5 Exercises to Work Your Abs to Exhaustion

 Ready to really sculpt your abs? Skip the crunches and challenge your core with these super tough ab moves.

 So you've been at the gym, doing crunches like it's high school gym class all over again, and the results have been—well, disappointing. Sound familiar? That's because when it comes to ab exercises, crunches are pretty basic, boring stuff. But you're not a beginner, and your workouts should never be boring.
The solution? It's time to push your abs to exhaustion—and fight the flab—with new ab exercises that are anything but routine. And it's not just a six-pack you'll get: Maintain strong abs, and you’ll help prevent back pain, boost your agility, and increase your flexibility, says Tom Holland, exercise physiologist and author of Beat The Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag.

 But no matter how tough these exercises get, always remember the golden rule of ab workouts: quality over quantity. If you're still cranking out 2,000 fast-paced crunches a day, you're wasting your time (and maybe even hurting your back). Instead of ripping through the motions, slow down and focus on getting the most out of each rep, Holland says. With slow, concentrated effort, you'll be building up to 30-second sets of quality moves—and admiring those washboard abs you've always wanted—in no time.

 1. SPIDERMAN PLANK CRUNCH 
Start in a traditional plank position with your forearms on the ground and your body perfectly straight. Bring your right knee forward towards your right elbow, then return to the plank position. Repeat by bringing your left knee toward your left elbow. That’s one rep. Alternate sides for a total of 10 complete reps.

Holland says:  “The plank is pretty much one of the only exercises where you’re getting your entire core. You’re working the front and back of your abdominal area at the same time without any equipment. You’re getting your rectus abdominis, your obliques, and your lower back. It’s so simple and effective that you can do it anywhere.”



2. CABLE ROTATION
Stand holding a cable with both hands out in front of you at just under shoulder height. Keeping your arms fixed and straight and your abs engaged, rotate your upper body to the left, then back to center, and then to the right, and then back to center. That’s one rep Alternate sides for one set of 10 complete reps.


Holland says: “This move really targets the obliques and is sports-specific, so it’s great for golfers, tennis players, baseball players, and people who do racquet sports. Make your exercise as close to the movement that you’re going to do in your sport and you’ll get the biggest gain.”




3. BICYCLE CRUNCH
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head, and your legs raised and bent at 90 degrees. Alternate sides by bringing your right elbow towards your left knee then your left elbow towards your right knee, building up to 60 seconds. Try and hold the crunch for a two-count on each side to force a slower, concentrated movement.

Holland says: "With this movement, you’re targeting all three key areas at the same time. It combines a regular crunch, the side-to-side motion that targets the obliques, and the reverse crunch that hits the lower abs."




4. CROSS CRUNCH
Lie on your back with arms and legs diagonally out so that your body forms an "X." Keeping arms and legs straight, bring your right hand towards your left foot, then your left hand towards your right foot, lifting your head, neck, and shoulders off the ground. That’s one rep. Aim for one complete set of 10 reps.

Holland says: “It’s a simple exercise, and you’re safe and supported on the ground. With the legs coming off the floor, you’re getting your lower abs. And because you’re coming at an angle, you’re hitting your obliques and your rectus abdominis, too.”



5. SWISS-BALL ROLLOUT
Kneel on a mat with your hands on a Swiss stability ball. Keeping your back straight and your abs engaged, roll the ball as far away from you can, then slowly roll back to starting position. Aim for two sets of 10 rollouts.

Holland says: “This move is like the ab wheel, but it’s much safer and easier on the lower back. It targets your rectus abdominis because you’re staying in one plane. If you want to add another element, rolling out at a 45-degree angle to the left and right challenges the obliques.”

6 Tips on Seeing your First Six Pack Abs

It isn’t easy to build and create your very own six-pack abs, but it can become an easier process by working smarter. Working smarter means that you’re taking the time to read up on the necessary tips that might help you achieve your goals. Six-pack abs are envied by everyone who desire them. Everyone who desires them wants them!

In this article I’m giving you six tips on how to see your first six-pack abs and smart tips that you can include into your routine.

1. Cheating your Way

Cheat meals, believe it or not, will help you lose more fat and make your six-pack become more visible. Cheat meals help raise an importance hormone called leptin that helps induce weight loss. Higher leptin levels equal more fat loss.

I will show you a way to incorporate a cheat meal during your dieting week and help you raise your leptin levels once again.

