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Abdominal Exercise Will
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Most likely that fat is there because of the amount of fat that you have been eating. If you're not lowering your fat intake by watching what you eat, it doesn't matter how many exercises and crunches you perform.
Not only will you see zero results, but you may actually see your stomach increase in size!
This is because you're building muscle on top of the existing fat. However, if you lower the amount of fat that you eat, then along with these exercises, you will see some surprising changes.
But, don't feel bad. A lot of people, me included, makes that mistake. Alright, we're in this together. Ready....Let's go.
Fitness First
The three most common and well known abdominal exercises are:
- Sit-ups
- Crunches
- Reverse crunches
These should be performed two to three times weekly (for beginners, two is plenty to start). Each abdominal exercise should be executed until the point of momentary muscular failure, which should happen between 30 and 90 seconds.
This is considered one set, which should be no more than 15 to 20 repetitions. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds. Concentrate on performing each exercise slowly with good form. Work up to completing two to three sets of each exercise.
Let me advise you, that for a six-pack, these exercises are helpful; however, other factors such as a healthy diet and cardiovascular exercises are also necessary.
Many people do many sit ups each day in an attempt to gain a "six-pack", but abdominal exercises need to be combined with some form of cardiovascular exercise such as running to lower body fat to allow the abdominal muscles to be seen.
Strength Training
The sit-up is a strength training exercise. To perform it, a person
lies down on the floor with his or her knees bent at 90 degrees, and
then sits up without moving his or her knees.
The hands are placed behind the head/neck, across the chest or straightened out parallel to the body. It is intended to work the abdominal muscles, but it also utilizes the hip flexors and lower back.
This imprecise targeting of the abdominal muscles has caused sit-ups to be replaced by crunches as the most common abdominal exercise.
The sit-up places considerable stress on the lower back vertebrae, so individuals who experience lower back pain should perform the crunch instead.
Crunch-Exercise
The crunch, sometimes called a curl-up, is one of the most common abdominal exercises for the abdominal muscles, primarily the rectus abdominis.
It is performed while lying face up on the floor with knees bent, by curling the shoulders up towards the pelvis. The hands may be placed behind the head, but care should be taken not to pull on the neck.
Alternatively, the hands may be placed on the shoulders, with the forearms crossed over the chest.
It's the best thing to break it down into 4 sets of 20-25 solid crunches while resting 90 seconds in between each set. This is a much better way of training your abs than 250 lackluster crunches in a row.
Reverse Crunch
Lie flat on the floor with a neutral spine, with knees at a 90-degree angle, feet a few inches off the floor and legs together, hands by your sides (behind your ears if you're more experienced). Focus on contracting your abdominals to lift your hips up and in toward your rib case. Exhale as you contract; inhale to return to starting position. Done correctly, this exercise isolates the lower half of the rectus abdominis and the transverus.
Bent-Elbow Plank
This abdominal exercise works the whole trunk, particularly the transversus abdominis.
Start by lying on your belly and then lift yourself up onto your toes and forearms (elbows in line with shoulders) while contracting your abdominals and keeping your back neutral.
Hold that position for five seconds, then rest and repeat. Ultimately, strive to hold the pose for 90 seconds without any rest -- for one set. If you're more experienced, you can also do this exercise on your hands and toes.
(As a beginner, start on your hands and knees with a neutral spine and simply contract the abdominals on an exhale without moving your back.)
Bicycle
This abdominal exercise works your obliques as well as your rectus abdominis. Lie on your back, hips and knees bent at 90-degrees, chest curled over ribs, hands behind your head. Extend the left leg out while bringing the right knee in towards the chest and rotating the left shoulder toward the right knee. Keep the arm from crossing the face. Rotate from the trunk through the center to the other side without dropping your chest. Move in slow, controlled movements without shifting your hips. Bottom line? Flattening your stomach is not about doing 100 crunches per day. It's about total body fitness and changing your overall diet.
These links provide additional help...
Healthy Diets
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