abdominal exercises

The 10-Minute Home Workout to Flatten Abs

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At first glance, a full-proof 10-minute home workout to flatten absmight seem a bit unbelievable to you, especially if you’ve been so used to at least 45 minutes of intense exercising. But what if I told you it IS possible?

The first time I heard about it, I couldn’t believe it myself. “If I try it out, what is the worst that could happen,” I thought. I get to shorten my workout time and STILL get six pack abs – I don’t know about you, but that, right there, is a definite win-win.

After doing it for a while, I am pleased to announce that it did work for me. And I’m pretty sure you’d want to hear about how I managed to perform the home workout to flatten abs in just 10 minutes.

If you’re dead-serious about getting six pack abs, then you should be willing to try anything. I’m not suggesting you spend all your money on abs training equipment or ridiculously priced gym memberships. I’m not saying that at all.

This workout program may save you time, but it will require you to push harder. After all, no pain no gain, right?

First thing you need to remember is that you should perform your home workout to flatten abs directly before a meal. Why? Imagine yourself walking through the Sahara desert. After a period of time, you will have the urge to drink.

In like manner, your muscles crave for nourishment right after an intense workout. As you pacify your muscles’ “hunger” with food, you’re actually conditioning them to build more mass. That’s why it would be best if you incorporated a decent amount of protein into your post-workout meals.

For your actual workout, lie down on the floor and start off with about 50 basic crunches. Do them faster than you normally would, but try to maintain your form.

Your home workout to flatten abs doesn’t end there. Immediately after doing your crunches, perform about 25 leg raises before completing another set of 50 crunches. Midway through, I’m sure you’ll start to feel your muscles burning – and trust me, that’s a GOOD THING.

Don’t call it quits just yet because there’s still plenty of time left for 50 reps of bicycle exercises. That makes 25 for each side crunch and knee-bend combination. Finish off with 50 more crunches and you’re good to go.

It may seem hard, but just 10 MINUTES of that is definitely worth it. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, your home workout to flatten abs will soon become a breeze. Push yourself during that small amount of time and you’ll soon enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Men’s Abs – The Truth Behind The Hype

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Perfect men’s abs are everywhere – TV, magazines, billboards. Toned, ripped abs are the hallmark of male physical perfection. Our culture has become obsessed with the abdominal region, and while self-improvement is a good thing, unhealthy fixation is not.

Every day, people all across the world head to the gym for hours of crunches to get stellar abs. Go into the fitness section of any bookstore and you’ll see dozens of books promising to reveal the secret of six pack abs.

Do you know what’s real and what’s just hype?

Before you being an abdominal workout routine, here’s the facts:

  1. The only way to “spot reduce” fat is with surgery.
  2. For your abdominal muscles to be seen, your body fat percentage must be less than 10%.
  3. Reducing fat and building or maintaining muscle requires a long-term regimen of diet, cardio, and toning exercise.

The “Spot Reduce” Fat Myth

Some machines, diets, and gimmicks will tell you that it is possible to use their product to melt the fat right off your belly. Doctors and fitness experts agree that it is simply not possible to reduce fat in one specific area, such as men’s abs, without the aid of surgery. While you can target certain areas of your body with exercise, this will only make them stronger – it will not reduce fat.

Many men are confused, thinking that they can remove belly fat through sit-ups, or increase abdominal definition with diet. Professor Peter Lemon, of Kent State University, has studied the link between food and exercise extensively, and regarding the theory of spot fat reduction he says: “It’ll never work. You might improve abdominal strength, but that alone won’t get you the results you want.”

Body Fat Percentage

No matter how strong your abs are, if they’re covered in fat you won’t be able to see them. In reality, many men’s abs aren’t in too bad shape to begin with – they’re just covered in fat! Click here to calculate your approximate body fat percentage…

Dr. Lentz, another fitness expert, says “In most men, fat around the abdominals is the last thing their bodies burn off. Aerobic exercise is what gets your body to start burning it.”

You should start with about 30 minutes, 3 times a week of something like:

  • Power Walking
  • Bicycling
  • Rowing
  • Martial Arts

Long-term Regimen

To reduce fat and build your abs, you need to change your diet and increase your metabolism. A good way to start is by lowering your fat and sugar intake, increasing the amount of protein you consume, and beginning a cardio workout routine. After you have that down, then you should begin a targeted abdominal training exercise program.

Just stick to your diet, perform regular cardio workouts, and keep training those abs. Soon that potbelly will disappear, and you’ll have rock solid abs, too. Click here for the program that helped me finally get abs after years of struggle…

What other myths have you realized? Share your personal views by adding your comments below.

2 Quick Abs Workout Tips for Quick Movers

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A quick abs workoutis just the thing you need to flip your life around. A slamming body will give you such confidence and inspiration that it almost feels like you can do ANYTHING.

When someone says “sexy,” you think “six pack abs, long legs, nice butt, sultry curves, slender neck, and toned arms.” Everything sounds good, but that first one – six pack abs – is really the icing on the cake. Once you have it, you’re probably fit and toned all over anyway.

So, how do you get ripped, wash board abs? More importantly, how do you go about a quick abs workout routine that’s fast, convenient, and very effective?

The secret is to identify the areas of your life that need some serious revamping. That usually consists of two things – your diet and your level of physical activity.

Before you sign up for expensive one-on-one fitness trainings or pay for gym membership, start where it wouldn’t cost you any money at all. Sometimes, something as simple as eliminating soda from your diet can get you really fast results. This leads us to delve deeper into the first quick abs workout tip:

1. Re-evaluate Your Diet.

Bad eating and drinking habits, such as consuming absurd amounts of alcohol, sugary treats, fatty foods, and, yes, the devil in a can also known as soda, should go out the door and stay there. For good. Every time you eat or drink these palatable decoys, you’re actually setting yourself up for failure.

When you’re hungry or if you feel like snacking, why don’t you go for healthier, much more filling options like vegetable sticks, fruits, or nuts? They’re equally tasty and readily available as the junk I’ve mentioned before. By choosing the right foods and eating at the right time, your quick abs workout plan just got a little more full-proof.

Changing your diet for the better is the first step to sexy abs. Taking out excess fat, sugars, and processed meats will ensure a continuously healthy lifestyle. Who knows, maybe you can even convince your friends and family members to join the healthy bandwagon.

2. Make Time for Exercise.

You’re a busy person, I get that. But even busy bodies like Hollywood stars and big-time corporate honchos set aside a few minutes of their day for physical exercise. I highly recommend you do the same with this next quick abs workout tip.

You don’t need to spend hours upon hours on the treadmill or do extreme sports to get washboard abs. 30 to 45 minutes a day, with as little as 2 to 4 times a week will get you six pack abs. It’s up to you to take it up a notch if you really want it bad.

These two very simple yet life-changing quick abs workout tips will not only get you the body you’ve always wanted, but it will also give you self-belief that will help you achieve almost anything.

Top 4 Exercises for Abs

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When you hear the words “exercises for abs,” you probably have these two words in mind: sit ups. Let’s face it, they’re the most common form of abs exercise out there. I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandmother knew what they were.

You have to understand, however, that sit ups aren’t the only moves you can do to get six pack abs. You need to mix them up, add some variety, and do them regularly for you to get fast results.

Combining these abdominal muscle exercises with a total body workout and a well-balanced diet is practically full-proof. If you work hard at keeping these three elements alive in your daily routine, you simply can’t go wrong.

According to a recent study, bicycles, weighted sit ups, fully body crunches, and ball crunches are the 4 most effective exercises for abs. Here’s why:

1. Bicycles. Not only does it involve your obliques, upper abdominals, and lower abdominals, but it also works your legs, lower back, and arms. For this exercise, you need to lie on the floor and touch your fingers to your ears. Bend your knees and begin alternating cycling movements with your legs. When your left knee comes up, lift your torso off the floor, twist to the left, and touch it with your right elbow. Simply do the same on the other side.

2. Weighted Sit Ups. These exercises for abs add resistance to your workout, giving your abs a little extra to work with. They’re very similar to regular sit ups so they’re not complicated to do at all. You will need some small weights, like a pair of light dumbbells, and you must secure them on your chest with both hands. Now, lift your shoulders off the floor as you would with regular sit ups.

3. Full Body Crunches. Like bicycles, this exercise targets almost the entire abdominal area and works your limbs as well. All you have to do is lie on the floor, bend both knees, and cross your arms over your chest. As you raise your shoulders for that crunch, pull in your knees simultaneously. Go back down and start all over.

4. Ball Crunches. These exercises for abs are responsible for working your entire core while promoting balance. You’ll have a lot of fun with this one, I promise. First, take an exercise ball and sit on it. Roll the ball underneath until your back is resting on it and your thighs are parallel to the floor. Begin doing crunches as you would on a flat surface. The ball’s just there to provide lower back support and make it a little more challenging.

Work these 4 exercises for abs into your fitness program and you can bid farewell to excess belly fat for good.

Stomach Crunches Help

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Stomach crunches help tone your abs, which, in turn, support your spine. They also help you develop toned, sexy abs. If you’re doing crunches, but not getting the results that you expect, then follow this checklist to get back on track.

  • The Crunch
  • Healthy Diet
  • Cardiovascular exercises

The crunch movement can be broken down into a series of distinct phases:

1. Preparation

Warm up before you start doing crunches. A brisk walk will do the trick well. Make sure that you exercise on a comfortable surface, like an exercise mat.

Lie on the floor, with you back and feet planted firmly. Your knees should be bent. Place both of your hands behind your head.

Locate and isolate your lower abdominal muscles. Contract them – they should move up and in. This will help to stabilize your back as you lift. Don’t tense your neck, and try not to bend your lower back.

Now take a deep breath. Don’t forget to breathe using your diaphragm.

2. Lift (Stomach Crunch)

Slowly lift your upper back, shoulders and neck off of the floor. Keep your head supported with your hands, but don’t pull on it. Get to an angle of about 30 degrees off of the floor.

You need to restrict the lifting to the abdomen only. Don’t use your hands, or arms, to lift yourself up. Don’t tense your neck either – use your hands to support your head.

Make sure that you look ahead, almost at the ceiling. This will help you keep your neck and back in line. Keep your chin off of your chest, pretend there is an orange under your chin.

While lifting, keep your abdominals tensed, and breath out slowly. Exhale, until you come to the end of your breath. This will help you keep proper tension in your abdominals while you incline in a safe manner.

3. Return

Breathe in as you descend. Don’t forget to support your head just as before. Don’t use your arms, and keep your chin off of your chest. You should breathe at a rate that will finish when you reach the floor.

Additional Advice:

If you still aren’t seeing results, you may have to reexamine your diet. Crunches only tone your abs, they won’t strip the fat off of them. With a proper diet, you can melt that fat away. Avoid fatty foods, get lots of protein, and moderate carbs.

Cardiovascular workouts are an important base for any exercise program and diet. Go running, walking, or swimming. This will make your exercises more effective, and help burn off fat.

Stomach crunches help to tone abs, but only when properly performed. Now, you should know what has been holding your abs back.

Learned something that I have missed here? Feel free to add them by leaving your comments below.