound ball until you have mastered this movement. When you have mastered the exercise, you can increase the weight of the ball. With the ball in your hands, tilt your upper-body back to about a 45 degree angle. Now raise your feet about six inches off the ground while keeping them together. The only part of you body in contact with the ground is your glutes. While maintaining your balance, slowly move the medicine ball around your waist to one side and touch the floor with the ball. Immediately move the ball to the other side of your body and touch the ground with it on that side. Each time the ball touches the ground is considered one rep. Try to do 10 reps the first time. The exercise will seem awkward and unstable at first but I promise your form will improve drastically after only a week or two.

As I mentioned in a previous article about abdominal exercise, let me remind you that big determinants to how your abdominals look are your nutrition and your well-rounded exercise routine. You have to have both of those in place to get visible results from ANY ab exercise. Despite television ads to the contrary, it's impossible to "spot reduce" fat from a particular body part. If you have a "beer belly" or this is the only exercising you do, we will make your abs stronger and more toned but a layer of body fat will cover up your six-pack treasure. If you want those abs to be visible, the bottom-line is to make sure you are doing your part with a good nutrition program and a solid exercise plan.

When I'm performing this exercise I normally use a 12-pound ball (the heaviest at my facility) and do 30 to 40 reps per set for 4 sets. It will take a little while but soon you will be doing the same number of reps and sets and maybe even surpassing my work. The Russian Twist is one more step down the road to sexy six-pack abs!

Cliff Wiese has been active in fitness, sports, and sport psychology since 1981. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, as well as a Sports Performance Coach. He works with a varied international clientele, ranging from world-class athletes to pre and post rehabilitation patients to Special Olympians. A speaker and writer in high demand, Cliff can be reached by email at cwiese@lycos.com or by telephone in the USA at 979-229-6276.

Cliff attended Schreiner University on athletic and leadership scholarship and has done graduate studies at the University of Oklahoma. He is active in Special Olympics as a Powerlifting Coach and is a volunteer grant writer for a number of charities, primarily organizations involving at-risk children. Cliff is also personally active in sport and has won championships in five different sports. He is currently finishing his first book, aimed at creating and sustaining successful and life-long workout routines for non-exercisers.

Abs Diet Recipes - Good Food For Your Abs

If you're on an a diet trying to get your six pack abs to pop out, you'll know how tough it is to keep yourself entertained with interesting and exciting food, since there aren't that many dedicated abs diet recipes available. Don't worry though, there is light at the end of the tunnel - just think about how great your flat abs will look if you do stick to your abs diet!

The secret to eating properly so you can maintain or develop six pack abs or a toned stomach, is to eat low fat (5 grams or less per meal), high energy foods. A diet consisting of these types of recipes will keep your body happy, and your abs trim. The hard part is keeping your tastebuds cheerful, because usually it's the foods that are bad for us (and our abs) which taste the best!

Eating a low fat diet shouldn't mean you have to compromise on flavour or texture. So, in the spirit of good abs food, here's some abs diet recipes for low fat, high energy meals which will keep you loaded up with that feel-good factor, without loading up unnecessary calories and fat.

Here's a few ideas for starters or light snacks in case the urge grabs you:

* Curried lentil and lime soup
* Chicken and pastina broth
* Rice noodle salad with lemon tofu
* Prawn and ginger cakes with crunchy salad
 

Here's a few ideas for main meals:

* Crusty meatball pasta
* Peppered steak with mushroom Yorkshires
* Lamb and bulgar burgers
* Basil gnocchi with simple tomato sauce and wild rocket
* Greek-style roast cod
 

And.. dare I mention them: puddings!

* Roasted banana cheesecake
* Spanish orange creme caramel
* Rhubarb and orange-flower fool
* Chocolate meringues with cherry ripple
* Lime and passion fruit souffle
* Honey, almond and raspberry yoghurt ice cream
 

You can usually find these ab diet recipes in cookbooks (either at home or in your local library or bookshop), or I bet you could also find them online by just doing a search for the name. Remember, even though you're on a diet, you don't have to stick to boring recipes. There's loads of ways you can enjoy food and keep your abs flat. Use these as an example, and get creative with what you've got lying around at home.

Here's one last tip. If you crave something sweet: go for the fruit basket. Either have one or two pieces like mango, peaches and nectarines, or grab a handful of your favourites and blend them into a smoothie with some low fat milk and ice. That's a killer ab diet recipe!

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 - 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.

Quick Washboard Abs

For those of you wanting to develop quick washboard abs, there is good news and bad news in store for you. The good news is that you can build washboard abs in very little time at all. The bad news is that it is definitely not going to be easy. Anyone who has a good body has worked hard for it, and if you think that you can get the results you want without sweating for them, you are going to be disappointed.

