Here are the best exercises to strengthen and shape your abs

2023-07-09 16:30:58

There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by glossy magazine covers showing off perfect, chiseled abs to remind you that your waistline might probably be improved. And maybe that sends you back to your mission to burn belly fat with abs exercises.

Maybe you stand a little straighter and tuck in your belly a little more. But often you are left with the nagging feeling that this is not possible. Indeed, while almost everyone wants to have beautiful abs, no one seems to know exactly how to get them. For most people, they become almost mythical, like unicorns. Finding a Unicorn Seems Easier Than Getting Six-Pack Abs

However, there are proven ab exercises that can strengthen and define your midsection, as long as you also take care of the diet side of the ab equation. For some, this may mean learning how to lose 10 pounds while beginning specific exercises that target the core. We will find out more.

Where did we go wrong with our average size?

How did we come to be obsessed with this particular body part? In the 1970s, you probably didn’t hear regarding “abs” outside of bodybuilding circles. It wasn’t until the late ’80s, with the advent of magazines such as Men’s Health, which capitalized on our vanity with their monthly covers of photoshop-sculpted bare torsos, that our obsession really took off. developed.

Meanwhile, our ever-increasing girth continued to annoy us.

For what ? If you don’t change your body composition and significantly reduce your overall body fat percentage, you simply won’t have visible abs.

The first steps to flat, well-defined abs?

1. Begin training in bursts or high-intensity intervals.

One of the most effective ways to shed unwanted pounds is to practice burst training or high intensity interval training. Abs-friendly, high-intensity interval training sessions are known to be a great way to burn fat in a short time and improve physical performance for athletes of all kinds.

2. Consume fat-burning foods and follow a diet plan rich in them.

Along with this effective calorie-burning workout, you should also consider adding fat-burning foods to your meals. Adding blueberries, grapefruit, and green tea to your diet is effective for fat loss because they contain compounds that help burn belly fat. Sometimes losing belly fat isn’t always as simple as “eating less and moving more.”

What are the types of diets that include these kinds of foods and which, in addition, can promote weight loss? You can try a ketogenic diet, which puts your body into ketosis, a metabolic state in which most of the body’s energy comes from ketone bodies in the blood. This contrasts with the state of glycosis, where blood glucose, the sugar, provides most of the energy. This means your body is burning fat for energy rather than carbs.
Put simply, you can follow a low carb diet which can also turn your body from a fat burner to a sugar burner.

3. Stop Eating Metabolism-Killing Foods

We want to try and kick-start our metabolism rather than slow it down, but that’s exactly what certain foods like fruit juices, cereals, and canola oil can do for many people. These metabolism-killing foods can send your body into a fight-or-flight response, altering the direction of your metabolism and causing multiple health issues, including hormonal imbalance, fatigue, digestive illnesses, and yes. , weight around the waist.

4. Don’t Forget Supplements and Essential Oils

Often, in your quest to lose weight, you rely only on diet and exercise, leaving out two valuable tools. Supplements like whey protein can help you gain lean muscle while losing fat, which is no small feat. Also, you can even turn to essential oils for weight loss. For example, cinnamon oil can balance blood sugar, which can help with weight loss and reduce sugar cravings in the long run.

What are the muscles that make up the abdominals?

Let’s say you’re determined to get chiseled abs. The first step is to figure out what exactly our “abs” are and what they are for.

Let’s take a quick look at what is meant by “abs”:

The rectus abdominis muscle is the relatively large and most visible muscle in your abdominals. Its main task is to move your spine forward and sideways.

The internal and external obliques run along your sides and are key players in trunk rotation.

Well below the surface are the transverse abdominals, which work hard to stabilize your spine.

In other words, multiple muscles make up your core, and a single exercise like the crunch will be an inefficient way to train them.

What’s their point ?

Why should we bother working our abs and trying to strengthen our core? Besides looking better in a bathing suit, there are several compelling benefits. A strong core promotes balance and stability, improves posture and can help eliminate back pain. These reasons alone go far beyond the superficiality of a simple six-pack.

