Archive for the ‘Abdominals’ Category

Fitness From the Pro wants to help you use these abdominal exercises for flat core muscles.

Imagery is a great way to help you achieve that goal of having a flat core.  Fitness From the Pro asks you to imagine yourself with a flat stomach.  Formulate a routine with the following abdominal exercises.  As any other muscle group your abdominals only need to be worked on every other day.  They require a day of rest  for recovery.  The core muscles are what stabilize you entire body.  Having core strength helps support your back.

Abdominal Exercises for a Flat Core

From Fitness From the Pro’s previous article there are three groups of muscles in your abdominal region:  internal and external obiliques, transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis. The following abdominal exercises  helps target these core muscles:

Basic Crunch

1. This core exercise will strengthen the transverse abdominis muscles which are also referred as the upper abdominal muscles.
2. Lay supine and your hands lightly behind your head.
3. Lower back stays in contact with the mat at all times as you pull your belly button into your spine.
4. Your chin is about a fist distance away from your chest.
5. Place both feet flat on the floor with bent knees.
6. Inhale, then Exhale and lift your head, neck and shoulders off the mat as high up as you can while keeping feet on the floor and low back on the mat, while looking up.
7. Repeat slowly.

The Bicycle:

1. The bicycle, bringing opposite shoulder to opposite knee simultaneously is great exercise for obliques!
2. Lay supine.  Keep the low back into the mat.  Pull belly button to your spine.
3. Lift head neck and shoulders off the mat.  Bring your right shoulder to your left knee while extending the right leg straight.  Lower the upper body, then lift and twist the left shoulder to the right knee as left leg fully extends. Each time you lift and twist exhale and inhale on the way down. The slower you do this exercise the more demand you are placing on the abs and the better results.
4. Do not pull on your head and neck.  Control the leg as it extends.
5. Not only will this exercise work on your obliques it will incorporate the upper and lower portions of the core muscles.

Reverse Crunch:

1. Fitness From the Pro is suggesting this exercise for the core as it really isolates the lower portion of your abdominals, the rectus abdominis.
2. This exercise is more advanced and may be difficult at first.
3. Lay supine. Have your hands by your side or place them under the upper portion of your butt for more back support.
4. Extend your legs in the air (you can cross them if you like to make it easier).
5. Upper body remains on the ground.
6. Exhale and lift the extended legs toward the ceiling using only the core muscles.  Lower the legs and repeat. This t is not a big move.
7. As you become more comfortable with this exercise add your upper body to the move to work the entire core region.

There really is no way to spot reduce.  Burning calories with a cardio routine can help to shrink the fat cells while showing off the muscle across the abdominals.  Fitness From the Pro reminds you that no amount of crunches will reduce the fat from your abs only cutting calories and cardio can do that and when that’s gone you have a nice defined, toned and flat core!