Effective Abs Exercises - Part I

                

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Do the following ab workouts properly, observing proper posture and movement in your exercises in order to receive the best results. Do these ab workouts in three sets of twenty repetitions. Alternate these exercises in between sets to achieve maximum results. It is better if you employ the help of a licensed physical fitness trainer before doing the following exercises in order to do away with any possible injury you may acquire in the process.

Weighted Curls with Medicine Ball or Weight Plate. Begin this workout by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat against the floor. Then hold a medicine ball towards your chest. Then push your lower back into the floor with arches flat and hold this position in your ab workouts. Curl your way up just enough so as to lift both of your shoulder off of the floor for a few inches. Hold this position for two counts and then return to the first position in your ab workouts.

Plank. Begin your ab workouts by lying face down on an exercise mat with both your elbows right next to your chest, with your palms facing down. Then slowly push your way up from the floor, raising yourself up on to your toes and elbows while keeping your palms flat in your ab workouts, and your back also flat and angled up from your toes and shoulders.

Hold your abdominal muscles tight, while keeping your spine neutral in position. The next step in your workout would require you to tilt your pelvis, and then contract your abdominals in order to prevent your backside from sticking too much in the air. Hold this position for thirty to sixty seconds, then repeat this process as much as your regimen requires. These ab workouts target your front midsection as well as your biceps and back muscles.

James never thought he would be a personal gym trainer when he once weighed 311 lbs.He is now a total fanatic about muscle-building and crunches his way through his CSI. Now doing freelance teaching to people who require proper healthy diets, he always advocate his motto of "not giving up".

Get to know more about Ab Workouts Here!

Using Liposuction to Get a Sexy, Flat Tummy or 6 Pack Abs

                

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Liposuction and weight loss

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Often times as humans we tend to lose patience with a lot of things. Losing weight
or getting a six pack abs is no exception. We want to lose weight now. There are
a wide variety of alternative ways of losing weight or sculpting a perfect body,
quickly. Liposuction is one of them. I'm not endorsing liposuction in any way.

If you're considering liposuction to get a 6 pack abs, then this article will
give you a basic understanding of the process of the surgery. When it can aid, how
it is done and how you might look and feel after the surgery. It is important to
note that 6Pack.co.za is not promoting liposuction. Proper nutrition, cardio exercise
is the way to go.

What is liposuction?

Liposuction is a process that can used to sculpt the body by removing surplus
fat from targeted areas. Sculpting can be done one a lot of areas including the
abdomen, thighs, buttocks etc.

Liposuction is also known as lipoplasty or suction lipectomy.

As technology advances a lot of new techniques are being used, including ultrasound
assisted lipoplasty, super wet technique, and the tumescent technique. There are
some of the new tools that can assist many plastic surgeons to help patients achieve
their goals quicker.

It is important to note that no type of liposuction is a substitute for proper
old fashioned dieting and exercise. However it can be a useful tool that can be
used to remove stubborn areas of fat that does not react to traditional weight loss
methods or exercises.

If you are seriously considering doing liposuction, then do the following:

· Consult a medical doctor and plastic surgeon to see if you qualify to become
a candidate.

· Do some research by reading up on liposuction and also the alternative techniques.

· Speak to people that have gone through it.

· Weigh up the pro’s and the con’s of the surgery

For who is Liposuction?

People who have realistic expectations of what the surgery can do for them. They
should be physically fit, mentally stable and realistic in their expectations. The
candidate should also have a normal weight and elastic skin. The surgery carries
a great risk for potential candidates with medical problems. People with poor blood
circulation, diabetes, and heart or lung disease should not do the surgery. They
have to consult with the medical experts.

The process: A basic explanation.

1. The doctor must consult with potential candidate and evaluate if the person
is medically and mentally fit for a surgery.

2. If medical check is successful then the plastic surgeon can help you decide
on which option or technique to take. Here the candidate can ask lots of questions.

3. Preparation and guidelines are given by surgeon. What to eat and drink, smoking
etc.

4. Venue is given where surgery is going to take place.

5. Surgeon chooses anesthesia to be used. Depending on the volume of fat to be
removed.

6. The surgery time will vary depending on the amount of fat to be removed.

7. The surgeon inserts a tube through small incisions in the skin. At the other
end of the tube is a vacuum pressure unit that suctions off the fat.

8. After surgery a compression garment is given. This helps to reduce swelling
and after a couple of weeks there should be positive results.

9. Surgeon might suggest for patient to walk around to reduce swelling and prevent
blood cloths from forming.

10. Strenuous activities should be cut out.

11. Patient should go for regular follow up visits to the doctor to monitor and
also to check the progression.

12. The new you. There should be a visible difference.

It is important to note that nothing in life is guaranteed and there are lots
of risks involved. Results will vary from person to person. If a person’s expectations
are realistic, they will be very pleased with the outcome of the surgery. Person
might feel better in clothes and more confident about self. The flat stomach might
be visible.

Healthy diet and proper regular exercise should be in place, to maintain the
new shape. This is one of the most important steps after a surgery.

Lawrence Carelse, author of fitness articles. Owner of
http://www.6pack.co.za

The Importance of Strong Abs

                

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We always see models on TV showing off their washboard abs and so we want to be just like them. Indeed, when we have a strong midsection, our posture is better and we will look taller and thinner. However, having strong abs isn’t just to look good; it also brings many more health benefits.

Having a strong midsection improves our posture, which in turn benefits our back so that we don’t constantly complain of lower back pain. When working at an office desk or even just watching TV or driving a car, if we keep our back straight and our abs tight, our back won’t hurt as much. An article in US News and World Report states: "Larger waists can lead to more low-back pain, greater breathing difficulties, and persistent cough… Waist size can even forecast who will have trouble bathing, dressing, and walking in old age.”As you see, if we want to be independent when we are old and gray, it is important to strengthen our abdominal area so we can do the basic everyday things in life like bathing, dressing, and walking. A professor at Boston University of Medical school, W. Kannel, says that abdominal fat also leads to “glucose intolerance, diabetes, hypertension and accelerated development of coronary heart disease”All these health problems can be avoided by losing fat around the middle of our bodies and strengthening those muscles by doing toning exercises.

So, having strong abs isn’t just about looking good, though it’s one of the great benefits; having strong abs certainly helps prevent many health problems. That is why when you exercise it is important to focus on your breathing technique and on keeping your abs tight and back straight. It is important to learn how to breathe properly and focus on keeping your abs tight and back straight with every toning exercise you do, as well as when you walk, jog or run, so that you can tighten your abs, at the same time as you are losing fat and toning your other muscles.

Mirdza Hayden Helping people lead healthier lives http://www.Watkinsmom.com

Bodybuilding - Rock Hard Abs

                

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Abs are not only about the washboard stomachs we have grown accustom to seeing on the professional bodybuilding stage. There's a lot more to it then meets the eye. The actual anatomical make up includes the Rectus abdonomis, the external abdominal oblique muscles, serratus anterior and the internal abdominal oblique. Most of us tend to train our abs as a finishing touch on our overall appearance but we forget the main function of the abdominals. The abdominals are responsible for permitting our bodies to bend forward and back as well as to the side. Their main function is keeping our posture but they also aid in keeping our body stable when partaking in different activities and of course in both upper body and lower body lifts while bodybuilding.

By fully understanding the functions of our abdominals we can then implement effective ways of training them. As you read earlier our abdominals allow us to "flex our trunks" or in other words bend forward. The best way to effectively train them is to replicate this movement while in the gym. The reason most bodybuilders train their abs is definitely to increase the overall definition of the abs. There are a number of ways to go about obtaining this. One theory is to eliminate the fat that covers the abdominals. This can be achieved through both dieting and cardiovascular activity. Another way to help define your abdominals is to do abdominal exercises intensely with very high repetitions. The reason for this is that you don't want to add any unwanted mass to your abs. Cardiovascular conditioning is easily the most important aspect used to help a bodybuilder achieve defined abdominals. Bodybuilders use cardio as a tool to help shed unwanted fat. The key to effectively using cardio is to know exactly when to implement it into your routine. If you start doing it to early you will curtail all the gains you're desperately trying to make, but if done to late you won't have enough time to get your abdominals in the shape needed for competition. A good starting point is about 11 weeks out from your competition. This will give you enough time to cut your body fat and water retention.

The most misunderstood and under utilized tool for bodybuilders looking to obtain shredded abs is definitely dieting. I would go as far as saying that dieting alone is responsible for over 80% of a bodybuilders overall physique. If you look at it as, what you put in your body will either dictate whether your body gets bigger or smaller you'll certainly understand what I mean. The general rule of thumb is that your body needs to have 4-6 small meals that are high in protein, spaced out over a 2-3 hour span to keep your metabolism high and prevent fat storage.

As you can see, nothing I've written here could be considered rocket science but many bodybuilders don't take full advantage of this information. If you follow these simple guidelines you will achieve the washboard abs you've always dreamt of.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Body Building

The Truth About Six Pack Abs

                

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Obtaining six pack abs is a great accomplishment for anyone. However, there are a few factors you need to be aware of before you make rock hard abs your next fitness goal. It will take hard work but you can achieve six pack abs by knowing what you are up against.

No Such Thing As Spot Reduction
First off, you cannot spot reduce your ab area. That means doing hundreds of crunches and ab work every day will not make your six pack show any faster. If you currently have a layer of fat in your mid-section, that fat is hiding your abs. Your primary focus will be on burning fat to lower your body fat percentage. Once you have burned off the fat, all of your hard work will be ready for display.

Women Have It Harder
Unfortunately, if you are a woman, six pack abs will be somewhat harder for you to achieve. This is because women naturally store more fat than men for the purpose of bearing and nourishing babies. This means you will have to work harder at lowering your body fat percentage. Lowering your body fat percentage should be done with caution as well. A significant decrease in a woman's body fat can lead to amenorrhea (lack of menstruation.) It occurs very often in female athletes.

More Ab Work Isn't Necessarily Better
Most people tend to forget that abdominal muscles are just like any other muscle in your body. Overworking them will not create your six pack any faster. Your ab muscles will need the proper recovery time just like any other muscle group you would strength train. Muscles repair themselves and grow larger during recovery time. When you are exercising your abs, just remember to take it slow and focus on isolating each area: upper abs, lower abs, and obliques. Give your abs a break between workouts.

By realizing the hard work involved with obtaining six pack abs, you are better equipped to meet the challenge. With proper nutrition and guidance, you are well on your way to the abs of your dreams.

Find out what you can do to get six pack abs fast without the use of drugs, supplements, and without wrecking your metabolism. Visit "Can You Get Six Pack Abs Fast?"

Eartha Haines is a blogger and fitness enthusiast. She writes for her own personal fitness blog at http://www.tryingfitness.com.

Discover the Secrets of Using An Abdominal Exercise Machine for Sexy, Scuplted Abs

                

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When it comes to fitness and exercise equipment, there are a lot of different options to choose from. This is especially true when talking about an abdominal exercise machine.

After all, the abs are the one thing everyone wants to improve upon. For guys, it's the six-pack, and for women, it's a flat, toned and tight tummy. And most people feel that if they can get a flat stomach, all the other areas of their body will follow.

So we're bombarded with infomercials that focus on the be all end all wonderous inovation of their latest and greatest abdominal exercise machine. If you just get that one machine, then you're all set!

Six pack abs, here we come! Yes, there was a little bit of sarcasm in that last part. After all, if it were that easy, if we just needed the latest, greatest abdominal exercise machine for great abs, we'd all have them by now. Instead, we seem to keep getting fatter. It doesn't really make any sense, does it?

Let me make a few points about ab exercise and getting a flat, lean, six-pack stomach.

Diet, weight training, and cardio play the biggest role in getting a flat stomach, not ab exercises or any one abdominal exercise machine.

Most ab exercise equipment is pure junk.

Most people go about training their abdominal muscles in the wrong way.

With that being said, let's look at what you can do to train your abs the right way, and what type of abdominal exercise machine can help you do it better, faster, and in more comfort.

Let's address point one above. Many ab machine advertisers, especially on infomercials, will lead you to believe that working on their adbominal exercise equipment will lead to weight loss and fat reduction, especially in the region of the abs, ie, getting rid of the bulging belly. This is incorrect on multiple points.

First, working your abs, especially on those '6 minutes to great abs' routines, burns very few calories. Second, you can't spot reduce, which is the outdated idea that you will lose fat directly from the area that you exercise.

In fact, your fat goes on based on your genetics, and this is also the way it comes off, and usually in the reverse order. And the abs is usually the last place fat loss occurs. You'll see it on your hands, face, neck, etc. first, before your stomach.

A quality abdominal exercise machine will strengthen your abdominal muscles, which will lead to a leaner, more toned stomach. But understand this - you won't see that leaner toned stomach, until you remove the fat that is covering up your abs!

Have you seen a relatively flat stomach on someone but it's not firm or toned? This is most likely because they don't work their ab muscles, so their abs aren't developed enough to give a tigher, leaner look to the stomach.

So it's very important to work your abs. But keep in mind the points being made here, that you need an overall fat loss, exercise, and nutrition program to lose the fat covering your abs so people can see the tight sexy stomach you've developed on your abdominal exercise machine.

