Posts Tagged ‘Abdominal Workout’

Ab Exercises Can Be More Effective With Indirect Abdominal Workouts

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If you’re now doing direct abdominal exercise routines, such as situps, leg lifts, and crunches, take a look at indirect exercises for the best ab workouts.You can actually achieve even better results with high intensity, full-body workouts that boost your metabolism while working your abs.Below is a great abdominal workout that doesn’t involve direct ab exercises. The workout is like a super-set, but you alternate between three exercises in a tri-state format.You can use a rep scheme of 3-4 sets of 8 reps for each of the exercises. It’s also effective to use 5 sets of 5 reps of each exercise. You can do the mountain climbers for 30 seconds instead of reps.Renegade dumbbell rows – start in a pushup position with your hands on two dumbbells. While you stabilize your body with one arm, row one dumbbell up. Then you should bring the dumbbell to the ground. Stabilize with your opposite arm while you alternate your rowing arm. As you stabilize during rows, your midsection will get a great workout, and you’ll definitely feel it in your abs.Front squats – you’ll do these just like back squats, except you’ll put the barbell on the front of your shoulders in front of your body, and not rest them on your upper backs as you do in back squats. To stabilize the barbell on your shoulders, keep your elbows in front of your body and cross your arms; then push your fists into the bar against your shoulders. You’ll have to practice this, so you it’s important to have a gym trainer help you get the form right.You’ll also find you need great stabilization strength for front squats because you’re shifting the barbell weight to the front of your body and not the back. This is mostly a leg exercise, but you’ll be surprised how much you feel it in your abs. Mountain climbers – begin in a pushup position and shuffle your feet in and out to make your knees move first under your chest and then out to your starting position. You’ll feel like you’re climbing a mountain, but it’s really flat on the floor. If you’re adventurous, shuffle your hands backward and forward 10 inches while you’re doing your leg movements. This will give you a full body exercise, and you’ll find that it’s a lot harder than using regular mountain climbers.As you complete each exercise, make sure to rest for about 30 seconds before beginning the next one.Also, don’t forget to rest for about one to two minutes after completing each tri-set before you repeat.You’re going to find that these indirect exercises give you the best ab workouts. And you’re not doing any direct ab exercises. Try it yourself!

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7 More Exercises To Achieve Firm, Flat & Sexy Abs

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Once you have effectively set your weight loss regime, you must determine a set of exercises to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. This will provide them with the body and shape required to form a visible six pack. The following exercises are appropriate exercises to select from.
1) Long Arm Crunch: Lie on the floor, facing the ceiling and extend your arms over your head along the ground, grasping your hands together over your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
2) Reverse Crunch: Life on the floor facing the ceiling. Hands may be placed flat on the floor beside you or behind the head. Raise your knees towards your chest until your legs are at a 90 degree angle with your body. Tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your hips off the floor. Lower your body and repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
3) Vertical Crunch: Lie flat on the floor facing the ceiling with your legs extended upwards. Place your hands behind your head and tighten your abs to lift your shoulders off the ground. Raise your heels towards the ceiling to create a U shape with your body. Lower yourself and repeat the process twelve to sixteen times.
4) Bench Crunch: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling with your legs elevated on a bench or another form of furniture and bent at a ninety degree angle. Hold your hands at your temples or extended down besides your legs. Now, raise your head and shoulders towards your knees whilst lifting your pelvis off the floor. Flew your abdominal muscles at the top of the movement and hold for a moment. Lay back down and repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
5) Leg Tuck: Sit sideways on a bench or some form of furniture, grasping the edge for support with your legs hinging over. Raise your legs slightly and straighten them. Hold this position for a moment then lower your legs. Repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
6) Upright Sit Up: Stand upright with your back straight and hands clasped behind your head. Proceed to bend at the waist (performing the traditional sit up movement) and straighten up. Repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
7) Scissor Cuts: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling. Place your arms flat at your sides and lift your legs slightly, crossing one over the over. Hold this position, then lower your legs. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
Abdominal work outs should be performed twice a week. It is important to remember to alter your work out every eight weeks to ensure the muscles do not become used to the work out, thus rendering the exercises ineffective.
Before commencing with abdominal exercises, it is important to remember to stretch your abdominal muscles. Do this by lying face down on the floor with your elbows bent and hands positioned beneath your shoulders. Straighten your arms so that your back is arched, ensure your legs remain flat on the ground. Turn your head towards the ceiling and hold this position for a period of ten seconds before lowering yourself back to your starting position.

