Six Pack Abs Workout

For years now, sit ups have gotten a bad rap by many fitness “experts” who tout that sit ups are damaging to your spine.  Where did this strong opinion come from?  The way the sit up has been ostracized by the fitness community, you would suspect that hundreds of thousands of six pack abs seekers have destroyed their backs while performing this “dangerous” exercise!  Fortunately, that’s not the case, not even close.

The “sit-ups are unsafe” chant that can be heard echoing throughout fitness centers all over the world was actually born in the lab.  Studies have found that sit-ups stress the spine more than the crunch does.  And?  Taking a nap will stress the spine even less than crunched do.  Is napping a better ab exercise than crunches?  You can see how the stress argument is seriously flawed.  Every exercise that you perform creates some stress on the body.  It is that stress that encourages our body to adapt and get stronger.  This is the very nature of exercise.

Now, let’s take a second to investigate the sit-up.  The main reason why sit-ups add stress to the spine is because of the contribution of the hip flexors during the movement.  The critics assert that this hip flexor involvement causes compressive forces in the spine which is why sit-ups should be completely avoided.  Do they have a point, or are they overreacting?

The fact of the matter is, athletes and fitness trainees have been safely incorporating sit-ups and their variations for years now.  This alone should make it obvious that the “sit-up alarm” may be ringing for no apparent reason.  The truth is, I have never witnessed one spine get damaged at the hand of a set of sit-ups.  You would suspect that after 16 plus years as a fitness professional I would have at least seen one sit-up related injury if they were so harmful.

I still hear many trainers say to me, “Ok, I’m convinced that sit-ups are not so dangerous now, but since crunches work the abs just as well, why even bother with sit-ups?  Let’s see why they feel this way and why they can miss out on some advantages of sit-up variations.

The truth is that the abs are only responsible for the beginning portion of the movement during a sit-up.  Once you are in the finished “crunch” position, the hip flexors take over to finish the top portion of the sit-up.  It should be noted that although the hip flexors provide the movement in the top range, the abs are still contracting hard.  This contraction prevents your back from arching and contributes to the overall ab workout.

An additional benefit of the sit-up is that it burns more calories than does the crunch.  This is because the sit-up works through a greater range of motion and involves more muscle groups.  It’s no secret that in order to get six pack abs you must lose your layer of belly fat.  The sit-up increases your heart rate and burns more calories than crunching movements making this a very desirable “side effect”.

Although the sit up is not the most effective ab exercise, I do prescribe sit up variations on occasion to any client who I feel they are appropriate for.  I do believe that you should have a foundation of abdominal strength and no chronic back problems.  If you fit the criteria and use proper form, you will have no problems with this exercise.

The tummy is one of the most common area of the body that people want to work out these days. You can ask any women what part of the body they are most attracted to and the straight forward answer is: The Stomach. Any man wants a six pack and I am sure you aren’t any different. Below are some of the most effective ab workout routines (for both men and woman) that you can do to achieve a flat, firm and sexy abdomen.Knee RaisesAn effective ab routine but not for the less experienced. You will need a few attempts before performing it correctly. Get yourself a chin up bar, grab it with your hands. Try to hold you body still without swinging or rocking while you slowly bring you knees towards your abdomen at a 90 degree angle (watch your abs contraction). Do four sets of twenty reps with five minute breaks in between.CrunchesPlace a mat on the floor and lie down on your back with your legs straight and raise your knees a little. With your hands behind your head raise your head slowly from the mat while watching your abdominal muscles contraction. Maintain the position for 3 seconds and slowly bring your head back on the mat. Three sets of twenty reps should be done with three minutes break in between. You can do thirty reps when you get more used.Simple Knee-UpsTo do this routine simply right on the side of bench and hold on to the sides. Slowly extend both legs outwards and pull the knees slowly up to your chest. Hold your knees there for 2 seconds and then repeat. Do four sets of fifteen reps with 3 minute breaks in between.These are the most effective ab workout routines that you should do at least two times a week for a flat and firm abdomen. Keep in mind that workouts should be accompanied by a proper nutrition.

