Depending on the type of abdominal exercise you choose to undertake, there may be some considerations to keep in mind to ensure you do not do damage to any other areas of your body.

If your select an abdominal exercise that requires the hands to be positioned behind the head or neck, be sure you do not push your head forward in the event that you are required to lift your torso. Pushing on your head will result in strain on the muscles in the neck and may cause damage to them.

As there is a natural tendency to push the head forward with the hands, you will have to remain aware in order to prevent yourself from doing so.

Whilst bending your body, only go as far as you are comfortable. Do not try to go any further than this as you will only put strain on various parts of your body.

Some abdominal exercises may not be suitable for people suffering from osteoporosis. If you happen to suffer from this condition, be sure to check with your doctor to determine the exercises that will be most appropriate for you.

Before commencing on a new exercise regimen, it is always important to consult your doctor to ensure the suggested changes are appropriate for your health situation. This is particularly relevant in the event that a person suffers from any medical conditions.

When using weights during exercise, it is important to remember to start with small weights and to gradually work up form here. Do not begin lifting the largest or heaviest weights straight away. Gradually build the weight up.

Abdominal injuries can be particularly stressful on the back, for this reason, anyone who may suffer from a back injury or has a history of back pain should be particularly careful when carrying out abdominal strengthening activities. This will prevent you from injuring yourself further or from exacerbating any existing back injuries. Remember to stretch both before and after exercises to prevent further injury from occurring.

Many people often ask as to the effectiveness of machines targeted at strengthening the abdominal muscles. Whilst these may be somewhat effective, they are still only doing the same job that the aforementioned abdominal strengthening exercises can do. These machines will also do little to help you actually lose weight- remember weight loss is an important part of obtaining a six pack. Why not save yourself the money and do the exercises as opposed to buying the expensive machine?

Sit ups are generally not recommended by doctors as they are potentially bad for the back. It is recommended that crunches be used as an alternative for sit ups. Another alternative is to lie flat on the floor with your legs extending straight up, and slowly raising your hips off the ground. Upon lowering your body, do not let your hips touch the ground, rather, hold them slightly raised and continue the process for twelve to sixteen repetitions.

By: James Penn

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The single most important fact that you should know about losing abdominal fat is that there is no magical formula that can make your abdominal fat vanish in a jiffy. Losing abdominal fat permanently requires patience and commitment to some basic tips. But do notlose heart. It is a feat anyone can accomplish the easy way if one understands the reasons why abdominal fat develops and why it seems so frustratingly resistant to all those exercise or diet plans you have tried out but given up too soon to see results.

The first thing you must understand is that there is no physical exercise that can reduce fat from a specific part of the body. When you burn fat for energy, as during an aerobic activity, fat loss will occur systemically, i.e., from all over the body. But since fat distribution naturally varies from person to person, depending on inherited genetic factors, some people will tend to lose abdominal fat faster while others may lose fat at say hips or thighs faster. So do not compare your abdominal fat loss graph with others.

Another thing, doing countless sit-ups and leg-raises or slogging out day in and day out on the latest abs equipment without paying heed to your diet and an aerobic activity is not going to make your abdominal fat go away. What these exercises do is to shape up and tone your abdominal muscles, but do nothing to metabolize away the layers of fat covering them. That is why the shaped and toned muscles remain elusive to the eye.

There is one and only one way of losing abdominal fat the easy way, and that is with the combination of a balanced and nutritive diet, aerobic activity, and strengthening exercises for abdominal and other muscles. The best kind of workout to burn the layers of abdominal fat along with overall fat comprises a cardiovascular or aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, swimming or stair climbing, combined with abdominal exercises like crunches and hip lifts, and also weight training for other muscle groups. Weight training increases your lean muscle mass and hence your metabolic rate, implying that you burn more fat even while resting.

Glycogen (stored carbohydrates) is the primary fuel source during the first 10 minutes of an aerobic exercise. Substantial fat burning starts only after stored glycogen is depleted. Hence, the key to fat loss is working out at moderate intensity continuously for about 45 to 60 minutes. However, this comprises only 50% of the abdominal fat loss plan. The remaining 50% contribution comes from diet control. Abdominal exercises will help strengthen the muscles and give definition to the reducing midsection.

However, if your calorie intake is higher than your calorie expenditure, you are bound to put on abdominal fat as well as general body fat regardless of how diligently you work out and how many abdominal crunches you do a day- it is simple mathematics in action. Ideally, spread your calorie intake into five small meals a day instead of 2 or 3 big ones. Include a variety of foods that are rich in fiber and low in fat and sugar, with about 55% of the calories coming from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 15% from fat. Avoid carbohydrates late in the evening.

Remember, when it comes to losing abdominal fat, you have to adopt a holistic, whole-body approach as there are absolutely no shortcuts. A surgical shortcut like liposuction also becomes meaningless if you are not going to control to your diet, because removing fat cells from the abdomen by liposuction will lead to excess fat storage elsewhere and perhaps under the chin or on knees or shoulders- where it may look even worse than at the abdomen.

