20 Tips for Tighter Abs

Tips for Tighter Abdominals

1. Properly Warm-Up – Start each workout by stretching your abdominal area forward, backward and sideways. Also perform exercises that engage your lower back. This prevents injury to your core and the connecting muscles.

2. Breathe Correctly – When doing sit-ups or crunches, breathe correctly. To do so, exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.

3. Keep Your Chin Up – When performing sit-ups or crunches, be sure to keep your chin to the ceiling. Do not allow it to drop to your collar-bone. (1)Throughout the exercise, keep your shoulders down and your neck relaxed. This prevents excessive pressure on your neck and ensures proper form.

4. Start Small -When tackling a large problem, break it into small parts and accomplish each one. That builds a solid foundation, ensuring long-term success. As with building you core, start small, at your fitness level, then build your strength from there.

5. Pay Attention – These exercises are for you. Show how much you value your workouts by focusing on your abdominals as you perform each repetition. Creating a mind-body connection enriches your exercise time and gives you a greater abdominal workout.

6. Perform Kegel Exercises- Kegel exercises engage the pelvic floor by using the transverse abdominis and lower back. The best way to do these exercises is to pretend you are stopping your urine mid-stream. Squeeze and release. (3)

7. Enhance Your Sit-Up – Most of us know how to perform a sit-up: lie on your back; bend your knees; place your fingers tips behind your ears; and raise your upper body to a sitting position. To enhance your crunch, keep your ribcage contracted as you perform the exercise.

8. Work All Sides of Your Core (2 ) – Perform abdominal exercises that work the core in all planes: frontal, Sagittal and transverse planes. This ensures balance of the core muscles.

9. Intensify Your Workouts – Once you have a strong core, add to your workouts by grabbing a pair of dumbbells. The added weight gives your abdominal exercises the needed kick to burn the extra fat and create your six pack.

10. Vary Your Core Exercises – Performing exercises such as plank holds or plank jacks, engages more of the abdominal muscles. They can be added to any sit up or crunch routine.

To perform a plank jack, lie on a floor face down, come onto your toes and your elbows. Support your body by maintaining a straight line. Do not let your back sway. Jump your feet out and in, as if you were doing a standing jumping jack.

11. Strengthen Surrounding Muscles – To assist with core development, strengthen the muscles connecting to them such as the gluteal muscles, hamstrings and quadriceps. Squats, lunges and bridges are great exercises to perform.

12. Strive for Muscle Balance –Each muscle group has an opposing muscle group: biceps and triceps, quads and hamstrings, chest and upper back. The abdominal muscles are no different. Be sure to incorporate lower back strengthening exercises to balance any core work.

13. Use Balancing Equipment – Balancing equipment such as a stability ball, Bosu ball or balance board increases the effectiveness of core exercises.

14. Vary Exercise Speed – When performing sit ups, crunches or plank exercises, vary the speed of the repetitions. Going slowly, moderately, or at a quick pace ensures the muscles won’t get used to your routine and will continue to grow.

15. Shake It Up –The body adapts quickly to a routine. Be sure to change it up every few weeks. This allows the muscles to grow and strengthen continuously.

16. Time Under Tension–Keeping your abdominals flexed or engaged throughout the entire exercise, increases the effectiveness of them.

17. Work Backwards – Try starting workouts with oblique work or all-over core exercises. Many people focus on the upper part of the abdominal muscles. By selecting exercises that engage the full abdominal wall, a more balanced workout is achieved.

18. Take a Class – Join a Yoga or Pilate’s class. The posing, stretching and mind-body connections strengthen the core without breaking down and rebuilding muscles.  If you’d rather do Yoga from home, you can’t go wrong with Yoga Burn!
    

19. Six-Packs Are Made in the Kitchen –Nutrition is 80%, exercise is 10% and genetics is 10%. Strong abdominals begin in the kitchen. A proper diet must be established and maintained consistently over a period of time to develop a six-pack.

20. Remember to Rest– Remember to Rest (4) – All fitness routines require a day of rest. Be sure to rest the abdominals. In addition, be sure to get enough sleep to allow proper recovery.

 

References

1. http://www.shape.com
2. http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/express/flat-abs-fast-at-any-fitness-level/
3. http://www.bodybuilding.com
4. http://www.active.com