What many people don’t realize is that there is more to just abs workouts than building stunning rock hard six packs. Your diet plays a major role too. But there is a lot of information out there that give you conflicting recommendations making it confusing for you to decide on what to choose. Some times you wonder if these ab diets really work. Well, they do but only if you do them right. Well that’s what we are here to help you with. Here are 6 tips that will help you to overcome your diet challenges.1. Drink more waterOur bodies are made up of 75 percent of water. Water plays a major role in transporting nutrients, minerals and vitamins to various part of our body. That means water acts as a transporting medium for the nutrients. Water supplies all the necessary nutrients to the various body parts also water flushes out all the waste material out of the different body parts.Water can also control your appetite. If you drink water while or before eating it will lower your feeling of hunger which helps you to eat less.2. Eat carbohydrates together with proteinA good abs diet will need to balance carbohydrates and proteins to help building muscle and burning fat. Protein plays a significant role in building healthy muscles and a strong immune system. It also stabilizes insulin levels. It has high thermic effect that means it will spend more energy for digestion, absorption and disposal of ingested food.Carbohydrates are the fuel sources for out bodies. But too much of it is bad too this can stimulate appetite, mood swings and promote fat instead of burning it. Striking a balance between protein and carbohydrates is vitally important when you eat.3. Take protein and carbohydrates 1 hour after workoutResearch shows that if you have an abs diet smoothie an hour after your workout it helps in your muscle synthesis.4. Eat 5 to 6 meals a dayGain muscle so that there is no room for fat. Take in 6 balanced diet meals throughout the day. A simple shake, cottage cheese fruits or even yogurt can be a probable meal.5. Serving Size Appropriate For Your Body WeightTo Control your calorie intake you need to make sure that your servings are no bigger than your fist.6. Give yourself a treat once a week to help your abs diet planGod rested on the seventh day so can your diet plan. Once in a week, treat yourself. When you are on a diet your body may send signals that you are starving. Eating what ever you want once every week will help you deal with feeling. This tricks your brain otherwise if your brain thinks you are starving your body and may even start storing more fat than needed. And that would spell disaster to your diet plan. Happy dieting.

If you think that there is not a single ab workout that is easy to do, then you are worrying over a dilemma that can actually be solved. There are workouts that are easy to do, especially for first timers in abs workouts, that you can even perform them in your very own home. What you should keep in mind though that these exercises are not magic; don’t expect sexy six-pack abs after a week of workout. The main point here is that there are easy ab workouts that can effectively develop one’s abs and that you can perform them everyday in your very own home.
Since the abs are located in the stomach area, ab workouts are going to take time before the results begin to show because this is the area in our bodies where the most fat is accumulated and the hardest to tone. But by exercising regularly and sticking to a balanced diet, you’ll be able to develop your abs in just a few months. By constantly performing these easy exercises, you’ll be posing in front of the mirror with your new six pack abs soon enough.
The first exercise is the crunch. Crunches are known to be the official exercise in ab workouts, but you can achieve even more by adding some variation to it. You can perform several sets of crunches while raising your legs. You can lie on your back, with or without a mat, with your legs up in the air together and in a straight position. You then raise your shoulders off the floor and perform the usual style. Just remember that you shouldn’t try to lift your entire upper body from the floor or to use your arms to help you rise from the floor because all the effort you’ll be putting here will be for naught. Your abdominal muscles are supposed to do the work so as much as possible, keep your arms crossed over your chest and move using your muscles alone.
The second easy abs workouts you can concentrate on are on your oblique muscles. These are muscles located on either side of your stomach area (a.k.a. love handles), which can make you look sexier and leaner when developed thoroughly. You can perform exercises that help tone the oblique muscles such as oblique crunches so that you’ll be able to develop a leaner look for your body along with a nice set of flat abs. When doing this type of crunches, you lie on your back and twist your body as you rise up to create a diagonal angle each time you crunch. Keep doing this when concentrating or toning on your oblique muscles, alternating the directions once in a while to add more variation to it.
There are more easy abs workouts that you, whether a beginner or a previous bodybuilder, can try doing to tone your abs even more. If you are really serious about it, I would suggest enrolling in a fitness center where they help you through workout sessions that focus in developing your abs effectively and faster than you can do on your own.