Lastly, here is a fact that is not exactly what you would want to hear: even if you are on a holistic exercise-cum-diet fat loss plan, abdominal fat is most likely going to be the last fat to leave your body.

By: Kelvin Ho

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How to get abs if you do not have access to a gym? Do not get frustrated! There is still another way and hundreds of others are doing it and still get awesome results!

If you think that abs of steel can only be made in the gym? You are wrong! Do not give up hope of losing belly fat and getting a flat stomach if you cannot afford expensive gym memberships because you can get abs without any gym equipment at all!

With the saying, If there is a will, there is a way. You can get abs if you can satisfy these few general criteria, which is getting a good cardio workout, abdominal training, some resistance training and weight loss dieting. If all these factors are being worked at, there is no reason that your body would not respond and get a 6 pack.

Here, you about to get tips on how to get abs without gym and sophisticated fitness equipment. All you need is a pair of running shoes, a place to jog, a mat and a strong burning desire to get 6 pack! Do at least 3 session of cardio workout per week.

How To Get Abs Without Gym 1

Do wind sprints! Yes, you can now get away with the boring usual forty-five minute cardio workout sessions. For this wind sprint cardio workout or also called high intensity interval training, you need a large field or a long stretch of road about at least 100 yards. It involves 10 intervals where by one interval consist of a 100-yard sprint and 100-yard jog. So, to do this excellent cardio workout, you need to set a target that is 100 yards away. It can be a tree or a lamppost. You then sprint as fast as you can towards it and when you reach it, you turn around and jog back to the starting point. Do 10 intervals. This wind sprint cardio workout can really speed up your metabolism and burn the fat off!

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Do push ups. Do not look down on this exercise just because it is the most practiced exercise in high school. Push-up is a very effective exercise to build up upper body strength like the chest muscles, shoulder muscles, triceps and the core. Really challenge yourself when you do push ups. Go beyond your body capability and take your endurance to the max! If you did fifty reps last week, do sixty this time and when you reach failure, push it harder by doing partial reps.

There are many ways to make a push up more difficult. You can push-ups with your feet on top of a bench, push ups with one foot and push ups with a clap between reps. To do the push up with a clap in between reps, you launch as high as possible during the up phase so that both your hands are off the ground, then in mid air, you clap before coming down to starting position.

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Now it is time for some abdominal work to get that flat stomach. The abdominal muscles are just like any other muscles in the body. They will improve and respond if the principle of over load is applied. You do not need expensive and modern gadgets to really hit the abs. You can really work the abdominal muscles by just doing floor abdominal exercises.

Crunches are one of the best abdominal exercises. Basically, to do a crunch, you just need to lie down on the floor, face facing up and palms lightly touching the back of your head with the elbows spread wide. Lift your shoulder blades of the floor and maintain an orange size gap between your chin and your chest. Do not pull your head. You need not go all the way up, just make sure your lower back is flat on the floor and the shoulder blades are off. Hold the contraction the top for at least one second and come back to the starting point under controlled.

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In gyms, a lot of people do hanging leg raises and captain chair leg raises for lower abdominals. Do not worry if you do not have access to these high tech equipment. You can really target your lower abdominals by doing reverse crunches on the floor as well.

To do execute this exercise, lie down flat on the floor facing up. Raise your legs so that your knees are bent and your thighs are at right angles with the floor. With a strict form, raise your lower back of the floor so that your knees are now above your chest. Do not forget to squeeze your lower abs at the peak of the contraction. Do three to four sets of thirty solid reps on each abs session.

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Do not forget about your core. The function of your core is to hold your tummy in and to protect your spinal cord. To work your core, you need to do planks and this can be done just on the floor. To perform the plank, lie down facing down with your elbows under your shoulder, forearms parallel with each other, one foot apart. With just your elbows and toes, lift your entire body off the floor by squeezing your abdominals and **** muscles. Keep your entire body one straight line from head to toe.

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You do not need any complicated equipment for getting on a weight loss diet. Dieting has a tremendous play in all efforts. You are what you eat they say it seems very through. If you put garbage in your body, no matter how much exercise you do, getting a 6 pack will be an almost impossible task. You have to feed the muscles with quality nutrients like low fat protein and low glycemic carbs. Avoid simple sugars, high fat foods, junk food, simple sugars and high sodium containing foods. As clearly stated by Tom Venuto the author of Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle, you can get a nice set of rock hard abs without any supplements at all. All you need is the right method of exercise and eating fat burning foods!

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Spice up your workout for extra calorie burn! The body is an amazing system that has the capability of evolving. If you have been doing a particular workout for a long period of time, your body will adapt to its effects and your fat loss results will plateau. You have to keep the body guessing, as this will optimize your fat loss. There are many ways of changing your workout and one good example is by applying high intensity workout techniques like supersets, tri sets and giant sets.

You can also mix up the muscle combination that exercises in a day. Even my changing the reps and sets in a workout can keep the body guessing. For example in stead working out the chest and back in day 1, work the chest and biceps instead. Try this month heavy and the next month light but high reps.

