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Posts Tagged ‘ ab exercises ’

  It seems that everyone is always asking me what the best ab workouts are to get a flatter stomach. The common belief that ab workouts will help you to lose belly fat is one of the biggest misconceptions I deal with daily as a fitness professional. Almost everyone has varying degrees of excess body fat in the abdominal region, and the best way to burn off that extra stomach fat continues to elude most.   The problem is that most people are searching for the wrong exercises and workout types to lose stubborn belly fat. Most people are searching for some miraculous combination of abs exercises combined into the best ab workout ever invented that will burn off their belly fat faster than you can read this article.   Unfortunately, ab-specific workouts do NOT burn fat off of your belly. They only tone and strengthen the underlying abdominal muscles. What you really need to focus on is a full body strategic workout that will cause a much greater metabolic rate increase and fat-burning hormonal response from your training program as a whole.   In addition, simply doing cardiovascular workouts will not necessarily create the greatest metabolic response or hormonal response either. What you really need is a much more rounded training program that focuses on training the entire body with resistance training and multi-joint exercises in a higher intensity fashion.   This type of high intensity full body training combined with a healthy balanced diet full of nutrient density on a regular basis, is the real key secret to losing the extra stomach fat that covers up the abs. This is a much better plan of attack than just trying to do ab workouts and hoping that just doing a bunch of ab exercises like crunches and leg raises are going to make you lose your belly fat.   The amazing thing is that the majority of the population still believes that in order to get rid of belly fat, you need to do ab workouts every day using hundreds of reps. I see people giving this type of erroneous advice every day on all of the fitness forums. Please do not waste your time with this type of advice!   Now before you say “how can an abs expert not recommend abdominal exercises”, realize that I do strongly believe that a certain amount of ab-specific exercises mixed into your routines are beneficial. Ab exercises will help you strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles and are useful for other purposes such as a healthy back and posture when done correctly. But the fact remains that ab exercises are not necessary for fat loss.   A much smarter full body resistance training routine and a clean healthy balanced diet are the most important factors. Many of the full body exercises also indirectly work the abdominals and core due to the stabilization required in some of the more difficult variations.   Thompson Stephen is dedicated to helping people stay informed about health and fitness.For more information and in-depth,unbiased reviews,please visit http://dailytruthaboutabs.comWordPress Autoblogging Plugin

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Ab exercises are one of the most popular, and yet, most controversial topics in the exercise and health/fitness industry. Hundreds of ab belts, ab gadgets, ab gimmicks, and ab exercise machines have flooded the exercise market for people looking for sexier and flatter abs… that sexy six-pack abs appearance that everybody wants.
The problem is that most of the ab exercises that are recommended all over the internet, and in magazines, etc, are not necessarily the best method to get that six-pack abs appearance. First and foremost, the most important aspect for great looking six pack abs is losing the extra stomach fat that is covering up the abs. To be honest, most people already have decent abs underneath, yet the six-pack is simply covered up by all of that extra flabby belly fat.
Instead of focusing so much on ab exercises to make your belly flatter and more like a six-pack, you will lose much more abdominal fat by focusing the majority of your workout time with special combinations of high intensity full-body, multi-joint exercises. The best exercises for losing that sloppy ab fat are the exercises that work the largest portions of the body at once.
Exercises that work the much larger muscle groups of the legs, upper and lower back, and chest give you the biggest metabolic bang for your buck in terms of ab fat loss. Combining these types of big multi-joint exercises in high intensity super-set, tri-set, or circuit fashion gives you the biggest fat-burning and metabolism boosting response from your workouts.
And that is one of the best kept secrets for flat sexy abs that are actually visible as a six-pack!
Now when it comes to ab-specific exercises, another mistake most people make is mindlessly pumping away with hundreds of crunches and other meaningless abdominal exercises that barely give your abs much resistance to work against. If you want to actually develop your abs to the best extent possible, don’t waste your time with exercises that you can do more than 20 or 25 reps… that means you are definitely not doing an exercise that provides enough resistance to the abs. Exercises that give you enough resistance to get you down into the 6-15 rep range per set works great for the abs.
Generally, higher resistance ab exercises that provide a much larger stimulus to the abdominals come in the form of exercises that involve raising/curling the legs and pelvis either upward or inward closer to the trunk. A couple great examples of these higher resistance ab exercises are hanging leg raises or knee raises using a “pelvic curl up”, or an exercise like lying hip thrusts. Many times, the same people that can do 80 or 100 crunches, can’t even complete more than 2 or 3 properly executed hanging leg raises, because they simply have never worked the abs under heavier resistance.
If you really want tighter flatter abs that look like a six-pack, remember that losing that extra stomach fat is actually the MOST important part. Also, when it comes to ab-specific exercises, always remember higher resistance exercises that involve curling/raising the legs and pelvis upward or inward are what develops the abs to the best extent possible. Grab a FREE fat-loss report packed with over 29 more specific secrets for losing belly fat and revealing your six pack at Ab Exercise & Abdominal Workout Myths
Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized International Fitness Expert, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and author of the internationally-selling book, Truth about Six-Pack Abs and owner of www.BusyManFitness.com. Another superb resource for fat-loss and muscle building is Lose Fat and Build Muscleget back with girlfriend

