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Posts Tagged ‘Degree Angle’

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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The Chair Workouts

November 22nd, 2009

If you do not have any workout equipment at home or there is no gym in the office, then do not fret.  There are things around your home and office that can be utilized creatively to help you get your daily dose of fitness.

In almost every place, you can always find a chair.  It is up to your imagination on what other household or work furniture you can use to help you with your exercise routine.  However a chair is quite versatile, thus the chair workouts:1.  Abdominal crunches.  Be careful not to slip when you sit on the edge of a chair.  Secure the position by extending your arms to the back and hold each side of the furniture.  Extend your legs to the front and hold the position.  Tilt your head and shoulder backwards to form a 90-degree angle with your legs extended.  Now, bend your knees to clench your abdominal muscles and then extend your legs back to the front.  This abdominal exercise is better and more effective than the traditional sit-ups.2.  Lateral leg raise.  Hold the back of the chair with one of your arms while standing straight.  With the other arm holding the side of the waist making a 90-degree angle with the elbow, lift the leg to the side and gradually lower it.  With the other leg, perform the leg lift and gradually lower it as well.3.  Triceps dips.  With your back towards the back of the chair, lay your hands on the back of the furniture and hold it.  The back of your hand should be facing the front so as to isolate your triceps muscles.  Gradually lower yourself by bending your knees.  As you lower yourself, your elbows will bend and your arms will almost align with your shoulders.4.  Triceps kickbacks.  Hold the back of the chair with one arm.  The other arm should hold a dumbbell.  Place one knee on the seat of the chair.  The arm holding the chair and the knee on the seat of the chair should be on the same side.  The two should either be right or left side.  Lower your chest so that it is parallel to the ground.  Gradually lift the weight towards your back thus, extending the arm.  Slowly lower the dumbbell thus, bending the elbow to form a 90-degree angle.  Switch arms and knees and workout.It is amazing how we can find another use to already useful objects.  Instead of buying expensive gym equipment or joining a fitness club, why not utilize what we already have?  Aside from the money you can save, you can save space at home or save on gas in going to the fitness center.

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How To Get Six Pack Roped Abs Fast

October 28th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #3

A shiny set of six pack abs is something that most men and women that work out dream of. Dreaming about it is the easy part – actually getting them is another. There are quite a few guidelines one should follow when pursuing a set of six pack abs, but one thing you need to keep in mind is that pretty much all of us have a six pack under our abdominal fat somewhere, it’s just a matter of bringing down your body fat percentage, and then some hardcore toning of your abdominals – upper, lower, middle, and obliques.

Below, we’ll briefly mention five abdominal targeted exercises that you can do to shape up that flabby gut of yours. As with any exercise program, make sure you talk to a doc to see if your body can handle what you’re about to throw at it.

1. The Reverse Ab Crunch – Simply lie down on your favorite workout mat, get your thighs to a ninety degree angle with the floor (feet up), and start by bringing your knees to your chest and have your chin tucked to your chest at the same time. Go back to the starting position and slowly repeat this process, feeling the abdominal burn!

2. The Abdominal Flutter Kick – Lying on the floor (on your back) with your palms down and arms beside you, bend your knees just a little bit and extend your legs. Lift your feet about 6-8 inches off the floor, and then with a motion similar to a scissor kick, make small rapid movements with your feet, keeping your abs engaged the whole time.

3. The Exercise Ball Crunch – Lying on the ball with your face looking up, and the ball underneath your lower back, put your arms behind your head (or you can do them with arms on your chest), lift up off the ball and then go back down again. Make sure you feel it in your abs.

4. The Bent Elbow Plank – Lying on your stomach, lift your body up onto your forearms and toes, contracting your abs, and hold the position for 5-10 seconds, then rinse and repeat. Make sure that when you life your body, your elbows are parallel to your shoulders.

5. The Oblique Crunch – Lying flat on your back with your hands in the traditional sit-up position behind your head, the key is instead of doing a regular sit-up, when you raise up cross over your midsection and try to touch your right elbow to your left knee. Do this for both sides.

There are a lot more ab exercises out there, but the ones above should give you a good starting point. Remember, your abs aren’t going to show from exercise alone – you need to modify your diet to get your body fat percentage down to a level where your abs will actually “stick out” in that area, thus showing off the much sought after six pack.

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8 More Exercises to Tone Abdominal Muscle

October 25th, 2009

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.
8) 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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4 Great Exercises for Washboard Abs

October 11th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #5

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you’re still on the lookout for the best exercises for washboard abs. Otherwise, you won’t even be reading this. Well, you’re in luck because by the time you finish reading this, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.Before we proceed, I just want to stress that a low-fat, highly nutritious diet, and regular full body workouts are just as important as the abdominal muscle exercises listed below. Bringing together all three strategies will get you those washboard abs fast. Relying on just one strategy will only make it harder for you to achieve the sexy midsection you desire.After getting your diet plan and cardio program in order, you can go ahead and target your abdominals with ab-specific training. Check out these 4 most excellent exercises for washboard abs: * Ball Crunches * Full Body Crunches * Bicycles * Weighted Sit UpsPast studies have shown that these exercises, whether done on their own or in combination with each other, are the most effective workouts for your abdominals. Why? Because they develop strength resistance and balance, engage other body parts, and work abdominal muscles in their entirety. The best part about these exercises for washboard abs is that you don’t have to use any fancy equipment to do them.Make sure you start off with only 5 reps of every exercise and work your way up to 20 as you progress. To really define your abs and burn that unwanted belly fat, go through 3 sets of each 3-4 times a week. Not sure how to do each one? Read the blow by blow:Ball Crunches1. Sit on a stability ball and keep those feet flat on the ground.2. Lean back on the ball gradually so that your thighs and upper body are almost parallel to the floor.3. Lift your shoulders halfway up while contracting your abdominal muscles.4. Once you’ve reached a 45-degree angle with your torso, hold that position for a few seconds, and go back to your original position.Full Body Crunches1. Lie flat on an exercise mat or padded area in your house.2. Place both hands over your chest and bend your knees.3. Remember to keep those abdominal muscles taut.4. Lift your shoulders a few inches off the floor while pulling your knees in at the same time.5. Hold it for a few seconds and then go back to your starting position.Bicycles1. Lie back down on the floor.2. Lift those knees up while you slightly touch your fingers to your ears.3. Perform cycling movements in mid air with both legs.4. As your right knee draws in, lift and twist to the left so that your left elbow touches it; do the same on the other side.Weighted Sit Ups1. Lie back down and keep both knees bent.2. With a small weight simulator, like a can of food or water bottle, hold it in front of you by crossing your arms over your chest.3. Perform regular sit ups; lift those shoulders up, hold the position, then go back down.Include these basic yet highly effective exercises for washboard abs in your abs training and you can never go wrong. Come up with a schedule and stick to it – it truly is the best way to rock out a six pack fast.

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