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5 Exercises to Tone Abdominal Muscle

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Once you have effectively set your weight loss regime, you must determine a set of exercises to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. This will provide them with the body and shape required to form a visible six pack. The following exercises are appropriate exercises to select from. Try them out and select those that you enjoy the most:
1) Sit ups: Sit ups are the most common and most utilised form of exercise to tone abdominal muscles.
To perform sit ups correctly, lie on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Hold your hands behind your earlobes and then proceed to tighten your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button back towards your spine. Now slowly lift your head and shoulders off the ground by contracting your abdominal muscles. Only lift as high as you are comfortable with, all the while keeping your feet flat on the floor. Hold the position for a second, then slowly return to the lying position- do not lay back on the floor, rather, keep your shoulders raised slightly. Repeat this as many times as necessary.
If you find you are having difficulty keeping your feet on the ground, try securing them under a piece of furniture, such as a couch or bed. Once the sit ups become easier, begin adding weights and continuing to lift heavier and heavier weights.
2) Crunches: To perform a crunch, lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet placed flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest and tighten your abdominal muscles by drawing your belly button back towards your spine. Now, raise your shoulders off the floor whilst keeping your back straight. Remember to exhale through your mouth whilst performing a crunch. Once you have raised your shoulders a sufficient distance, pause for a second and finish exhaling. Slowly lower your shoulders back towards the ground without letting your head touch the ground. Repeat this process as many times as necessary.
3) Leg Lifts: To perform a leg lift, lie on the floor with your legs flat and hands at your sides. Lift your legs straight up to point at the ceiling, then lower them without letting them touch the floor. Continue lifing and lowering your legs. Alternatively you may hold yourself up on a bar and perform a leg lift by raising your knees to your chest.
4) Jackknife sit ups: To perform a jack knife sit up, lie down flat on the floor with you hands on the ground at your sides. Now, raise your knees and your torso in order to allow your face and knees meet (or come close to meeting). Hold this position for a second then lay back flat. Repeat this process as many times as necessary. Once this process has become easy enough, try placing weights between your feet.
5) V-ups: To perform a V-up, lie flat on the floor with your hands extended over your head touching the ground. Raise your legs and torso simultaneously, keeping your legs straight. Reach yoru hands towards your feet and touch them if possible. Hold this position for a second then return to the flat position. Repeat this process as many times as necessary.

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8 More Exercises to Tone Abdominal Muscle

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Once you have effectively set your weight loss regime, you must determine a set of exercises to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. This will provide them with the body and shape required to form a visible six pack. The following exercises are appropriate exercises to select from.
1) Side stretches: Lie on your side, resting your weight on your forearm. Now raise your body off the floor, supporting yourself with your elbow and foot, to form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankle. Hold for a second before lowering yourself and performing the process on your other side.
2) Lunge Chop: Take hold of a medicine ball and hold it in both hands over one of your shoulders. Step forward with the leg opposite to the shoulder you are holding the ball over, until your front knee is at a ninety degree angle. Keeping your torso upright, swing the ball down in a chopping motion. Repeat the chopping motion eight times, then return to the standing position and switch the ball over to your other shoulder.
3) Barbell Rollout: Kneeling on the floor, grab a barbell in an overhand grip. Your hands should be approximately shoulder width apart, with your shoulder over the barbell. Roll the bar as far forward as you can, keeping your back flat. Once you have pushed it as far as possible, contract your abs and rolls the bar back into its initial position. Repeat this ten times to complete one set.
4) Plank: Facing the ground, rest yourself on your forearms keeping your back straight. Now, contract your abs and hold for twenty seconds then release. Repeat this four to five times.
5) The bicycle exercise: Lie on your back with your hand behind your head. Lift your shoulders off the ground whilst bringing your knees up towards your chest. Straighten one leg to a forty-five degree angle whilst turning your upper body towards the opposite side, bringing the elbow towards the knee. Now do this for the other side and repeat twelve to sixteen times.
6) The chair exercise: Stand on a chair and grip the arm rests. Press your back against the rear of the chair, tensing your abdominal muscles in order to raise your legs, lifting your knees towards your chest and keeping your back straight. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
7) Working with an exercise ball: Lie facing the ceiling with an exercise ball under the middle of your back, your arms should be crossed over your chest or held behind your head. Now, tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your torso off the ball and pull down towards your hips. Lower back down and repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
Vertical Leg Crunch: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling. Extend your legs above you and cross them. Tighten your abs and lift your shoulders off the floor, keeping your legs in the same position. Lower yourself and repeat this twelve to sixteen times.

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