A great thing about a good ab machine is that it will keep you working your abs. Let's face it, ab training is boring and doing conventional ab exercises like floor crunches, sit ups, leg raises and reverse lying crunches can be very uncomfortable, if not downright painful, and a lot of people develop neck problems. An abdominal exercise machine plays an important role in avoiding these issues.

If you keep this in mind, you'll know what to expect from ab exercise and abdominal machines. This way, you'll keep using it as part of an overall muscle building, fat loss program, instead of letting the machine gather dust because you didn't lose your stomach fat from working your abs six minutes a day.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com. His articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has written two books and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. He publishes a free fitness newsletter available at his site that includes lots of weight training tips, fat loss, nutrition and exercise program information to help you build your best body as quickly as possible. check it out at Build Muscle and Lose Fat and see how you can get a customized nutrition plan at http://www.mynutritionjournal.com

Get Back Your Pre-Pregnancy Abs With Side Planks

                

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The foundation of fitness for a mom is her abdominal area. To moms a flat stomach is wonderful; a strong abdominal core is critical. The cool thing is, you can get both at the same time with side planks.

Side planks are great for toning, without enlarging, the obliques on the side of your abdomen. Strong oblique muscles also add powerful stability to your back. Asthetically, side planks can sculpt your stomach in ways crunches or sit-ups just can't do. The nice thing about side planks is they can be done in little time and you don't need any equipment.

Before we get on to how to do them, I just want to add a little incentive...

A Mom with Poor Abdominal Strength is an Accident Waiting To Happen Let's face it, as your child grows the physical demand placed on your body increases. You start out holding a 8 lb. newborn in your arms, but that quickly changes into holding a 25 lb. toddler who twists and turns quickly.

You may be required to sweep your toddler up with your right arm while holding another child in the left. You may have to carry a 40 lb. child who is unhappy and doing whatever it takes to squirm from your grasp. If your body is incapable of handling these tough physical demands it will let you know, because back pain and fatigue will start compounding. Is your body prepared to handle the stress being placed on it?

A Side Plank A Day Keeps Back Pain Away Planks, build functionally strong, stabilizing abdominal muscles that allow you to bend, twist and reach with less chance of injury. Beginning an abdominal strengthening program now will prepare you for when your infant becomes a toddler and for those times your toddler becomes antsy and unruly.

Planks can not only give you back your pre-pregnancy abs, but they will prepare your body to deal with being a mom of a toddler! So let's get to the exercise itself.

How to Side Plank:

1) Begin by lying on your left side. Bend your left elbow and place the forearm on the floor directly under your shoulder. Your weight should be supported on the forearm and the left hip. Your right arm should be resting along the right side of your body with the hand resting on the right thigh.

2) Rise up so your body weight is resting on your left forearm and the edge of your left foot. Wear shoes that have a good edge on the sole to avoid slippage once you’re in place. If you find this to be too difficult, start by placing your weight between your forearm and knee. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to move to the more difficult position in which you are supporting your body between your forearm and your foot rather than your knee.

3) Lift your body up as high as you can and contract your abdominal muscles by bringing navel to spine. Attempt to form a straight line from your armpit along the side of your ribs to your hip, and down to your ankle just above your left foot. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds to start with. You can increase to 20 seconds over several weeks, but your goal should be to eventually build up to at least 60 seconds for each slow contraction.

4) Slowly lower your body back to the floor, then immediately rise as high as you can and hold it again. Repeat on the right side. Start with two sets of 10 repetitions on each side.

Helpful Hints:

- Don't hold your breath. This increases abdominal pressure which feels easier, but prevents you from getting the full benefits of the movement. Take a breath and exhale as you are lifting into the bridge.

- Avoid twisting or turning your trunk. This might cause a side strain and slow your progress.

- Stop if you feel back pain Everyone has their own rate of progression. If you feel pain in your back, stop. Try again on the next workout and you'll find your back will start getting stronger. If back pain continues, stop and consult a fitness professional.

Finish with a stretch

After doing your planks, lie on your back, relax, bend your knees with feet on the floor and tilt them from side to side. Do this a few times to lengthen your back and abdominal muscles.

Strong, flexible abdominal muscles are a moms best friend. Start developing yours today with side planks!

Curt Conrad, CSCS, is Founder and President of StrollerFit Inc. an international product and franchise company that helps parents exercise with their babies. He is author of The StrollerFit ExerBook. His companies have helped thousands of clients enjoy better life through better fitness. http://www.strollerfit.com