Choose a day of the week and designate a specific meal of that day to be your cheat meal. You can even choose a whole day of the week, making it your cheat “day”. This cheat “day” approach will require more a drastic plan. But for the sake of conciseness, we will talk about cheat “meals” instead.

After splurging in whatever your heart desires in one meal, for the rest of the day you should resume to the diet/meal plan prior to having your cheat meal. There’s more to it after the day ends and you start the next day. For the next day, you will have to modify your meal/nutrition plan to accommodate for the surplus of calories you ingested in the previous day in the form of a cheat meal.

We will do that by cutting the amount of calories you initially calculated up for that specific day. Using that number, we will subtract at least 1,000 calories from it. This will create a deep reduction in calories for the following day in order to use up the calories the body is temporarily storing from the major cheat meal. You will want to follow this approach for the next two days. For the second day, I would lower the amount of calories to 500 calories instead of 1,000.

2. Cardio on a Fasted Stomach

Cardio on a fasted stomach is probably the most effective way on burning the most fat off of your abs and body. It is done on a fasted stomach because you are forcing the body to burn stored fat for energy and fuel. You don’t have any food/nutrients in your stomach and this is why your body won’t be able to use energy from that.

Cardio on a fasted stomach is performed in the morning. The morning is the ideal time of the day to do this type of cardio since you’re already coming off a fast which is the hours you spent sleeping last night. Before you jump on the treadmill or perform a circuit of exercises as cardio, you will need to ingest an amino acid supplement or any type of whey protein as a shake.

This ensures that you are not burning muscle for fuel during the cardio workout. After you have taken the necessary supplements, get on a machine such as a treadmill, bicycle, elliptical, or any cardio machine. You may do a HIIT workout as well. Whatever you choose, stick to this plan for a few months and you will start seeing the fat burn off of your body.

3. More Abdominal Exercises doesn’t mean Abs

More abdominal exercises inserted into your workout don’t mean you will be seeing them any faster. Just because you add a stronger engine to your car doesn’t make your car “look” faster.

If you want to make your six-pack visible or more defined, you will need to have a closer look at your meal/nutrition plan and the amount of cardio you do. Remember the saying “Abs are made in the kitchen”. You will need to stick to cleaner foods and count the necessary amount of calories during your day. Instead of doing more abdominal exercises that you “think” are going to make your abs visible, you are going to put more focus on the nutrition plan and requirements.

In order to burn the fat off of your stomach and abs, you’re going to create a caloric reduction. What that means is you’re going to calculate your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) using a helpful calculator. After finding your calories for your BMR, you are going to subtract at least 500 calories from that number that the calculator came up for you.

You just created a caloric reduction in your BMR. Follow this amount of calories each day, for at least three weeks. After three weeks, you’re going to put the necessary inputs of your information into the calculator again and come up with an up

4. Eating 6 Meals a Day won’t make your Abs Appear Faster

If you think that you have to eat six or more meals spaced out two or three hours a day in order to lose fat above your abdominals, you’re partially wrong. Let me briefly explain. Our bodies respond and recuperate the greatest from healthy pressure and stress. Answer this question: When do you think our body needs the most calories and food?

If you said after doing an intense workout or working hard on job, you’re correct. After working hard, do you feel really hungry? I’m sure you do. This is a healthy signal that the body desperately needs calories from the food you’re about to eat.

Think about your nutrition schedule and plan. Are you consuming most of your calories of the day right after your workout? Are you eating fewer calories when you’re sitting at a desk or not moving much at all?

These times your body isn’t as active and you’re not consuming many calories. It would be counterproductive to eat a major chunk of your daily calories when you’re sitting around. During these times, your body isn’t burning that many calories and your body will most likely turn some of the calories into the form of stored glycogen and fat.

5. Build an Overall, Aesthetic Body

It’s one thing to work very hard to finally see your abs, but it’s another thing to have a well-balanced look.  Do you only want an average looking car such as a corolla with just a powerful engine? Or do you want a car that has a powerful engine and looks like it goes fast? The answer is the second one.

When you’re working really hard on achieving to see your very first six-pack abs, you might also consider complementing your abs with an overall, balanced look. Why not take the opportunity of building the other muscle groups and creating your best look ever.

I would give you my best advice for this section and say that you should heavily consider working on the other muscle groups. This ensures that you don’t leave any of them lagging behind in development. Create the “aesthetic” look.