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First off let me say that if you have significant hip pain you should seek consultation from a licensed health professional. Okay now that that’s out of the way let’s talk a little about why you might feel pain in the front of your hip during abs exercises. The muscles that are in the front of the hip are the hip flexors. The hip flexors bend the hip and attach to the pelvis and lower back. In addition to playing a role in lower back pain during ab exercises they also play a role in hip problems. Anytime you perform an abs exercises in which your legs are moving, your hip flexors will work and more pressure will be placed on the hip. In my experience I have met quite a few people who feel a popping or clicking in the front of their hip when doing ab exercises like leg raises, scissors, flutter kicks, sit ups, or even bicycle crunches. In my opinion there are 2 main things that can contribute to pain or clicking in the front of the hip during abs exercises. First, tight (overactive) hip flexor muscles can potentially cause pain or clicking in the hip. Generally speaking people are sedentary and sitting around all day or at a desk tends to decrease the flexibility in the hip flexors. Just think for a moment, you probably sit in the car or on public transportation on your way to work. Then, you sit at work for 8 or more hours. Then, you sit in the car on the way home. And, then many of us sit in front of the television. All this sitting really affects the flexibility in the hips. When the hip flexors are tight and inflexible, they may click when you extend your leg. Runners also tend to have tight hip flexors, and I have met many runners that have clicking and hip pain when they do certain abs exercises. So if you sit at work and run for exercise, chances are your hip flexors are too tight and inflexible. A simple solution to this problem is to stretch the hip flexor muscles. Stretching the hip flexors is great for everyone, especially people with hip pain or lower back pain during ab workouts. The second reason people might experience pain in the hips during ab workouts is weak abdominal muscles. This may be difficult to understand, but I’ll do my best to make it straight forward. When your abs are weak, your pelvis is less stable. When your pelvis is less stable, your hip is less stable. Sometimes, clicking is a sign of instability. When your pelvis is unstable, your hip may pop or click when you move it during exercises like leg raises. A simple solution to this problem is to continually work on improving your overall core stability with exercises like the drawing in maneuver, bridges, the plank, and reverse crunches. If you have felt hip pain or clicking in the front of your hips during your ab workouts, try stretching your hip flexors before your workout. Also focus on overall core stability and overall flexibility. In addition to focusing on overall flexibility, try avoiding the exercises that cause the most discomfort until you build up your body to be able to perform them correctly with no problems. Lastly, if simple stretching and strengthening does not improve your discomfort seek assistance from a licensed health professional. Charles A. Inniss, Jr. has a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He is dedicated to helping people to live healthier happier lives.

Visit his website to learn flexibility and stretching exercises and hip stretches whitesmoke software

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As a fitness professional, I often get asked what the best types of exercises and workouts are for losing stubborn stomach fat in order to bring out visible six pack abs. The problem is that most people with excess stomach fat looking to try to uncover their abs are searching for some “miracle abdominal workout” that is going to slash the fat off their abs in no time.

The thing is… they are going about the problem entirely the wrong way! The truth is that you don’t lose stomach fat by doing ab workouts. So the answer to the age-old question of “What is the best ab workout for fat loss?” is…

Not an ab workout at all!

The problem is that focusing most of your efforts on abs exercises and ab workouts to try to flatten your belly and bring out 6-pack abs is simply wasting your time from doing the REAL workout techniques that will acutally reduce your body fat for good.

If I were to choose an answer as to what the best exercises are for losing belly fat, my answers would include full body exercises like various forms of squats, lunges, deadlifts, clean & presses, snatches, swings, presses and pulls, mountain climbers, sprinting, etc. These types of exercises would encompass a much higher percentage of the workouts I would design instead of abs exercises directly targeting the midsection. The way you combine those full body exercises into a strategic workout that maximizes your metabolism is also very important.

Don’t get me wrong… I do recommend a certain amount of exercises that directly target the abdominals and core area, but this is only a small fraction of the programs I design for my clients as your time is better spent focusing on the full body exercises that stimulate the greatest hormonal and metabolic changes within the body. In addition, a side-effect of training using mostly full body multi-joint combo exercises are that you indirectly work your entire core area even though you are not specifically trying to target the abs.

Keep in mind that the most important aspect of losing body fat to see your abs is actually in the nutrition arena. No matter how hard you workout, if your diet is full of junk, then your abs will be covered with fat. Nutrition is simply the “king of getting six pack abs”.

So lets clear this up for good…

Stop wasting so much of your time focusing on crunches, situps, leg lifts, and all those silly worthless “ab gadgets” in your efforts to try to develop flat six pack abs. Instead focus on high intensity combinations of full body lifts using combination multi-joint exercises all strategically combined into highly effective workouts. Couple that with a clean diet full of unprocessed natural whole foods as close to their natural state as possible, and those elusive 6-pack abs will be in your future in no time!

