Posted by admin on July 8th, 2011 and filed under six pack abs|Comments Off
London, England (PRWEB) December 7, 2004
The usual advice to “pull your abs in” during the crunch actually makes the exercise less effective, new research shows. Done correctly, the crunch is an effective exercise for those wanting to work their abs with minimum stress to the lower back.
But researchers from Omaha’s University of Nebraska Medical Center have found that “pulling the abs in” actually reduces rectus abdominis activity – known by fitness experts as the six-pack muscle.
When you lie down on your back and lift the shoulders from the floor, rectus abdominis is the muscle that’s doing most of the work. The six-pack look is the result of bands of connective tissue that “cut” into rectus abdominis.
In the study, a group of 25 subjects performed the crunch in accordance with different sets of instructions. The crunch worked rectus abdominis harder when subjects were told to tighten their stomach muscles, rather than pull them in. Here are the instructions they were given:
“Push your belly button out by tightening your stomach muscles. Try to shorten the distance between the bottom of the ribs and the groin area when you curl up. Focus on drawing your ribcage down and in while you curl up.”
Professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine function and injury prevention at the University of Waterloo in Canada, says that one of the best ways to work your abs is to perform a technique called the abdominal brace.
This involves tightening the abdominal muscles as if you’re about to take a punch in the gut, says McGill. When the brace is performed correctly, the abdominals are neither hollowed in nor pushed out.
Curl up against the brace, and then breathe deeply in the “up” curl-up position while maintaining the brace. Remain in the up position long enough to take a few deep breaths. Fitness expert Christian Finn, owner and founder of thefactsaboutfitness.com, a fitness website that reveals the best ways to burn fat and build muscle, agrees.
Curling up against the brace is a great way to work your abs without stressing your lower back, says Finn. Try it the next time you train your abs. You’ll be surprised at how such a simple exercise can easily be made more challenging and effective.
Sources
Karst, G.M., & Willett, G.M. (2004). Effects of specific exercise instructions on abdominal muscle activity during trunk curl exercises. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 34, 4-12. Professor Stuart McGill, University of Waterloo, Canada. Christian Finn, M.S, http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com
Posted by admin on July 27th, 2010 and filed under sexy abs|Comments Off
Once you have effectively set your weight loss regime, you must determine a set of exercises to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. This will provide them with the body and shape required to form a visible six pack. The following exercises are appropriate exercises to select from.
1) Long Arm Crunch: Lie on the floor, facing the ceiling and extend your arms over your head along the ground, grasping your hands together over your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
2) Reverse Crunch: Life on the floor facing the ceiling. Hands may be placed flat on the floor beside you or behind the head. Raise your knees towards your chest until your legs are at a 90 degree angle with your body. Tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your hips off the floor. Lower your body and repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
3) Vertical Crunch: Lie flat on the floor facing the ceiling with your legs extended upwards. Place your hands behind your head and tighten your abs to lift your shoulders off the ground. Raise your heels towards the ceiling to create a U shape with your body. Lower yourself and repeat the process twelve to sixteen times.
4) Bench Crunch: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling with your legs elevated on a bench or another form of furniture and bent at a ninety degree angle. Hold your hands at your temples or extended down besides your legs. Now, raise your head and shoulders towards your knees whilst lifting your pelvis off the floor. Flew your abdominal muscles at the top of the movement and hold for a moment. Lay back down and repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
5) Leg Tuck: Sit sideways on a bench or some form of furniture, grasping the edge for support with your legs hinging over. Raise your legs slightly and straighten them. Hold this position for a moment then lower your legs. Repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
6) Upright Sit Up: Stand upright with your back straight and hands clasped behind your head. Proceed to bend at the waist (performing the traditional sit up movement) and straighten up. Repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
7) Scissor Cuts: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling. Place your arms flat at your sides and lift your legs slightly, crossing one over the over. Hold this position, then lower your legs. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
Abdominal work outs should be performed twice a week. It is important to remember to alter your work out every eight weeks to ensure the muscles do not become used to the work out, thus rendering the exercises ineffective.
Before commencing with abdominal exercises, it is important to remember to stretch your abdominal muscles. Do this by lying face down on the floor with your elbows bent and hands positioned beneath your shoulders. Straighten your arms so that your back is arched, ensure your legs remain flat on the ground. Turn your head towards the ceiling and hold this position for a period of ten seconds before lowering yourself back to your starting position.
Discover how to achieve flat, firm and sexy abs by downloading your free report entitled “From Jiggly Jelly To Fabulously Flat – Turn Your Jelly Belly Into A Six Pack” from http://www.firmupyourabs.com
Posted by admin on July 23rd, 2010 and filed under 6 pack abs diet|Comments Off
When it comes to losing weight, a put of huge seeking abs is the ultimate goal for a lot of people. However many people struggle to come up with a six pack abs diet plan and normally are just confused about how to get a new body.
Now are some great tips and an outline for a six pack abs diet map that should have you shedding the fat like its nobody’s business.
