Thursday, October 18, 2007

All-Star Stomach Exercise

There are plenty of stomach exercises out the for those who want to shape their core and strengthen their midsection. This may be both a blessing and a curse. It is easy to find plenty of exercises and routines that work the midsection, but how does one know which ones are any good? Well, listed here are what appear to be some of the best around, according to recommendations by fitness experts. If you want to work on your stomach, but are not sure where to start, then this "all-star team" may be a good jumping off point. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Crunchless Crunch

Regular crunches are great for working the rectus abdominus (the muscles at the front of your stomach), but they do very little for the transverse abdominal muscles deeper in the midsection, plus they tend to put strain on your back and neck. This first exercise corrects that, working the transverse muscles with no back or neck strain. Essentially, it involves trying to pull the belly button in towards the spine. This can be tricky, as it involves using muscles which you may not be used to activating. To start, either lie or on your stomach or kneel. You might want to try both ways and see which helps you feel the exercise better. Relax your body as much as possible, then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button toward your spine. Hold for ten seconds. If holding for ten seconds feels easy, hold for a longer period. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominus. When you feel this, let the contraction out.

Hip Lift

Remain on your back for this stomach exercise. Put your arms at your sides with palms facing up to the ceiling. Put your legs straight up in the air so that the soles of your feet are facing the ceiling and your legs make about a ninety degree angle with your torso. Keep your knees unbent and as straight as possible. Now, contract your ab muscles so that it feels like your belly button is being pulled toward your spine, while at the same time gently lifting your hips off the floor. Raise your hips to height of a few inches, keeping your legs extended straight upward. Hold this position, then slowly lower your hips back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set.

Long Arm Crunch

For this stomach exercise, remain on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Lie back and extend your arms straight back on the floor as though you are reaching above your head. Contract your abs and slowly lift your arms, head and shoulders off the floor to about a thirty degree angle. Hold it, then slowly lower your shoulders back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set. Be careful not to lead with your arms, keeping them straight and alongside your head.
Some other honorable mentions include the vertical leg crunch, torso twists, and any Pilates routine that emphasizes the core. Feel free to research some of these exercises more once you have mastered the three above. Now that you are armed with some of the better stomach exercises, you are on your way to a trimmer tummy!

The Strong Stomach Workout

When beginning an abdominal workout routine, for most people the goal is simple: a flatter stomach. While a smooth, flat stomach looks good, it is less of an accomplishment if the the stomach muscles have not gained any strength. In addition to slimming down around the outer abdominals, it is also important to build strength in the core abdominals. Below are some stomach exercises that work out the core to build strong muscles throughout the abdomen. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Tone Your Torso

Begin this stomach exercise on all fours, knees and hands on the floor. Keep your stomach pulled in and extend your left arm out in front of you (football fans, imagine a referee signaling first down). Keep this arm outstretched as you extend your right leg out behind you. Switch arms and legs, and repeat for an entire set. Take particular care not to let your pelvis sway out of position.

Butt Burner

You will need to lie on your back for this exercise. Use a mat or towel to cushion your spine. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor, and position your arms at your sides. Squeeze your buttocks as you lift your pelvis off the floor. Keep the rest of your body in line. Raise your pelvis to about forty-five degrees, so your upper body from your head to your knees makes a straight, flat ramp. Hold this for three to five seconds before slowly lowering your pelvis back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set.

Crunchless Crunch

This stomach exercise is fairly simple in theory but can be fairly difficult to perform. Essentially, it involves trying to pull the belly button in towards the spine. This can be tricky, as it involves using muscles which you may not be used to activating. To start, either lie or on your stomach or kneel. You might want to try both ways and see which helps you feel the exercise better. Relax your body as much as possible, then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button toward your spine. Hold for ten seconds. If this feels easy, hold for a longer period. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominus. When you feel this, let the contraction out.

Scissor Kicks

This stomach exercise also requires lying on the floor. Position your hands under your butt, keeping your back pressed against the floor. Slowly raise one leg to a height of about ten inches, then slowly lower it back to the floor. As your lower one leg, raise the other. Repeat this motion for an entire set. Maintaining control throughout is important, not allowing momentum to get the better of you. Your upper body should remain on the floor through the entire move.

These are just a few of all the strength building stomach exercises out there. If you are looking to build strength in your midsection, look for any exercise that works your core, especially the transverse abdominal muscles. Many components of Pilates are good for this also.

