For many people who have made it their goal to obtain a sleek, sculpted midriff, it’s a common misconception that doing hundreds of crunches a day can help them get there. In reality, you can work your abdominals all day, but if you neglect your other larger muscle groups and continue to indulge in a high-fat, high-calorie diet, your newly developed stomach muscles will never see the light of day.
So what do your large muscle groups have to do with the smaller muscles found in your midsection? Although it may not at first seem like they’re linked, there are many direct and indirect associations between the various muscle groups in your body.
The most obvious advantage of developing and toning your larger muscle groups is the aesthetic reward. Sure, a six-pack is worthy of admiration, especially during swimsuit season, but the reality is that your stomach is obscured from view most of the time. When you work your chest, back, and legs in addition to the smaller muscles in your abs and arms, you’ll enjoy an overall enhancement in muscle tone and physical fitness, resulting in a well-proportioned, sculpted body that gets noticed, even when you’re wearing clothes.
Another advantage is that the exercises used to work those larger muscle groups also indirectly works the stomach muscles. Remember, our musculatory system is one big linked network, and every demand you make on your body has a ripple effect that challenges several different areas. As a general rule, the smaller muscles support the larger ones, so if your larger muscles are strong and developed, your smaller muscles will perform better and respond more readily to targeted workouts.
If that’s not reason enough to include large muscle groups in your regular workout regimen, it’s a fact that optimizing these core muscles helps to raise your metabolism. This means that toning your quads, back, chest, and other big muscles will help you to burn more calories at a faster rate, thus eliminating more fat and potentially achieving greater weight loss. Your body will continue to burn an abundance of calories and fat during resting states -- even while sleeping. You’ll also boost your body’s production of muscle-strengthening, fat-boosting hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone.
Working larger back muscles, such as the trapezius, rhomboids, and Latissimus Dorsi, helps you to achieve a better posture and stronger torso, which in turn promotes increased core strength and makes your abdominal exercises more effective.
There are many different ways you can work your larger muscle groups, and not all of them require a gym membership. Sure, having a fully equipped weight room and on-site trainers is a big help, but there are plenty of ways you can work these areas at home. Many forms of cardio exercise, such as jogging or walking, work your larger leg muscles, while push-ups and chin-ups help to develop the chest and back. With an inexpensive set of dumbbells, you can perform a wide range of upper and lower muscle workouts, including squats, lunges, chest presses, chest flies, and dumbbell rows.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Exercises for Flat Abs
Unfortunately, there's no magic formula when it comes to obtaining the toned, sculpted abdominals we all admire on swimsuit models and bodybuilders. The development of those muscles -- and, perhaps most importantly, the removal of the layer of fat that obscures them from view for most of us -- relies on a combination of a sensible, low-fat diet and a regular regimen of effective abdominal exercises. A common misconception is that high-intensity targeted exercise will counteract poor eating choices, but that simply isn’t the case.
When paired with a nutritional, well-balanced diet and reasonably measured portion sizes, abdominal exercises can help to define the muscles in the midsection and bring them into sharper relief. When launching an ab workout program, it’s important to develop a specific plan for the types of exercises you’ll be doing, as well as the form and frequency of each one. Variety is key—you’ll get much better results when you combine several different routines than you would if you just did endless repetitions of the same standard crunches.
Below, we’ve gathered some examples of abdominal exercises that have proven to be effective when performed at least 3-4 times a week and paired with the aforementioned sensible diet. For beginners, it’s recommended that you perform several of these exercises 3-4 times a week, starting with two sets of 10-15 repetitions. Again, it’s best to vary the types of exercises each week. Slowly increase repetitions and frequency as your abdominal muscles gain strength.
Basic Crunch
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis
Start by lying on your back with the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your knees bent. Rest your fingertips just behind your ears on either side of your head. With your lower back pressed against the floor, lift your upper torso slightly off the ground, and then hold it there for a couple of seconds before slowly lowering it to the starting position. Be sure to continue facing upwards, as tucking your chin downward will reduce the efficiency of the exercise. Also be careful not to use your hands to help lift your head; all work should be performed in the midsection.
The Bicycle
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. With your lower back pressed firmly against the ground, bring alternating knees up to a 45-degree angle and begin mimicking a pedaling motion, touching each elbow to the opposite knee as you go.
Captain’s Chair
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
While seated on a stable chair with a straight back, begin with your legs bent at the knee at a 90-degree angle. Slowly raise your knees up toward your chest and then return them to the starting position.