Smaller Meals There’s some discuss lately over the fact whether splitting your meals into 6 smaller meals really speeds up your metabolism or not. The debate is simply academic in either case for the reason that it just works. By splitting up your meals, you both learn portion control and you as well learn that you don’t require extremely much food to sense full so we possibly eat fewer calories. Split up your meals consequently you’re eating 6 a day to keep losing the fat
Healthy Fats For some cause, the government got it into their head that fats were bad. This is why we had the low and no fat diet fashion a few years back. Some fats are bad for you, however, extra fats are not only good for you other than they’re necessary when it comes to losing fat. Adding things similar to olive oil, avocado, nuts and the like are huge ways to add healthy fats to your diet as well as amazing ways to create burnings the fat.
Feel Free To Snack The only warning is with snacks, hide healthy ones around you. A couple of almonds, some apple slices and the similar to are huge ways to combat hunger as well as keep your energy up. Fit snacking is a needed part of any six pack abs diet plan.
Make use of this six pack abs diet plan to lastly start burning that weight from your belly consequently you lastly feel proud of the person seeking back at you from the mirror.
Posted by admin on July 17th, 2010 and filed under 6 pack abs diet|Comments Off
If you have ever wanted to get ripped six pack abs and done thousands of crunches, but have never been able to see them so far, you might be frustrated with never getting those abs to appear?
Maybe you have tried dieting to try and lose a couple of pounds in order to lose some belly fat and are still not able to see your abs from behind the fat?
So what is really the best thing to get six pack abs? Diet or Exercise? Most people think that by only eating well you will be able to get a six pack, and for the most part, this is true… however, it will be a tiny little six pack that will not look all that “muscular”, which is usually the look you are looking for. Most people want a lean, muscular body and you can only achieve that with proper nutrition AND exercise.
On the other hand, if you only exercise and eat wrong, you will not see results either… You will feel tired and never have enough energy to train at your fullest. You will have slower success… Of course, if you run 8 miles a day, a fast food meal won’t really matter, but it won’t help you get that six pack either…
The answer to getting a really nice, ripped, muscular six pack that you probably are looking for you will need to perform the right type of exercise. The right type of exercise is shorter, more intense resistance training sessions targeting some of the bigger body parts, such as legs, arms, and chest.
When you target bigger muscles your body needs more energy to keep them running, thus burn more fat at rest. So you get more of a 24 hour a day body fat burn. Add some interval training and a couple miles jogging per week and you will burn enough fat to get lean and ripped in 12-16 weeks, but only if you eat right.
Like I said, you will also need to eat properly to see any results whatsoever… Once you start to eat healthy and eat a lot more vegetables and fruit, as well as oatmeal, other fibers and protein, you will find that you are building muscle and dropping pounds like never before. If you knew that you could get 25-50 pounds lighter in 12-16 weeks and you knew it worked, how hard would you work for it?
Posted by admin on June 9th, 2010 and filed under ripped abs|Comments Off
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Posted by admin on January 18th, 2010 and filed under six pack stomach|Comments Off
The crowning achievement of anyone trying to get in shape and lose weight is a six pack stomach. It is the status symbol of choice in the world of health and fitness and nothing can help you obtain that look quite like a killer ab workout. But besides looking good there are other health benefits to having strong abdominal muscles.
They, along with your lower back and hips, make up your core muscle group. This group of muscles is responsible for stabilizing your body during just about any activity. If you have a weak core you are more prone to poor posture, lower back pain, and muscle injuries. There are a whole list of benefits to having a strong core which include a trim waist, stopping back pain, being able to enjoy physical activity at a higher level, and improving your sex life.
A killer ab workout takes the entire core into consideration, not just the abdominals. You need a balance between muscle groups to achieve the look you want without increasing your chance of injury and back pain. It is also important to remember that getting that six pack stomach is more then a function of muscle strength, it is also about how much body fat you have covering those muscles.
If that isn’t enough to start working those core muscles here are 7 reasons that having a strong midsection is so important.
1. A firm and flat stomach – You will no longer have to worry about sucking in your stomach every time you take off your shirt. You can also trim an inch or more off your waist size without actually losing any weight.
2. No more back pain – Weak abs creates an imbalance in the core muscle groups. This places more strain on your glutes and hamstrings which destabilizes your spine and creates back pain. Most back pain is a result of weak abs.
3. Stronger joints – Have a strong core stabilizes your body during physical activity taking unneeded pressure off your joints.
4. More power – You will have improved performance in everything you do. This is no where more apparent then activities which involve throwing or swinging. Want to ad more yardage to your golf swing; this is the way to do it.
5. Stop hernia’s – Weak abs are the primary cause of all hernias with well over five hundred thousand men have surgery for this every year.
6. Greater power and increased endurance – You will be able to run farther and faster and have more energy at the end of all your activities.
7. Increased sexual stamina – If the first six reasons aren’t enough to get your abs in shape then this one should. A six pack stomach is not only sexy but functionally sexy as well.
So remember, a killer ab workout is more then just sit-ups and crunches. It takes into account the entire body while focusing on the all important core muscle groups.