Effective Ab Exercises
December 31st 2009
If you turn on the TV, each day you will be bombarded with the latest
and greatest exercise device that promises to magically shed those
pounds in only ten minutes a day. Abdominal contraptions seem to
be the biggest seller of all the machines. You've seen them;
space-age-looking springs that you push with your gut, or a rolling
device that is supposed to help make your sits easier. These
machines are really not needed. The only thing that is going to
reduce your waistline is honest hard work. Those machines simplify
your workout and make your effort less effective. If you want to really
hit your abs, try this. Take about three days a week and alternate a
group of ab exercises such as crunches, side crunches, and seated
crunches. No machine necessary.
Let's take a further look at an effective ab workout. To really hit the
abs and slim your waistline you, will need to develop your abs as
well as burn fat. You can have the most developed abs in the world,
but you won't see them if they are buried under a lot of fat. To work
out the abs effectively, you will need to do a combination of ab and
aerobic exercise, at least 3 to 4 days a week. I recommend you do
one-hour workouts split in half: 30 minutes for abs and 30 minutes
for aerobics. The following exercises should be done for three to
four sets of 20 reps each.
Crunches - Works the overall ab area. Lay on the floor with your
knees up. Cross your arms over your body and slowly crunch
your body up.
Side crunches - Works your side oblique muscles. Start out as
you would a crunch, but instead of going straight up, twist your
right arm towards your left knee and vice versa.
Seated crunches - Works your lower abs. Sit on a bench, close to
the edge. Support your weight with your hands. Tilt back a bit and
extend your legs out with a slight bend and slowly pull legs to
chest.
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