Lose Your Belly by Improving Your Posture

Everyone knows the children's song about the leg bone being connected to the hip bone,
but how many people really take it to heart? Obviously, everyone knows that the leg bone does in fact
attach to the hip bone; that's not the point. Probably not many people really stop to think about
how related and interconnected the parts of the human body really are.

In an illustration of this point, the back and stomach muscles are all affected by one another as
they form a girdle around the lower torso. It stands to reason, then, that your posture affects
how your tummy looks, and the strength of your stomach muscles affects your posture.

Stand Up Straight
This first step to losing a belly is to stand and sit up straight.
This actually has a few different effects. First of all, slouching accentuates belly fat,
so simply sitting up will make you appear slimmer. Second, proper posture help improves the strength of
your back, which of course makes it easier to maintain proper posture longer.
Third, poor posture leads to back pain, which makes stomach exercises difficult.
Having good posture will make it easier for you to work out your stomach muscles and whittle down
that belly. Lastly, a nice straight posture enhances blood flow throughout the body,
particularly to the legs and lower back, both of which are involved in many stomach exercises.
So,if you are trying to lose a belly, the first step is to simply sit and stand up as straight as
possible as often as possible. Do that, and you are already on your way!

Back Extension
For the reader familiar with the crunchless crunch, this move will seem similar but backwards.
For this exercise, you will need to start by lying on your stomach with your forehead on the floor.
You may use a mat or towel to cushion your pelvis and head.
Position your arms by your sides, palms up.
Contract your back muscles to lift your torso off the floor.
Hold the contraction briefly, then release and slowly lower your torso back down to the floor.
Repeat for an entire set.

The next part of this exercise begins by extended your arms out above your head
(picture a superhero flying through the air). Now lift your legs off the floor simultaneously
while keeping your head and arms held in place. Try to imagine your legs growing longer as you are
lifting them up. Hold your legs up briefly, then slowly lower them back to the floor.

Doing these two things will help you strengthen your back and correct your posture,
which are great first steps to losing an unwanted belly. You will also want to continue working on
your back muscles and other core muscles, such as the transverse and rectus abdominus.
Stomach exercises that work the core will help you straighten up your posture, lose belly fat,
and gain muscle tone in both your back and tummy. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a
professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

How To Target Your Stomach With Yoga

Introduction

Yoga is a great part of any wellness routine, as it has the ability to both reduce stress and exercise the body.
If you are trying to use yoga to target your midsection, well, that can be done.
There are a number of yoga positions (called asanas) which exercise the stomach muscles.
Bear in mind that some of these are more advanced than other.
Assess your own skill and comfort level before trying certain asanas. If you are not sure you are able to do one asana,
start with one that seems easier and work your way up once you have belt some strength and flexibility. As with any workout routine,
e sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Pavan-Muktasan

To perform this stomach-exercising asana, first lie flat on your back. Use a yoga mat of towel to cushion the spine.
Bend both knees up to your chest so that your thigh touches the stomach. Hug your knees in place and lock your fingers.
Now lift your head up so your nose meets your knees. Take a deep breath and hold it for thirty seconds before releasing
and slowly lowering back to start. This exercise can also be done one leg at a time.

Bhujangasan

For this stomach exercise, remain on the floor, but roll over on to your stomach. Position your hand under your shoulders.
Now, using your back muscles, raise your upper torso off the ground to that your head is upright.
Be careful not to push with your hands. You want the muscles in your back to be doing the work.
Hold this posture for thirty seconds, then lower yourself back to start. Even though you are using your back muscles to lift your upper body
performing the asana will assist in reducing belly fat and flattening your tummy.

The Bow

This stomach exercise is pretty similar to the previous asana, but more involved. It starts from the same position lying on your stomach,
but in this exercise you curl your legs upward in addition to lifting your upper torso.
Bend your knees so that the soles of your feet come up toward your head. Grab your ankles and pull
with your hands and push with your legs
until only your stomach is on the floor. Your body should feel sort of like it is making a circle.
Your knees should remain together throughout the exercise. Hold this position for thirty seconds before releasing and returning to
starting position.

Paad-Pashchimottanasan

Now that you have read the name of this asana, try not to be intimidated-- it is less complicated in practice than in pronunciation.
It does, however, require a fair amount of flexibility, so you may want to start with something easier and build up to this one.
Start by lying on your back with your legs straight and arms overhead.
Your body should be straight from head to toe with all limbs extended.
Point your palms up to the ceiling and put your hands together.
Contract your stomach muscles to sit up, keeping your back straight and hands overhead. Bend forward and grab your toes with your hands,
putting your head between your arms so it touches your knees. Hold the position for two minutes before releasing.