6. More Muscle, More Fat Burn, More Visible Abs

Create a lifestyle geared towards the building of more muscle. More muscle equals better calorie management as well as an efficient metabolism. An efficient metabolism will burn more calories when digesting a set number of calories from a meal. An efficient metabolism will allocate better places for the calories to be burned.

One way to ensure that you burn more calories and fat in a day is to build more muscle. Muscle requires a large number of calories to function. The more muscle you have the more amount of calories will be transported to the muscle and burned there for energy. Surpluses of calories will be handled better by an efficient metabolism and more built muscle.

Create a week-long gym routine, focused around working out with weights in a gym. Barbells, dumbbells, body-weight exercises, exercise machines, etc… all these included into your workout routine will help you build more muscle. Again, building more muscle overall will help you attain your goal in seeing your abs as well as building an overall, aesthetitic look.

10 Simple Morning Exercises That Will Make You Feel Great All Day

 10 Simple Morning Exercises That Will Make You Feel Great All Day
There are lots of studies that show if you do some exercise in the morning, you will be in a better mood all day long. You will have more energy and you will certainly be a better colleague, friend or partner. One psychologist at Duke University has researched the effects of exercise on depressed patients and he has come to the conclusion that exercise has a definite role in treating this condition and has an important role in preventing people from relapsing. According to the New York Times,scientists have now established that exercise also boosts your brain power.

In addition, there are studies from the Appalachian State University which show that blood pressure can be reduced by doing regular morning exercise. So, what is holding you back?

Here are 10 simple morning exercises that will help you feel great the whole day long. You can do them all at home without having to enrol in a gym. As usual, consult your doctor before starting any form of exercise routine if you are new to this.

 

1. Cat Camel Stretch.

Stretching exercises are useful for muscle toning and also preventing arthritis. They can either be dynamic or static. Dynamic ones, such as the cat camel stretch, are particularly useful for doing other exercises in the morning. They are also beneficial at other times of the day, especially after long periods of sedentary work. This one is great for spinal flexibility and is a good warm up exercise.

Kneel down on all fours. Start by rounding your back just like a camel so that your head will try to meet your pelvis. This is the camel position. Then lower and lift your head so that your lower back is arched. This is the cat position. Do these movements slowly and smoothly. About 4 or 5 times.

2. Go for a walk or a run.

This is better done outside so that you can connect with nature, but running inside on a treadmill is almost as good. You can time yourself and increase length and time according to your fitness program. Always have new goals to reach. Start with brisk walking and work up to running. At my age, I am still walking!

The health benefits are considerable. You can build stronger bones and you can help to maintain your weight. Also, you are helping your heart to stay healthy and keeping your blood pressure low.

3. Jumping Jacks.

Michelle Obama is a great fan of this exercise and has become “Jumper in Chief.” They are great for cardiovascular health and also for toning muscles especially the calves and the deltoids.

Stand with feet together. Jump while spreading your arms and legs. Return to first position and keep going! You can start with doing these for 1 minute and then gradually build up to the number you are comfortable with.

4. Abductor Side Lifts. Watch the video below to see how to do this exercise. These muscles are important because you use them everyday to run, get into the car or onto and off a bicycle. They are very important also for your core stability and prevent the pelvis from tilting. Do about 10–15 raises for each side.

 

5. Balancing Table Pose.
This is a classic yoga pose. It benefits the spine, balance, memory and concentration. Start with the table pose (hands and knees). Breathe in before starting each movement. As you exhale, raise your left leg parallel to the floor as you raise the right arm, also parallel to the floor. Breathe in as you lower arm and leg. Repeat for the other side. 10 repetitions on each side is a good starting point.

 

6. Leg Squats.

Not just legs are involved but also hips and knees. Stand with your feet a bit further out from your hips. Arms are out in front of you. Then lower yourself as if you wanted to sit down until you reach a 90 degree angle. You can go down further if you want to. Then return to the starting position. Repeat 15 times for 2 sets for beginners.

The benefits are that these exercises help with knee stability and can benefit the leg muscles such as quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.

7. Push Ups.

You start lying down (face down) but with your body held up at arm’s length. Your hands should be in line with your shoulders. Breathe in as you lower your body. That is fairly easy. Now, as you exhale, you have to get back up to the starting position. An easier version to start with is to bend your legs at the knees so you do not have to lift your whole body.

Beginners may take up to a month to be able to do 100 push ups so you will have to start with a very small number and gradually increase it. This exercise is great for strengthening the chest, shoulders and the triceps. It is a great strengthening exercise for many muscle groups. In fact, most muscles from the toes to the shoulders are being used.