Most ab workouts designed for home use usually involve nothing except a variety of boring and oftentimes useless floor crunches.  I can assure you that these very typical workouts never deliver the results that we are looking for.

For starters, the floor crunch only provides enough resistance to cause a training effect in beginners.  Once you develop a base of strength, the crunch will only serve as an exercise capable of maintaining your current strength level.

Secondly, the crunch only trains the abs in one range of motion: flexion of the trunk.  Flexing the trunk is only one of the many ranges of motion that your abdominal muscles are capable of.  Any well designed ab workout will include exercises that target all major ranges of motion.  The bottom line is, the crunch alone can never provide a complete ab workout.

Instead, you need to perform several different ab exercises, each targeting a different abdominal function and/or region.  This may sound confusing, but once you understand the anatomy and function of your abdominals, designing an effective ab workout is quite simple.

Don’t worry, I promise I’m not to give you a boring anatomy lesson.  Instead, I’m going to take all of the guesswork out and provide you with a ready to use workout.  Additionally, this workout will require no equipment at all, making it “just what the doctor ordered” for those of you who train at home.

1a) Reverse Crunch On Floor 3×20-25 30 sec rest  1b) Straight Body Side Crunch On Floor 3×12 (5sec hold) 30 sec rest  2a) Plank 3×60 sec 30 sec rest  2b) Seated Russian Twists With Leg Cycle 3×20-25 30 sec rest

Now I will give you a detailed description on how to properly execute each exercise:

Reverse Crunch On Floor- Lie on your back on the floor.  Bend both your knees and your hips until they make 90 degree angles.  Bring knees toward chest by contracting your abdominal muscles.  You butt will rise off the floor. Be sure to maintain a constant knee angle throughout the range of motion. Return until hips are again at a 90 degree angle.  Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.

Straight Body Side Crunch On Floor- Lie on your side on the floor.  Keep your hands straight out above your head, in line with your body.  Keep legs straight.  Lock your hands together.  Simultaneously raise your arms and legs up so that neither are in contact with the floor.  Hold this position for the prescribed number of seconds.

Plank- Get on the floor in a push up position.  Support your body on just your forearms and your toes.  Be sure to keep the abs flexed and hold your body in a perfectly straight horizontal line.  Do not let hips drop or raise them up at all.  Hold this position for the prescribed number of seconds.

Seated Russian Twists With Leg Cycle- Sit on floor and cross your arms across your chest, grabbing the opposite shoulders.  Lean back until your upper body makes a 45 degree angle to the floor.  Rotate trunk to the right while simultaneously bringing your right knee towards your chest.  At this point your left elbow will be touching your right knee.  In a smooth motion rotate to the left and repeat this on the other side.  Continue to alternate until you finish the prescribed number of reps.  One full rotation equals one rep.

Now you have a result producing ab workout you can perform with no equipment whatsoever.  Do this workout two or three times per week for the next month.  After this month is over, it will be time to progress to a more advanced ab workout. 

A great six pack is only a few weeks away!  Start today and sculpt your stomach faster than you thought possible!

There are so many fad diets for weight loss on the market that consumers are confused about which one to follow. Most of these diets tend to limit the consumption of a particular macronutrient (protein, carbs or fat) or food group. However, your body needs all macronutrients to function efficiently. Every fad diet claims to be “the” most effective for fat loss and yet, none seems agree with each other on the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good health.

The truth is you don’t need to follow any of the extreme diets such as low carb, low fat, high protein, cabbage soup, etc, in order to lose belly fat for visible six pack abs.

