| |
| |
|
Muscle Building Information |
|
|
|
How To Get A Flat, Toned Stomach
One of the most common fitness questions this time of year is "How can I tone my stomach for swimsuit season"? Typically, people believe that the guaranteed quick route to obtaining a rock-solid six-pack is a path packed with hundreds of sit-ups or abdominal crunches. Wrong! The reality is that even if you do crunches every day you aren't guaranteed to get the stomach you desire. Getting those highly sought after, toned abs requires more work than just abdominal exercises. Plus, as far as stomach exercises go, sit-ups or crunches alone are not the solution. We won't go into detail about the muscles that make up the abdominal wall, but it's good to know the basic information. At a high-level the abdominal/trunk area consists of 5 major muscles. It's necessary that all of these muscles be exercised. It's also important to utilize different types of training techniques like concentric, eccentric and isometric. In addition to training those muscles, it is imperative that you also reduce the fat in your stomach area. If you don't decrease the fat in this area, then you'll never see well-defined abdominal muscles not matter how long and hard you train them. The key to reducing body fat is a comprehensive workout program that consists of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility exercises. Plus, don't forget a healthy diet. Good examples of cardio exercises are: walking, swimming, aerobics, and jogging. Strength training can be done with dumbbells, resistance bands and even just your own body weight. Flexibility can be as simple as a few stretches held in place for about 20 seconds. Now, back to the specifics of abdominal training. Traditional crunches can be a part of your abdominal training, but should be limited and certainly shouldn't be the only part. To most effectively work your stomach area, it's necessary to include about 80% rotational work. Rotational exercises are those that include twisting-type methods. Simple crunches do not fall into the rotational category because you simply lift your body straight up and down. To most effectively train your abs, incorporate a lot of variety, including different positions and equipment. This will allow your muscles to continually be challenged, which is what will help make them stronger and more defined. Remember that you don't have to lie on your back in the supine position to work your stomach area. There are hundreds of different ways to work them, including exercises in a standing position, on your side, raised on a ball, hanging from a bar, etc. Don't forget the importance of form. If you don't use correct form when performing abdominal exercises, you'll severely limit the effectiveness not to mention possibly cause an injury. Tips for correct form include:
To get you started, below are a few sample exercises* with instructions. Start working out today, and you can show-off your toned abs in time for summer. Basic Crunch: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands lightly behind your head for support. Using your abdominal muscles lift your shoulders a few inches off the ground, pause briefly and return to start position. Complete at least one set of 10-12 reps. Standing Towel Circle: Stand tall and hold a small towel (or resistance band) taut overhead. Contract abs and slowly draw a large, wide circle over your head and around your torso with your hands. Keep towel pulled taut throughout. Return to beginning position and reverse the circular direction. Complete at least one set of 8-10 reps in each direction. Oblique Twist With Ball: Begin by sitting on the ball. Walk feet forward until ball is resting under your back -- body is now parallel to the floor. Place hands lightly behind head for support. Using your abdominal muscles slowly crunch up lifting your shoulder blades off of the ball and rotate left shoulder toward right hip. Return to starting parallel position and repeat then switch sides. For access to a huge library of exercises demonstrations (including demos for the above exercises), visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com *You should always consult your physician before trying any new exercise programs. About The Author Lynn Bode, author and certified personal trainer, offers her services online through WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You delivers affordable weekly exercise programs to help even the busiest of people lose weight, tone-up, build muscles, increase stamina and more via the Internet. Let us guide you one-on-one through your fitness journey. Visit us online for a free sample workout.
MORE RESOURCES:
Build-Muscle - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Exercise The Right Way - The Vertical Chest Press Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes. 7 Surefire Strategies For Fat Loss! 1. Weight Training. Exercise The Right Way - The Barbell Bent-Over Row Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders' training regimes. Bodybuilding: Effective Ways To Handling Criticism It's important to set the way we'll respond to different critics throughout the journey of achieving our personal and bodybuilding goals. As are other areas of life, Bodybuilding is a sport of opinion. Maximum Muscle Development with Chaos Training Chaos is the scientific study of orderly disorder. It offers a way of seeing order and pattern where formerly only the random, the erratic, and the unpredictable (viz. Bodybuilding Benefits - The Price for Confidence! Success came to me at an early age. However, it did not come without a price. Dumbbell Exercises That Suit Beginners The aim for beginners to weight training must be to lay the foundations for the intensive workouts that their bodies will eventually be subjected to. Obviously successful bodybuilding involves bringing together disparate elements such as nutrition and rest but choosing the right exercises is crucial. Overcoming Fears And Unproductive Thinking You might sometimes wonder whether your dedication and sacrifice will pay off as your intended goals. There isn't a person on earth who wants to invest their time, effort, and money into something that eventually will result in a disappointment. Muscle and Fitness -- The First Key To Achieving Your Goals Lets discuss what I term as Muscle and Fitness -- The First Key.In a previous article, I went through the 'Three Keys To Success' in any muscle and fitness regime that you use. Muscle and Fitness -- The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals Lets discuss Muscle and Fitness -- The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals. But just before that, I'd like to remind you about what the previous article discussed. Abdominal Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders. The abdomen contains the muscles that most beginners struggle with because they take a long time to develop and need a low level of body fat to be seen. The abdominal muscle group consists of three main muscles: 1. How To Gain Weight Until I started following a routine to eat, my gains were minimal. Once I set my eating times to a specific time during the day along with a protein boost, I could see the gains immediately. Personal Training: 3 Powerful Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert Regardless of what profession you are in, it is critical that people believe that you know what you are talking about! You won't find very many successful lawyers whose clients never win in court, or popular doctors whose patients are continually misdiagnosed. This concept obviously applies to personal trainers as well, and making sure you are viewed as an expert in your field is as important as having the knowledge to begin with. Know Your Muscles - The Mid-Section Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with your training partners. The more familiar you are with the muscles you're working, the better you'll be able to judge what's needed to make improvements. Four Powerful Tricks for Successful Lucid Dreaming By definition, Lucid Dreaming means "conscious awareness during the dream state." But how can this be? Every book I've ever read on dreaming has described the dream state as being an entry into the unconscious, so how can you possibly be conscious during dreaming, and be able to enter your dreams. Exercise The Right Way - The Stiff-Leg Deadlift Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes. The Basics Of Dumbells And Dumbbell Workouts Dumbbells are integral to a long term fitness and personal strengthening plan. Dumbbells are individual weights that are best used as part of your overall fitness workout each day. The Importance Of Creatine In Building Lean Muscle Creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to being the most popular and arguably most effective bodybuilding supplement currently available. The beauty of creatine is that it is 100% natural and occurs in many foods so it's unlikely to be banned from any sports or competitions. Exercise The Right Way - The Hammer Curl Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders' training regimes. Secret Training Tip #242 - Be 10% Stronger in Leg Curls Instantly! This is a trick to be done on a leg curl machine. By simply changing where you grip your hands on the machine, you can increase your strength in the movement by as much as 10% instantly!Lie face down on the bench as you normally would when doing the exercise.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |