You can't target specific areas of abs - all ab workouts work the majority of the abdominal wall.
The concept of building the abs stays strong whether for males of females.
girls are very rarely seen with abs, as girls maintain a higher bodyfat percentage than guys.
when you do see girls with abs, they are either ripped (such as female bodybuilders), or they have abs showing due to the muscle's immense size, OR they can show due to genetics.
NEVERTHELESS, the concepts are the same for girls as they are for guys
1) What you eat and drink.
Eat 6 meals a day. Eat natural wherever possible. Minimise carbohydrate consumption in the afternoon&evening&before bed. Don't eat saturated fats. Don't eat simple carbohydrates. Don't eat refined foods. Don't eat chocolates/candies/bakery treats. Don't drink sodas. Don't drink alcohol. Do drink water (8-10 glasses)
2) Cardio.
You can do cardio every day. My favourite form of cardio for fat loss is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). The way this works is as follows.. Say you're choice of cardio is running on the treadmill - don't worry if it isn't, it works for ALL cardio - you start at a jogging pace for say 5 minutes, to get you warmed up. Then increase the speen to a sprinting pace - a pace which you can only maintain for about 30 seconds. After this 20-30 seconds of sprinting, drop the pace to jogging speed again, and stay at this pace for around a minute. Then sprint again (again for 20-30 seconds) then jog, then sprint, then jog, then sprint. Continue this for 15-20 minutes. If done right, you will be exhausted at the end.
The best time for cardio has recently been suggested to be in the morning before breakfast. Your body's insulin (a fat retainer) levels are at their lowest at this time. (Note. If you are reading this and are trying to gain muscle then you should consume carbs immediately after a morning cardio session due to cortisol release).
Morning exercise will also likely fuel you with energy for the rest of your day.
3) