Posts Tagged ‘Abdominals’
If you are looking for additional ways to get a flat stomach and add intensity to your workout, look no further! In fact, not only will you be working on a flat stomach, you will also be working on your balance. For instance, grab a stability ball and do some basic crunches. Not so bad, now add intensity by closing your eyes. It gives you a completely different perspective and encourages more abdominal muscle contraction to remain stable and balanced on the ball.
Another exercise that can work on a flat stomach is working on the biceps. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but this is how it can be done. Stand tall and work on biceps curls. While you are doing them, lift one leg off the floor. You have movement, therefore, you have to contract your abdominal muscles so you can balance yourself. Do another set of biceps curls, and lift the other leg while standing. This is a multi-tasking exercise working biceps and abdominals. I always like working out more efficiently. This one will do it.
Getting a flat stomach is not always easy, but incorporating exercises that force your abdominals to contract more will help your balance and get faster results!
As I was contemplating today’s blog, I remembered this great flat stomach exercise; leg extension crunches with a stability ball. As with all abdominal exercises you always want to maintain the lower back into the mat. With this is mind, you will to be mindful about how low to extend the legs for this flat stomach exercise.
- Lay supine.
- Extend your legs placing the stability ball on your shins.
- Place hands behind your head, elbows out to the side.
- Exhale as you bend your knees and bring your legs to table top while simultaneously lifting your upper body into a crunch and keeping the ball on your shins.
- Hold that position for 2 seconds.
- Release, lowering upper body and extending the legs.
- Repeat about 10-12 times.
An easier option could be to place your hands under your body to protect the lower back.
This is pretty much an all inclusive flat stomach exercise working the lower and upper portions of your abdominal area. Remember to pull the belly button to your spine when you EXHALE!
You guys know by now, I love to multi-task when exercising, especially with dumbbell exercises. This upcoming exercise will work your core, butt, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, biceps and shoulders. This will also work your balancing skills too.
- Get a pair of dumbbells.
- Do a 1 leg deadlift, extending the other leg behind you.
- As you come to a standing position, DON’T put the leg down, bring the leg forward, bend the knee and keep it lifted.
- Maintain the lifted knee, while doing a hammer curl.
- Extend the bent leg straight forward, as you hold the leg forward perform a set of overhead presses, 8-10 reps
- After the overhead presses, put the extended leg down.
- Switch legs and repeat these dumbbell exercises on the other leg.
Are you guys feeling the love??? If not you will be. Try doing this combo dumbbell exercises first with NO weight. Then add the dumbbells. If you have to put the foot down between exercises, go ahead. Keep practicing till you can do the exercise in its entirety. You will feel rewarded and hit a whole lot of muscle groups at once!
I have a series of abdominal exercises for you that will burn and target your abs in a truly awesome way. These abdominal exercises will not be using equipment and will only use your body weight. They are performed back to back without rest.
- Get on the floor in a full plank position on your hands.
- Hold onto a set of dumbbells if you have any wrist issues.
- Bring your right knee, to your right shoulder, 12-15 times.
- Then repeat the same exercise by bringing your left knee to left shoulder.
Immediately following this exercise in the same plank position.
- Bring the right knee forward, underneath you.
- Do that about 12-15 times, and switch legs.
- Left leg comes forward.
After you have completed both exercises, go ahead and sit back on your heels with arms extended overhead for a brief break…5-10 seconds. Then get back into your original plank position.
- The third and final abdominal exercise is bringing, the right knee toward your left elbow in a twisting move underneath your body.
- Do about 12-15 of these on the right leg.
- Switch legs and bring the left knee to the right elbow for the same number of reps.
By the end of all three of these abdominal exercises your abs will be screaming. Enjoy!
Over the weekend I was approached by yet another person asking me how they can get a flat stomach and get rid of their abdominal “excess”. I then proceeded by showing them several different abdominal exercises they could perform. They included the basic crunch, but illustrating how to bring the ribs and hips together, the bicycle, and even some abdominal exercises seated in a chair.
After this quick illustration, I explained, that the best way to achieve a flat stomach is watching calories and activity. There has to be a deficit in calories and an increase in activity. Experts persist with their prescription of at least 30 minutes of cardio exercises most days of the week.
I hate to be repetitive about this but it is what it is. It will take more energy on your part to obtain a flat stomach of your own!
I have talked about the abdominal exercise called the Roll Out, but I talked about being on your knees to execute this exercise. Have you tried the Standing Roll Out using the stability ball? Standing adds a new intensity to this abdominal exercise.
Get a stability ball. Stand behind the ball, and place your elbows on top of the ball, folding your hands or making fists with your hands. From a standing position, roll the ball all the way out in front of you. This move is similar to using the Ab Wheel. Contract the abdominal muscles and use them to pull yourself and the ball back to a standing position. Repeat this abdominal exercise for 10 reps and try to do 3 sets. You will feel this right away!
Not all abdominal muscle exercises are equal. There are some exercises that are just good for your obliques. There are abdominal exercises that target the lower abdominal area, and those that target mostly the upper abdominal area.
Abdominal muscle exercises that twists will target your obliques, or the sides of your waist. An abdominal muscle exercise that makes you lift your butt off the floor or lowers the legs, works the lower abdominal area. Likewise, abdominal exercises that lengthen the arms over head or concentrates on lifting the upper body and shoulders off the mat, are good for the upper abdominal region. That is why you should incorporate more than one type of abdominal muscle exercises into your routines.
I have another fun abdominal exercise for you that is going to work the entire abdominal region. I’m not really sure what it is called, so I’ll just explain how it is done. There will be a medicine ball (MB) that should be used. You can determine how heavy you want the MB to be.
- Lay supine on the floor.
- Extend the legs straight up at 90 degrees.
- Hold the MB in both hands.
- Pull the navel to your spine.
- As you lift the upper body so shoulder blades are off the mat, push the MB toward the feet, while simultaneously doing a reverse curl.
- Lower butt back to mat, though the legs are still straight up.
- Lower upper body slightly, and repeat reaching for your toes, and pushing legs straight up in the air while you are lifting the butt off the mat in the reverse curl.
- Repeat 25 times, for 2 sets.
If you get tired, you can put the MB off to the side and just reach with your arms to your toes and reverse crunch. With the upper body and lower body working together, you can see how this abdominal exercise works the entire abdominal muscle group.
Abdominal Exercise Equipment
When you think about working on your abs you may not need equipment or you could use abdominal exercise equipment, depending on how you feel. Either one of these options, using abdominal exercise equipment or not, is really a personal choice. Actually, choosing which piece of equipment is another personal choice.
So what kind of abdominal exercise equipment did we use before the stability ball, BOSU, Ab wheel, etc.? First, we either used no equipment. Or, an option was using the cable crossover machine for Cable Crunches to work the abdominals. In fact, I still see people in the gym doing these exercises for their abs…why not, they work.
Use the top portion of the cable machine, and hook on the tricep rope attachment. Set the amount of
weight you want to use. Grab the rope with both hands, and pull it down as you kneel on the floor, facing toward the weighted part of the machine. The rope should be close to your ears. The arms do NOT move!! You are NOT using your arms to pull on the rope. The movement comes from the abs as you pull the weight down! Pull you belly button to your spine, exhale as you lean forward toward your knees. As you come to an upright position, (still on the knees), control the weight as you inhale, and then lean forward again. Pick a weight that is heavy enough for your to struggle to get to 12 repetitions. Give your self a break, and do another set.
This is another option for you using abdominal exercise equipment! Remember, it is ALWAYS a good idea to freshen up your workout routine with new exercises!