Let’s not limit ourselves to abdominal exercises and look at other exercises to include in your repertoire. There are several sports that can help you strengthen your abs while having fun, without doing abs. Basketball, tennis, volleyball, cross-country skiing, boxing, karate, and wrestling all work the core. If you live near the beach, surfing is a great way to burn calories and exercise your core core muscles. If you live near water but surfing isn’t your thing, kayaking is another great way to work out. Like a kayak, the rowing machine can be used indoors, all year round, whether you are near water or not.

If chronic stress is a problem you need to address, consider taking your gym’s karate class. Not only will this class burn hundreds of calories and challenge your abs through various kicks and punches, but punching a bag does wonders for reducing your overall stress levels. Although not as exciting and not as efficient for calorie expenditure, Pilates has been shown to effectively activate the transverse abdomen and internal obliques.

In the meantime, there are many popular workouts on the market that promise washboard-shaped abs. Many of them push you to your limits, until you get injured or suffer from overtraining syndrome. Plus, some research indicates that these extreme workouts aren’t necessarily good for us either. (8) With a fast pace, advanced movements and little to no rest, these ab exercises are definitely not for beginners. If you suffer from any kind of knee pain or arthritis, it is better to choose an easier option.

The best abdominal exercises

If you’re not ready to take up surfing or kayaking just yet, check out some more traditional moves that you can incorporate into your ab workouts. To keep things simple and effective, all of these movements are body weights. It’s just you and gravity, no extra gear needed. Perform each of the following movements for 30 to 45 seconds, 3 times in a row. Do this routine 3 times a week, pairing it with a burst workout or, at the very least, a walking session.

1. Le V-Up

This move really targets the upper abs. To do this, lie on your back with your arms and legs straight. At the same time, raise your arms and legs off the ground. Your goal is to touch your toes with your fingers.

2. Reverse Crunch

If you’re looking for an effective way to engage your lower abs, this one will do the trick. Lie on your back once more and press your lower back to the floor. Then place your arms along your body, palms down. Lift your feet off the floor and form a 90 degree angle at the knees. Contract your rectus abdominis and raise your legs toward the ceiling.

3. Crossing knees and elbows

To begin this exercise, you need to get into a plank position on your hands and toes. From there, with as much control as possible, tuck one knee into the opposite elbow. Pause for a second, then return to the starting position and switch sides.

4. Floating Kicks

Another exercise for the lower abs! On your back, hands placed under your buttocks, you will simply lift both legs off the ground a few centimeters and alternate small light kicks. This is a small movement, remember it is kicking, not giant kicking.

5. Side Plank

Lie on your side for this exercise, we will use your internal and external obliques. With your arm at a 90 degree angle, make sure your elbow is directly below your shoulder. Next, imagine you’re stuck between two panes of glass, trying to get your whole body to be as straight as possible. With your legs stacked on top of each other, raise your whole body toward the ceiling, supporting yourself on your elbow and lower foot.

Final words…

Despite all the importance society places on a well-defined torso, there’s one very important question you need to answer before you take on your midsection. Is it worth it? While having visible abs may be the envy of your friends, it does not increase your functionality. Indeed, as we have seen before, the fact that you can see them is essentially a by-product of thinness, not increased strength. In other words, a strong midsection is important, but visibility is optional.

The endless quest for leanness necessary to have visible abs can become dangerous for some. Constantly obsessing over everything you eat can lead to you not eating enough to allow your body to heal and repair itself following workouts, or even worse, going into starvation mode. Not consuming enough calories and quality nutrients that your body needs can also wreak havoc on your metabolism.

For women, the consequences can be even more serious. Not eating enough calories can cause hormonal issues and lead to irregular periods. Women with irregular periods may also experience decreased bone mass and are prone to much higher levels of depression and anxiety.

Developing beautiful abs takes hard work and discipline. But there are plenty of other things to do that pay off way more than rock-hard abs. Have you always wanted to learn to play the guitar or learn another language? Fitness should be regarding having fun and discovering all the amazing things your body is capable of.

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