Abdominal
Training
The abdominal muscles are some of the most exercised in the hope
of losing belly fat. However to get great abs you need more than
just exercise. Sure lots of crunches and other ab exercises may give
you great tone and definition, but to see the best results
you need to reduce the layer of body fat covering up those visible
cuts referred to as 'six-pack' abs. Combining good nutrition, aerobic
exercise and core specific strengthening – will
go a long way to give you those strong, flat and functional abs. |
|
To
really ensure the quality of your abdominal training: |
Train
your abdominal section at least 3 times a week |
Exercise
all regions of the abdominals |
Do
not arch your lower back (especially for leg-lifts) |
Blow
all your air out at the top of each rep |
Hold
and squeeze each rep in the contracted phase for 1-2 seconds |
| |
|
|
| Nutrition |
|
Abdominal
Exercise |
| The
first key to losing body fat and gaining muscle is with proper nutrition.
You need to create a diet that burns slightly more calories than consumed.
Begin by reducing your portion sizes and maintaining a balanced diet
of carbs, protein and fat. Eating several small
meals throughout the day helps many people stay more satisfied and
reduces hunger. Other tips for avoiding fat gain include: getting calcium,
eating breakfast and eating high fiber foods. Make sure you stay well
hydrated by drinking water throughout the day. Also, be sure not to
cut calories too drastically or you could inadvertently lower your
metabolism. |
|
Finally,
to get defined abs you should perform specific abdominal exercises
that work all the abdominal muscles. There are many exercises you
can do to work the abs. There are also some great products that you
can use at home. One of the better ab tools you can invest in is
an exercise ball. Exercise balls are great for crunches, twists and
other movements. Because you stabilize your torso on the ball you
use more muscles than when performing standard crunches. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Aerobic
Exercise |
|
Core
Training |
| Aerobic
exercise is the best way to burn calories and manage (or lose) weight.
Reducing your calories without exercise will lead to initial weight
loss, but you'll likely reach a plateau and you may also lose muscle. |
|
You
can also perform core stability exercises to improve your torso strength,
balance and stability. Your core is made up of abdominals, lower
back and hips and creates a foundation for all other movement. These
muscles stabilize the spine and create a strong center around which
the extremities can move. A strong core is important in every aspect
of movement; especially power movements. |