8. Lunges.

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Place your hand on your hips. Take one giant step forward with the right leg. Make sure the knee does not go too far forward, that is, past your toes. The left knee will go down to almost floor level. Alternate the legs as you go on.

Try to a set of between 8 and 12 reps for each leg. It is important to allow for a day of rest, so this exercise should be done on alternate days, especially if you are using weights.

This exercise is great for strengthening and toning the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings.

9. Bicep Curls.

You can do this sitting down so if you spend a lot of time on the phone, this is a great exercise to do. Choose suitable dumbbells or another household object that you can easily hold. Sit down with the dumbbell in your hand. You need to sit forward a bit so that your triceps can lean on your thigh to give you support. Then bring the weighted arm up to shoulder length and then down again. Exhale as you lift the weight and inhale as you lower it. Try to do one or two sets of about ten repetitions for each arm and then switch arms.

These exercises are really useful for toning the arm muscles. In addition, they can strengthen and tone the brachioradialis muscle located in the forearm. These are the muscles we use to pick up things when we flex the arm at the elbow so we use these muscles countless times a day.

10. Bicycle Crunches.

There are numerous crunch exercises for targeting the abs. The bicycle crunch is a variation where you work more muscle groups.

Aim for 15 to 20 reps to start off with.

15 Bodybuilding Tips for Beginners

15 Bodybuilding Tips for Beginners  

1. Stick to Free Weights. Even though the modern gyms are full of fancy and shiny machines, they will not help you build a solid foundation of muscle mass. Dumbbells and barbells are the best when it comes to building muscle and especially for a beginner.  

2. Do Compound Movements. While you might be tempted to try all the possible exercises you see on fitness magazines or websites, you should stick to the basic movements first. Exercises like the squat, the deadlift, the barbell bench press and the military shoulder press should not miss from your routine.

 3. Have a Program and Stick to it. You cannot just go in the gym and do whatever you feel at that moment. You need to have a strict routine and follow it closely. Ask a personal trainer or an advanced bodybuilder to provide you with a program that includes the exact exercises you need to do, the number of sets and the number of reps per set. When you set foot in the gym you need to know exactly what you will do in that training session. 

 4. Don’t Train Every Day. If the person that made you the program knows what he’s doing, your routine should have 3 or 4 workouts per week. As a beginner you don’t need to train more often than that. Spend the other days of the week to rest and recover.  

5. Train Each Muscle Group Every Week. While too many days in the gym won’t help you get bigger, too few workouts are not good either. You need to work each muscle group at least once every week. 

6. Learn the Correct Form of Each Exercise. While you may be tempted to see how much you can lift, you need to start with lower weights and learn the right form of each exercise.  

7. Gradually Increase the Weights. After you master the correct form on each exercise, you need to start increasing the weights periodically. Keep track of how much you lift on each exercise and slightly increase the weight every 2 weeks. This will increase your strength and will lead to muscle gains.  

8. Be Cautious. When you get to the point of using big weights, use a safety belt for lower back protection. You may not have back problems right now, but you don’t want to have them in the future either. 

 9. Eat a Lot of Protein. Protein is essential when it comes to building muscle and can be found in chicken, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products and some nuts and vegetables. Most experts recommend at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for the best results. If consuming enough protein each day becomes difficult, add a protein shake as well.  

10. Be in a Caloric Surplus. In order to build muscle you need to eat more calories than you burn. Use a calorie calculator to find out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and adjust that according to how active you are. If you have a sedentary job you will need fewer calories and if you are very active you will need more.  

11. Eat More Often. Have 4-5 meals per day and eat every 3-4 hours. Avoid being hungry!  

12. Avoid Junk Food. It’s true that you want to gain some weight, but you want that weight to be muscle mass and not fat! Consume quality food like lean proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats and stay away from junk food, lots of sweets and fatty foods. The only time when you should consume fast absorbing carbohydrates (usually foods that have a lot of sugar or white flour) is right after your workout.  

13. Consume Fruits and Vegetables. Besides micronutrients (proteins, carbs and fats) your body also needs micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). So make sure you consume lots of fruits and vegetables each day!  

14. Rest and Recover. Your muscles don’t grow when you work out but when you sleep. So make sure you get enough sleep each night (about 8-9 hours).  

15. Act Like an Athlete. Try to have a healthy lifestyle and avoid as much as possible smoking, alcohol and other unhealthy vices.