While people may experienced initial weight loss with these diets, they typically lose water and lean muscle, which will sabotage their metabolism. As a result, they gain body fat back in the long run.

In view of the confusion, eating a balanced, natural and wholesome diet is the way to healthy fat loss and overall well-being. Your body needs protein, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals to function efficiently. By eating natural and unprocessed foods, you don’t crave for junk or processed foods.

Here are 4 six pack abs diet and nutrition tips for losing belly fat visible abs…

1. Consume sufficient lean protein in your daily diet. Protein has the highest thermic effect (calories burned from digestion) compared to carbs and fats. It is recommended to include a portion of protein with each meal, to help to moderate blood sugar response to ingested carbs and provide satiety. In addition, protein is essential for building and maintaining lean muscle. The amount of lean muscle you have is one of the determinants of your metabolic rate.

2. Your carbohydrate intake should consist of high fiber sources like vegetables, fruits and whole unrefined grains. Fiber satisfies your hunger for longer period of time, gives you steady energy levels and reduce cravings. Refined carbs must be avoided as they trigger higher insulin levels and fluctuating blood sugar levels. Thus, you crave for more carbs and this makes it more difficult to lose body fat. Look for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs.

3. Eating the right fat can make you lean! Healthy dietary fats are essential for optimal hormone production and balance, muscle building and fat burning. Good sources of healthy dietary fats include avocados, fish, seeds, nuts and olive oil. Avoid man-made, processed, chemically altered fats that are found in most processed foods. When these damaged fats form part of your cell membranes, they impair cellular function and cause degenerative diseases. These unhealthy fats are found in hydrogenated oils, refined oils and homogenized milk fat.

4. The following 2 evil substances are present in huge quantities in our food supply:

- high fructose corn syrup (in sweetened products such as sodas, fruit juices, sweetened beverages, cakes, cookies, salad dressings and ketchup)

- trans fat (hydrogenated oils, margarine and shortening found in most processed foods)

AVOID them as much as possible. Both highly processed substances promote fat storage and cause other health problems. By choosing wholesome, natural foods and avoiding processed foods, you can simply eliminate these 2 evil substances from your diet.

By following these 4 six pack abs diet and nutrition tips, you’ll be able to gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone levels, etc. Eventually, you will gain control over how lean you want to get and be showing off those six pack abs in no time!

Many women complain that it’s a lot harder after you turn 30 to get what we call six pack abs.

First you need to determine where you are. If you have let’s say 28% body fat just know that your six pack abs won’t be visible until you get your body fat down. For women it is most likely in the lower teens.

What types of food do I need to be eating?

You should be eating lots of lean proteins like chicken, egg whites, and fish. Stay away from processed meats because they will affect your fat loss progress. Also, I teach women what I call 5 Star Foods, eating these foods will help in achieving your six pack abs. Foods are not all created equal so if you want the best results then you have to put the best fat-burning foods in your body. The breakdown of your foods is also important. Don’t make the mistake of eliminating all your complex carbohydrates either as it will impair your metabolism, but you will need to modify your intake. Every woman is different when putting this type of program together.

What types of exercise should I be doing?

I recommend fat-burning workouts. Doing workouts that are intense and lifting enough weight that is challenging is key.

What about cardio?

This is dependent on how much body fat you have. Some women will have to do more in order to get the results they want. Don’t make the mistake of just walking, this will not achieve those six pack abs. You need to do interval cardio to really get your body fat down and to start seeing those abs.

How long will it take depends on where you are. From there, you can put together a plan of action. Diet is crucial in sculpting those abs. Yes, you will have to be more disciplined in your eating. But, the good thing is that you can actually have a small treat every week while you begin your transformation.

You must be patient in the process and focus on your goal and don’t think just because you’re over 30 that you can’t accomplish this..because you can. The mind is actually the most important part in this process as it controls everything you do from exercising and eating exactly how you need to.

