Health & Fitness Report

Let\’s face it; we are all drawn towards a flat and well-toned belly and we all want those hard to achieve, well defined abs. The muscles of your midsection, namely the abdominal muscle group, are not isolated. They interweave through your torso like a tangled web of tensile steel, and it is critical to train them the right way for body stability. You can do exercises for the obliques, and upper and lower abdominal exercises, for example. So how do you get the results you want as quickly as possible? Let\’s take a look.

The American Council on Exercise conducted a study that determined that the classic sit-up is not effective if you want to achieve strong, defined abs. This conclusion was intriguing, to say the least. In fact, out of all ab exercises, the traditional sit-up was among the least effective abdominal muscle exercises. That is right; least effective. Alright, so the sit-up is not only ineffective, but it has the potential to be harmful. So if this is one of the worst abdominal exercises, then what is better and safer?

In keeping with the results of a particular study, the three abdominal exercises that provide the best results are the conventional crunch, leg lifts and v-ups. For the best results from a fitness routine like this, begin with two to three sets of each of those exercises, performing eight to ten reps in each set. Each week, increase by eight to ten repetitions until you are doing forty repetitions in every set. To tighten the abdominal muscles, you should ideally do two sets of thirty-five to forty reps every day; doing more than this is excessive.

First, there is the traditional crunch. To perform this move, you will need to stretch out on the ground having your knees slightly bent and your feet horizontal on the floor. Squeeze your abdominals by drawing your bellybutton back towards your spinal column and cross your arms over your chest. Next, lift your shoulders off the ground while keeping the back straight. Don\’t forget to breathe through your mouth. With your shoulders lifted, wait for a moment and exhale. Then slowly lower your shoulders to the ground without permitting your head to touch the floor.

No abdominal workout would be complete without some leg lifts. To carry out a leg lift, lie down on the ground with hands next to your sides and your legs horizontal. Lift your legs straight up so that they are pointing at the ceiling; then lower them down again without permitting them to touch the floor. Carry on lifting and lowering your legs for as long as you are comfortable. As a substitute for this routine, you could also hold yourself up on a bar and do leg lifts by raising your knees to your chest.

You perform a v-up while you stretch out flat on a mat with your hands extended back over your head, touching the floor. Now raise your trunk and legs at the same time, while your legs remain straight. Extend your hands in the direction of your feet and if possible, touch them. Hold this position for several seconds and then return to the flat position.

There are a few things to keep in mind when beginning abdominal muscle exercises. If you have lower back pain or an injury, then consult a doctor before you begin, so that you don\’t hurt yourself. Consult a physician if you are over the age of thirty-five, have a sedentary lifestyle, have high blood pressure, are a smoker, have ever had chest pains or shortness of breath or have a known joint or muscle injury.

The only way to get rid of that pudgy midsection is to start up an abdominal exercise routine and eat properly. With the right abdominal fat exercise program you can get the flat stomach of your dreams.