See below for more of my key strategies for getting flat sexy six pack abs for good. Pick up my free fat loss & metabolism increasing report, and see below to discover the truth about Abs Exercises
For those looking for great workouts you can do at home without equipment, check out Home Fat Loss Workouts
If you’re skinny and looking to gain muscle fast go to Truth about Building Muscleswarovski rhinestones

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I received a question today from a Sergeant who was looking for high intensity workouts with some work for abs, core, and full body to take his team of 30+ soldiers to a new level of fitness in preparation for their PT testing.
He basically said that the men had reached a plateau in their training and needed something really high intensity to take them to the next level.
My response is below…Keep in mind that this workout I gave him uses bodyweight-only exercises, however, it is VERY intense and for people looking for advanced fitness levels.
With that said, keep in mind that if you’re not yet at an advanced level, you can still use this by simply using the basic format of the workout, and just do less of whatever exercises you struggle with, or choose an easier alternate exercise that’s similar.
Here goes…
“Hi J****. To get your soldiers to that next level in their workouts, we’re going to keep the intensity super high here and use the whole body. Keep rest periods short, and use full-body multijoint movements as much as possible.
I’ll give you a killer workout idea below that not only incorporates abs and entire core, but the entire body as well in an intense fashion. Not sure what (if any) equip you have available, so I’ll give you a great workout that’s bodyweight based. Here’s an example to take your men through:
Start with a 2-3 min warmup of light jogging, jumping jacks, or jump rope.
Then, move through these exercises in circuit fashion, one right after the other with only 10 seconds rest between each (repeat the circuit 3-5 times for a killer total body workout):
1. bodyweight squats – 12 reps
2. plyo pushups (clapping) – 10 reps
3. walking lunges up 6 steps and back 6 steps
4. floor mountain climbers for 30 seconds
5. lunge jumps – 6 reps to each side
6. lying leg thrusts (abs) on floor – 12 reps
7. squat jumps – 8 reps
8. side plank hold 30 seconds one side, then 30 sec opposite side
Rest 2 min after each circuit; repeat circuit 3-5x
If that doesn’t get them through the plateau and ready for the next PT test, nothing will!
If you want to check out a site that has over 5,000 workouts for every goal imaginable, check this out: Thosands of Workouts
Also, grab a free report on the truth about losing body fat and abs workouts at Abs Workouts Secrets,Abdominal Exercises Thompson Stephen is dedicated to helping people stay informed about health and fitness.For more information and in-depth,unbiased reviews,please visit http://dailytruthaboutabs.blogspot.comWordPress Autoblog Plugin

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If you want to create the best core workout, you need both ab and back exercises. When most people think about the core, their first thought is ab exercises, but ab exercises by themselves won’t make a complete core workout. When you include lower back exercises and ab exercises in your workout, you will have a well rounded and balanced core. Ab exercises help you to generate power moving forwards and prevent the spine from moving too far backwards.  Some of the best ab exercises are planks, crunches on a ball, side planks, sit ups, and leg raises.  Planks are an isometric ab exercise in which you simply balance on your elbow and toes and hold that position.  Side planks are also an isometric ab exercise in which you are balanced on one elbow and your feet.  Crunches on a stability ball offer increased range of motion when compared to the floor and can help to improve balance.  Sit ups are a classic ab exercise and they are great for athletes, but they can put more pressure on the lower back than crunches on a ball.  Lastly, leg raises are also tough on the lower back, but they are great for improving core stability and pelvic control. Lower back exercises help you to generate power moving backwards and while lifting and prevent the spine from moving too far forwards.  Lower back exercises are just as important as ab exercises for preventing lower back pain. Some of the best lower back exercises are back extensions on a ball, back extensions on the floor, and back extensions on a slant board.  You can add a rotational movement to all of the previous exercises to add a more challenging element.  In addition to the back extension movement, you can also do the stiff leg dead lift or the conventional dead lift. The dead lift position and motion is important for a well rounded core workout, because many lower back injuries occur when you are lifting.  So, it makes sense to practice the lifting motion and position during your core workouts. The abdominal muscles and lower back muscles help to rotate and side bend the spine, and they both help to stabilize the lumbar spine and lower back.  Rotational exercises are very important to any core workout.  Functional activities and athletic activities happen in multiple directions and multiple planes.  Generally, our bodies are weakest in rotational directions, so it is important to include rotational movements in your core workout.  Some of the best rotational exercises are the Russian twist, standing cable lifts or chops, and standing cable rotations. Both the abs and lower back are important for core workouts.  So, if you really want well-rounded core workouts, think abs and back. Charles A. Inniss, Jr. has a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He is dedicated to helping people to live healthier happier lives.

Visit his website to learn the best core exercises and the best lower back exercisesSpanish mortgages

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