Quick washboard abs must necessarily start with a change to your diet. Any foods with high fat content, low or inefficient protein structures and not enough fiber can be devastating to your abs. Eating a high protein diet is not enough, and you need to balance that protein with a lot of fruit and as little fat as you can. If you eat protein and fat together, your body would much rather use the fat for fuel than the protein, and you will not be able to make use of all of that protein you are eating.

The key to getting quick washboard abs is to eat a high-protein, low-carb meal at least two hours before you exercise. A piece or two of fruit should accompany this, to give you enough energy and sugar to want to exercise in the first place! A protein shake made of whey protein is an excellent way to prep for your workout, but make sure you eat nothing for an hour before you hit the gym. Your after meal workout is also essential, because your body has used up a lot of its fuel breaking down your muscles, and needs more protein to build them up and sugar to keep your blood glucose levels where they should be. Remember that maintaining healthy eating is absolutely essential when you want to build muscle or burn fat – without the right nutrition your efforts will be wasted.

Quick washboard abs are all about the exercises you do, and a lot of people misunderstand the exercises they need to perform to develop muscles quickly and keep them. Begin your workout with ten minutes on a treadmill or bicycle – this will speed up your respiration and metabolism, making it easier for your muscles to get the fuel they need to bulk up. Forget about sit ups and crunches – do slow, heavy resistance exercises with long time intervals. Your stomach is one of the few areas that can handle a very long time interval, and doing fewer reps can greatly reduce the damage you do to your hips, neck and back.

Experiment with different exercises to avoid sit ups and crunches. These will work, but they will definitely not get you quick washboard abs. Use leg lifts, vertical bicycle kicks and water aerobics to get the most out of your time at gym. One new exercise that is helping a lot of people develop washboard abs is based on a push-up, believe it or not. Get two dumbbells with round weights, place them on the floor and take up the push up position, leaning on the dumbbells. Now roll one forward without moving your other hand, stretching your body at an angle. Roll back, and roll the other side forward, using your still arm as an anchor.

After only two reps you should start to feel a massive burn in your sides and lower abdominals. Do three sets with low reps and long time intervals, and you should develop quick washboard abs in no time at all! The best part about this exercise is that it puts almost no strain on any part of your body besides your stomach.

John Ripper is a fitness freak. Discover free tips and tricks to get six pack abs at Quick Washboard Abs

Get Six Pack Abs Much Faster with 3 Advanced Techniques

I know you might be wondering that it is not easy to get six pack abs in a very short period of time, but I am going to destroy that myth once and for all!

It is not hard to get strong, sexy abs in a very short period of time when you know the right way to do it.

And so far, the only things I have heard from other people are:

1. Hundreds to thousands of Ab Crunches/ Sit ups/ Leg Raises
2. Hours and hours of cardio
3. Go on completely strict diet so you starve to death
4. Get on of those ab machines advertised on TV
5. Drink diet pills

It is shameful to say that these are the biggest most bitter lies one could tell you when it comes to getting lean or getting a six pack like you've always dreamed of.

I am not going to tell you why they are big fat lies (more on that later), but I can definitely tell you what you REALLY need to do if you want to get the ripped looking abs.

-- Interval Training

I know this may sound new to you but a few minutes of research on Google will give you hundreds and hundreds of articles on Interval Training.

With a 20 minute interval training workout, you will be working your lower body to such a level, that your stomach will just give up the fat that it is holding back.

In short, you will be burning more stomach fat with interval training than any other exercise. And moreover, you will also be burning fat even while you sleep!

-- Weight Training

This may come as a shock to you but you will NOT bulk up by lifting heavy weights! It will take really heavy weights and different techniques to pack up big muscles really fast.

All you need to do is 45 minutes of total body workouts using free weights like the dumbbell or the kettle bell.

The best way to make use of the 45 minutes is to choose total body exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Chest presses, Rows etc By working your major muscles, you will be working the smaller muscles at the same time.

That means you will burn 200-300% more fat the smart way.

-- Core Training

It doesn't require expensive ab machines or hundreds of ab crunches to get six pack abs.

All you need to do is strengthen your abdominal muscles and keep burning fat. Doing this will get your six pack abs visible in no time. I promise!

What kind of Core training can get you that washboard abs?

# Plank and Variations of the Plank
# Deadlifts
# Front Squats
# Swings
# Swiss Ball Rollouts
# Leg Thrusts
# Ball Crunches

These are just few of the many exercises that make your abdominals super strong just waiting for you to remove that fat off your abs so they can peel out and show off

Here's the gist of it;

Interval Training and Weight Training will successfully shred the pounds of fat if you keep consistent and keep choosing the right total body exercises. Core training will strengthen your abs in the shape of a six pack so that once the fat is gone, your abs will just peel out of your skin with that washboard look

If you are looking for the total training program that takes you from the diet to the workouts as if you were a complete Noob, then you need to take a look at my review on The Truth About Six Pack Abs and decided if it can help you get the six pack abs you've always dreamed about!