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Do not do lateral movements for oblique muscles, do rotation movements instead. You can see people doing weighted side bends to get those nice stripes of oblique muscles but really, they are making a big mistake. To really get results, you have to do rotation movements like rotation crunches. The function of the oblique is to rotate the torso, that is why doing rotation movements are better that lateral movements.

Well, hope you now have a better understanding on how to get abs without fancy and high tech equipments. You have got to really believe in yourself that you can do it. All you need to do to get an awesome body is the right method of getting abs, have the heart, passion and desire. Persevere and you sure can do it!

By: Chung Leong Yu

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What is all the hype about “core” training? And – more importantly – why should you care?

Training your core will result in tremendous benefits in a relatively short amount of time. This is because a strong core improves your posture, decreases your chance of injury, increases your power and functionality, and gives you a great-looking lean midsection.

Core training is rapidly gaining popularity for one specific reason: sitting leads to a weak core.

Think about your typical work day. If you are like most people then your day starts with a 30-60 minute drive to work, followed by 8 hours at your desk and then another 30-60 minute drive home. That’s a lot of sitting. And it all adds up to one thing: a weak core.

What is Core Training?

The term “core” refers to the muscles of your abdominals and those of your lower back. If you picture your body and then aim for the very center you would be looking directly at your core. The muscles that make up the core play a unique role since they provide stabilization for your entire body.

Core training seeks to strengthen the muscles of your abdominal and lower back using coordinated movement. A strong focus is put on contracting your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button in! toward your spine throughout the exercises to ensure that your core muscles are engaged.

What are the risks of a weak Core?

Unfortunately many ailments stem from having weak core muscles. You may be personally acquainted with the most common ailment…lower back pain. Other problems include poor posture, being injury prone, having minimal strength and (drum roll please) a bulging waistline.

What are the benefits of a strong Core?

Alleviating persistent back pain is one of the most welcomed benefits of a strong core. An increase in strength and protection from injury are also nice, and who doesn’t love to lose inches from their waist as a result of tightened muscle?

Everyday motions such as lifting, squatting, reaching, twisting and bending will become less challenging after strengthening your core. While you may not immediately see the value in this, remember that it is better to be safe than sorry – who really wants to throw out their back while taking out the trash.

How can I strengthen my Core?

A great place to start is to practice the technique mentioned earlier – pull your belly button in toward your spine, not by simply ******* in your gut, but by contracting your abdominals. Do you feel it? Good. Now make it a habit to do this exercise while you sit. Like on the drive to work…at work…on the drive home – you get the idea.

It doesn’t stop there – you also want to routinely exercise the muscles of your abdominals and lower back. This can be done by performing exercises that target these specific areas such as crunches and bridges.

By: Machelle Lee

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If you want to work your abdominal muscles but **** crunches on the floor, you’re in luck because there are so many alternatives to traditional crunches on the floor.  This article outlines 5 of my favorite alternatives to crunches.

When my clients master crunches on the floor, one of the first exercises I teach them from there are crunches on the ball.  So many people actually feel less back strain and neck strain when they use a stability ball for crunches.  One reason for decreased neck strain is that the angle of your body changes when you get off the floor and onto the ball.  If neck discomfort is one reason you **** crunches on the floor try them on the ball and you will notice a significant difference.

Another reason crunches on the ball are a great alternative to crunches on the floor is an increased range of motion through the spine.  When you move through a greater range of motion, you will get increased muscle work in your abdominals.

The second alternative to crunches on the floor is the plank exercise.  The plank exercise is a popular yoga move that has crossed over into fitness.  The plank is an isometric exercise balancing on your elbows and toes.  Isometric simply means that you hold one position for 10-60 seconds.  The plank is great for developing core stability, and it will strengthen your abdominals, shoulder girdle, and hip girdle.

The third alternative to crunches on the floor is seated medicine ball Russian twists.  In the seated twists, your knees are bent and your body is slightly reclined.  By reclining, you engage your abs.  Another benefit of the seated position is that there is very little stress on your neck.  If you are a beginner, it is okay to perform seated twists with no added resistance, or if you’d like a challenge use a medicine ball or weight to this exercise.

The fourth alternative to crunches on the floor is side bends on a 45 degree hyper extension board.  Most gyms have a slanted board that can be used for both back extensions and side bends.  Side bends help to strengthen the obliques and can really challenge your oblique muscles through a large range of motion.  I’d recommend side bends over side crunches on the floor because of the increased range of motion and intensity.

The fifth alternative to crunches is hanging knee raises on a Captain’s Chair.  Again, when you get off the floor you’ll have almost no pressure on the neck.  In order to perform knee raises on the Captain’s Chair you need to have some upper body strength to support yourself, but if you have decent upper body strength you can really focus on your abdominals during this movement.

There are literally thousands of ways to strengthen your abdominals, so if you **** crunches you can still get a great ab workout using the above alternative.  Strong abdominals are so important so don’t let hating crunches stop you from strengthening your core.

By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT

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