Exercise Ball Crunches
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin by sitting on an exercise ball with the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor. Lean back slowly until you’re reclined on the ball with your back parallel with the floor. Lift your upper body slightly in a crunch until you feel the pull on your abdominal muscles. Tip: This exercise can be modified to focus on the oblique muscles by lifting each elbow to the opposite knee, and by moving your feet closer together.
Vertical Leg Crunch
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. With your lower back pressed firmly against the ground, cross your ankles and lift your legs straight up into the air. Your knees should be relaxed, not locked. Next, slowly lift your torso toward your knees in a slow, controlled motion, holding for a couple of beats before returning to the starting position. With each lift upward, you should feel the burn in your abs.
Reverse Crunch
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. Cross your ankles and lift your feet off the ground until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, then slowly return to the starting position before repeating. Again, all work should be contained to the abdominal area.
Alternating Leg & Arm Lifts
Muscles targeted: Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin by lying on your stomach with your arms stretched up above your head. Slowly raise your left arm and right leg a few inches off the ground, and then hold for a few beats before lowering them back to the floor. Repeat the same exercise with the alternating arm and leg.
Side Crunches
Muscles targeted: Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. Cross your left leg over your right leg with your ankle resting on your knee, and then lift your torso as you bring your right elbow to your left knee. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite side.
When paired with a nutritional, well-balanced diet and reasonably measured portion sizes, abdominal exercises can help to define the muscles in the midsection and bring them into sharper relief. When launching an ab workout program, it’s important to develop a specific plan for the types of exercises you’ll be doing, as well as the form and frequency of each one. Variety is key—you’ll get much better results when you combine several different routines than you would if you just did endless repetitions of the same standard crunches.
Below, we’ve gathered some examples of abdominal exercises that have proven to be effective when performed at least 3-4 times a week and paired with the aforementioned sensible diet. For beginners, it’s recommended that you perform several of these exercises 3-4 times a week, starting with two sets of 10-15 repetitions. Again, it’s best to vary the types of exercises each week. Slowly increase repetitions and frequency as your abdominal muscles gain strength.
Basic Crunch
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis
Start by lying on your back with the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your knees bent. Rest your fingertips just behind your ears on either side of your head. With your lower back pressed against the floor, lift your upper torso slightly off the ground, and then hold it there for a couple of seconds before slowly lowering it to the starting position. Be sure to continue facing upwards, as tucking your chin downward will reduce the efficiency of the exercise. Also be careful not to use your hands to help lift your head; all work should be performed in the midsection.
The Bicycle
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. With your lower back pressed firmly against the ground, bring alternating knees up to a 45-degree angle and begin mimicking a pedaling motion, touching each elbow to the opposite knee as you go.
Captain’s Chair
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
While seated on a stable chair with a straight back, begin with your legs bent at the knee at a 90-degree angle. Slowly raise your knees up toward your chest and then return them to the starting position.
Exercise Ball Crunches
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin by sitting on an exercise ball with the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor. Lean back slowly until you’re reclined on the ball with your back parallel with the floor. Lift your upper body slightly in a crunch until you feel the pull on your abdominal muscles. Tip: This exercise can be modified to focus on the oblique muscles by lifting each elbow to the opposite knee, and by moving your feet closer together.
Vertical Leg Crunch
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis and Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. With your lower back pressed firmly against the ground, cross your ankles and lift your legs straight up into the air. Your knees should be relaxed, not locked. Next, slowly lift your torso toward your knees in a slow, controlled motion, holding for a couple of beats before returning to the starting position. With each lift upward, you should feel the burn in your abs.
Reverse Crunch
Muscles targeted: Rectus Abdominis
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. Cross your ankles and lift your feet off the ground until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, then slowly return to the starting position before repeating. Again, all work should be contained to the abdominal area.
Alternating Leg & Arm Lifts
Muscles targeted: Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin by lying on your stomach with your arms stretched up above your head. Slowly raise your left arm and right leg a few inches off the ground, and then hold for a few beats before lowering them back to the floor. Repeat the same exercise with the alternating arm and leg.
Side Crunches
Muscles targeted: Obliques (“love handles”)
Begin in the same position as with the basic crunch, with your back and the bottoms of your feet flush against the floor and your fingertips resting just behind your ears. Cross your left leg over your right leg with your ankle resting on your knee, and then lift your torso as you bring your right elbow to your left knee. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite side.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