My whole focus in working with women is re-conditioning their mind to get the body they want. For example, I could give you the best six pack abs diet and exercise program but if you don’t have the right “brain software”, then you will fail to get the results you want so keep this in mind when you are setting your fitness goals.

Most people are constantly searching for the best ab workouts to lose belly fat or gain six pack abs. They believe that some miracle ab workouts can help them get a flat stomach. While everyone has varying amount of excess body fat in the abdominal region, the best way to burn off extra belly fat continues to elude most.

The truth is ab workouts do NOT get rid of belly fat. They only tone and strengthen the underlying abdominal muscles. The main focus should be on a full body resistance training workout that maximizes your fat burning and metabolism boosting effect.

Doing lots of slow cardio isn’t an effective and efficient way to lose body fat either. It does not create the greatest metabolic or hormonal response. Studies have shown that people who performed cardio-based workout routines lost significantly less body fat compared to people who did mainly resistance training based routines. Some even gained body fat on the cardio-based workouts! What you really need is a complete training program that focuses on training the entire body with resistance training and multi-joint exercises in a higher intensity fashion.

The key secret to losing excess belly fat is a combination of healthy diet and high intensity full body workout. This is much more effective than doing endless crunches, sit ups or leg raises. In fact, abdominal exercises do NOT burn stomach fat.

Don’t even waste your money on ab gadgets, machines or belts… they don’t work either. If you had been suckered into buying any of them, you were ripped off!

I see people giving incorrect advice on ab training in fitness forums. Consequently, many still believe that they have to do hundred reps of ab workouts to lose belly fat or get six-pack abs. Don’t listen to this type of advice!

Nevertheless, a certain amount of ab specific exercises is beneficial when combined with a proper full body workout. Ab exercises help to strengthen and tone abdominal muscles, support a healthy back and improve posture when done correctly. Remember, ab exercises do not reduce belly fat and should only form a very small part of your workouts.

The 2 most important aspects are full body training workouts and a healthy and balanced diet. 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.

There is probably no part of the body that more individuals want to work out and look good than the abs. A slim flat stomach for the gals, and the six pack abs have almost become a symbol of fitness or being “good looking” for the guys. Good ab workouts aren’t hard to find, but different ab workouts are better suited for different individuals. It can’t be hard to know what specific needs your abs have at that moment.
Not every person’s road to a great six pack set of abs is going to look the same. Depending on what type of ab workouts you have done before, the exercises and styles of ab exercises you need to take your stomach muscles to the next level could be way different from what someone else needs. Having a variety of quality ab workouts is also important because different exercises affect the muscles in different ways. In the same reason that you can’t keep building bulky muscle by using the exact same workout over and over again, you should vary the exercises, reps, and intensity of any ab workouts that you are using to sculpt your physique.
The hardest part with ab workouts is to stay committed. First of all, you need to understand that if you have a big beer gut, you should still do ab exercises, but that before you ever get anywhere close to a six pack, you will have to lose some of that body fat covering up the ab muscles.
There are many different approaches you can take to getting better abs. If you enjoy going to the gym, there are a variety of cable machines that help you work your ab muscles through a wide array of angles. There are many other non cable weight machines that also are designed to allow you to concentrate the abs from several different angles, allowing you to fully work out your abs in the same way doing various floor exercises would.
If you prefer to avoid the gym, then the best way to work out at home could be by looking up pilates. Pilates has been on fire recently, and this allows for a number of basic ab workouts that normal ab movements can’t come close to replicating. The nice thing about Pilates is that the movements are easy to earn and the exercises are easy to do from a technical stand point, while causing absolutely amazing results. Pilates are also easy to do from home, allowing you to sculpt out a great six pack while keeping away from prying eyes.
These are some of the best ways to start the types of ab workouts that will give you quick results and sculpt out the figure that you’ve been aiming for. The abs can be the hardest to stick with since it takes so much work and the results can take the longest to show. Stick with the great and effective ab workouts, however, and once you see the results you’ll be happy you did.