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Posts Tagged ‘Abdominal Exercises’

Using Resistance Bands in Abdominal Exercises

November 25th, 2009

Using resistance bands can be an effective component of any workout routine, and abdominal exercises are no exception. There are a number of exercises targeting the midsection that incorporate resistance bands. Resistance bands come in a variety of difficulties, usually indicated by the color of the band itself (e.g., green can be little resistance, yellow may be medium, red for difficult, etc.). Choose a resistance level that is appropriate for you, then move up as necessary. Do not overdo it by immediately grabbing the most advanced band you can find, as this can lead to injury. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Seated Crunch

This exercise provides the same benefits as the basic abdominal crunch, but with less neck strain and without the possible discomfort that comes with lying on the floor, since it uses a band rather than gravity to provide resistance. For this abdominal exercise, you will need to be sitting in a straight back chair which you can somehow loop your band through. Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and about as wide apart as your hips. Contract your abdominal muscles, and slowly bend forward to about a forty-five degree angle. Repeat for an entire set. Be sure to keep your feet on the floor and your back as straight as possible.

One-Arm Band Pull

Put the chair away and stand up, again with feet hip width apart. Put your hands above your head, holding the band about eighteen inches apart. Keeping your left hand overhead, bring your right hand out to the side, elbow bent at about a ninety degree angle. Hold your left arm still as you contract your abdominals and lower your right arm until your hand is in line with your chest. Hold this position, then slowly return. Repeat for an entire set, then switch hands. Keep your back straight and avoid bending or leaning at the waist. For an additional challenge, do this exercise standing on one foot. Perform the exercise with both hands while standing on your left foot, then do it all again on your right foot.

Twisting Roll-Back

For this abdominal exercise, you will need to sit on a flat surface, preferably the floor. Use a mat or towel for cushioning to ease possible strain on your tail bone. Sit down with your legs bent and heels on the floor. Your toes should be pointing up– do not put your feet flat on the floor. Loop the band around your feet, put one end in each hand and put your hands together. In a rolling motion, lower your torso toward the floor about forty-five degrees. As you do this, twist to the right and spread your hands to the sides. Hold for a second, then rotate back to the middle and raise your torso back to start. Your heels should remain on the floor throughout the exercise. Do a full set, then switch to the left side.

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Pilates Abs Workout

November 23rd, 2009

Pilates is a great way to strengthen abs without doing even a single crunch. It is an exercise that primarily focuses on strengthening and creating a better looking stomach and buttocks. it also increases your flexibility improves your posture and strengthens the body’s muscles. Pilates and Yoga are similar they are both mind/body activities. Their focus is on breathing and posture. However, they can’t take the place of traditional cardio and strength training exercises. There are several different pilates abs exercises such as, plank. This is when you are in the push up position and you are using your elbows to support your body weight. Pilates moves are by far the best abdominal exercises. Where crunches work primarily the rectus abdominus (the large “six pack” of muscle in the center of the abdomen).

Pilates works the deeper abdominal muscles and the stabilizers that help to hold it all in. It has also been shown to lengthen the muscles considerably,giving a taller, leaner appearance. Many exercises that tone the abs. There are many more, and Pilates is meant to be done in one smooth-flowing sequence. You then contract your abs holding this position for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat as many times as possible. There is also the 100s position, in which you lie flat on your back with your legs together and straight. Lifting your head and shoulders off the ground you pull in your abs. Roll-Up exercises-Sit with your legs straight and your arms in front of you Holding your abs in, slowly roll all the way down, feeling each vertebra press into the mat.

Until you’re lying flat, being careful not to let your feet pop up. Now raise your arms on high your chest and slowly roll your trunk up and forward, tightening your stomach, until you’re back to the starting position. Crisscrosses — With your head slightly emboss,bring your knees to your chest and place your hands gently behind your head (don’t interlace your fingers). Inhale and slowly twist to the right, bringing your left elbow to your right knee while extending your right leg. Hold this long enough to exhale. Now inhale and return to the starting position. Repeat, bringing your right elbow to your left knee. The Teaser — Lie flat on your back with your legs straight out and arms on the mat, stretched straight up over your head.

Lift your legs up while raising both arms overhead until your fingers are pointing at your toes. Breath and slowly roll back down, feeling each vertebra press into the mat, back to the starting position. Repeat three times. Rolling exercises- Sit up and pull your ankles in toward your buttocks, wrapping your hands around them. Bring your head toward your knees and lift your feet off the mat so that you’re balancing on your tailbone. Tighten your tummy and slowly roll backward just until your shoulders touch the mat be careful not to roll on your neck. Immediately roll back up. Strong Pilates body depends on the powerhouse woven and deep layer of lower back and abdominal muscles. This system of exercise allows the person to move elegantly and stand boldly throughout their life.

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3 Different Methods to Lose Your Abdominal Fat

November 16th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #3

The most common health problem that you will find that most people across the globe suffer from, in their middle age, is the development of abdominal fat. With their busy lifestyles, people are not able to take proper care about their fitness, and so have to suffer from the accumulation of fat around their abdomen. There are several methods that are found to be quite effective in helping to lose abdominal fat.Some of these methods that are found to be most helpful by many people, who try to lose abdominal fat, require special mention.The first and foremost method that you need to follow, if you want to lose the excess fat from around your abdomen, is to consider your eating habits. You will find that there are many foods, which are in no way effective for your body, and only result in adding fat around your stomach. You need to cut down on the intake of such food items and try and incorporate only those foods into your diet, which do not have any adverse effects on your body, by adding more fat. It has also been found that instead of gorging on food at few times of the day, you should take limited amount of food throughout the day. This will help you a lot in ensuring that you do not stay hungry, and at the same time do not develop abdominal fat.Some exercises have been found to be very effective in helping people to lose the fat that accumulates around their body. These exercises include cardiovascular exercises and other exercises that include weight training. You should try and make sure that you do these exercises on a regular basis. Regular exercises are found to be highly beneficial in losing unwanted abdominal fat. Most of the times, it is seen that people have to suffer from abdominal fat due to the presence of toxins of the body. The toxins hamper the digestion of the food that the people take, and as a result they result in the accumulation of fat around the abdomen. The accumulation of abdominal fat can be reduced by detoxifying the body, which would help in removing the harmful toxins from the body, and helping in easier digestion of food. The above mentioned methods have proved to be beneficial to a large number of people interested in losing abdominal fat. By following these methods, you will be able to lose abdominal fat quite effectively.

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How to Get the Best Out of Abdominal Exercises

November 13th, 2009

Once you have chosen a to begin a fitness program, it is important to include abdominal exercises. There are many different exercises from which to choose. How do you know which ones will work the most effectively for you? Combine abdominal exercises that deal with not only the mid section, but the upper section, the obliques, and the lower abdominals. The good news is that this group of muscles will respond to the proper moves and we can be very pleased with the results.

It’s important to understand that equipment is not necessarily required in order to perform the best abdominal exercises. Also, choose the moves that you are willing to do on a regular basis. If you are frustrated with a certain exercise because it strains your back or you just aren’t strong enough yet, choose a different set and do them faithfully.

Crunches are a popular form of abdominal exercise. This particular move is effective and it can be done at home, at the gym, a hotel or wherever you travel. To get rid of love handles, exercises that target the oblique area, such as the side crunch, will do the job nicely.

There are workouts on the market today which focus on the core, or abdominal area. Pilates is one such workout, but there are several others as well. Studies have shown that if our core is strong, we lessen our risk of injury all around. The library, internet or a store are all great resources for finding exercise videos that can be used at home or on vacation. By using resistance, you can kick up your metabolism and get even better results. Incorporate a medicine ball, elastic band or dumbbells into your daily fitness regimen.

Abdominal exercises alone will not give the desired results. We must engage in an aerobic workout for 30-60 minutes a day, several days a week. This will burn off stored energy. What we eat is important too! Eat several small meals throughout the day to avoid overeating. Focus on vegetables and lean protein before eating whole grains or starches. Processed foods should make only an occasional appearance at mealtime.

Benefits of strong abdominal muscles far outweigh the time it takes to fit in the exercises each day. Strong abdominals protect your back muscles. The lower back is the site for many everyday injuries, so it makes sense to strengthen our abdominals in order to prevent possible injury. As we lose our abdominal fat, it will be easier to stand up taller, which automatically makes us appear thinner.

For women, abdominal exercise can be a means of stress relief. Stress promotes the release of cortisol in the body, which then can contribute to deep layers of fat in the abdominal area. As muscle is added to the body, this cortisol release is offset and fat doesn’t form as readily. This type of fat has been linked to some types of cancers and heart conditions in women.

It’s well worth the extra few minutes of time it takes to do abdominal exercises in order to help prevent these and other health problems. Not to mention, you’ll feel better and look better without that extra weight in your abdominal area.

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Myths About Abdominals you Should Know

November 13th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #5

Copyright (c) 2008 Personal Fitness Development

Developing a great set of six-pack abs is really quite simple once you understand the how to firm and flatten your abs with this information, which includes two important components:

1. A workout program consisting of carefully selected, biomechanically correct abdominal exercises, and

2. A nutrition program that optimizes fat loss and maintenance or growth of lean muscle tissue.

As simple as this sounds, I’ll be the first to admit that ab training can be an extremely confusing subject at first because there is so much conflicting information on the subject.

Opinions Are Just That! Opinions

Countless opinions, rumors, and theories about ab training are continually being circulated by an endless parade of “experts” including doctors, personal trainers, infomercial gurus, and even friends, teachers, and parents. Some information is valid, but most of it isn’t. It’s hard to sort through it all, let alone know what to believe. Abdominal mythology abounds, and some myths never seem to die.

To help you cut through the myths and lies and lead you straight to the truth that will help you develop the type of body that you’ll be proud to show off the next time you hit the beach.

Before we discuss the anatomy and physiology of the abdominal muscles or the actual training routines, the first thing to do is clear your mind of the myths, lies, and misconceptions that have been polluting your brain as a result of gym folklore, false advertising, and bad advice from self-proclaimed experts.

More bad information is published and told about ab training than any other health and fitness subject, and I’ve boiled it down to 14 myths that are particularly damaging and pervasive. I will explain 3 of them in this article.

Let’s put them to rest permanently, shall we?

MYTH #1: If you train abs every day, you’re guaranteed a six-pack. One of the most common abdominal myths is that training your abdominals every day is the best way to get a small waistline and develop the six-pack look in your stomach. This misconception was probably funneled through the bodybuilding world, because so many bodybuilders train their abs daily prior to competitions. Despite the fact that bodybuilders appear on stage with incredibly ripped abs, their abs come from their diet, not just their daily ab workouts.

Daily training is not only a waste of time, it’s an approach that won’t work for the average person who doesn’t use performance-enhancing substances or have a naturally high recovery capacity.

There are two reasons that daily abdominal training is unnecessary and does not guarantee you a six-pack.

First, the muscle tissue of your abs is virtually the same as the muscle tissue in the rest of your body. Abdominal muscles cannot become stronger and more developed without time to rest and recover after each workout, just like any other muscle group such as your biceps or chest. You wouldn’t do 100 barbell curls every day to “see your biceps” or 100 bench presses every day to “see your pecs,” so why do the same for your abs?

Second, even if you could achieve excellent muscular development in the abs with daily training, you won’t be able to see your abs if they’re covered with a layer of fat. Daily abdominal training does not burn the fat off your midsection! Fat is lost by creating a calorie deficit through your diet. Build the muscle tissue with exercise; burn the fat with diet.

During the initial phase of the Firm and Flatten Your Abs program (Level 1), I recommend that you perform exercises daily for the first two to three weeks. However, these Level 1 exercises are very basic movements using only your body weight, and they are designed to prepare, strengthen, and neurologically program your body for the more advanced exercises to follow.

For the long term, you can get fantastic results training your abs every other day (about four days a week), and once they’re developed, you can maintain your abs with even less frequent training.

MYTH #2: You can eat pizza and hamburgers and still maintain a six-pack as long as you work out right after you eat them. The truth is that developing your abs is achieved through exercise, but seeing your abs is more a function your diet than any other factor. You could have a great set of abs completely covered with fat. The secret to uncovering the abdominal muscles is nutrition.

Theoretically, you could lose the fat covering your abs while eating whatever you wanted, as long as you still had a caloric deficit. However, eating calorie-dense junk food makes it much harder to maintain the caloric deficit you need to burn body fat. Furthermore, eating fast food and other nutritionally-void junk as regular daily staples in your diet will eventually exact a serious toll on your health.

You simply cannot expect exercise to cancel out poor eating habits. It takes proper exercise and nutrition to get optimal results. Go into your local fast food restaurant and look around. How many people do you see that have an envious abdominal region? Chances are, you won’t see any!

MYTH #3: Sit-ups develop the abdominal muscles best. It’s ironic, but the sit-up, which is the most popular exercise in the world for the abdominals, might be the absolute worst exercise and could even be dangerous for some people under some circumstances.

What most people don’t realize is that the sit-up is not a true abdominal exercise. During a sit-up, your main trunk flexor, the iliopsoas muscle, often does the majority of the work while the abs are not optimally recruited.

Because the iliopsoas muscle originates on the lower back, the sit-up literally pulls on the lower back with every repetition, especially if your feet are held down or anchored, or the repetitions are performed quickly in a jerky fashion. This is why too many sit-ups can lead to a strength imbalance between the iliopsoas and abdominals, as well as poor posture and lower back pain.

Some people who have very strong abs and lower backs may be able to perform conventional sit-ups more safely than others. There are also some safer and more effective ways to perform sit-ups. One is the Janda sit-up. This exercise uses the law of reciprocal inhibition, which means that if one muscle is working, its antagonist (the opposing muscle) must relax.

During a Janda sit-up, instead of holding your feet down, your partner reaches around and holds your calves. As you sit up, you contract your hamstrings and glutes by pulling your calves back against your partner’s hands. (You can also press your lower legs back against small dumbbells or a heavy weighted barbell.) When the hamstrings and glutes contract, this shuts off the iliopsoas, making your abs do more of the work.

If I prescribe sit-ups, I simply have my clients do Janda sit-ups. However, Janda sit-ups can be difficult to perform on your own and because of the injury potential from sit-ups in general, and since there are so many other more effective exercises, I have left sit-ups out of this course completely.

It’s incredible, but true: You can develop amazing abs without ever doing a single sit-up!

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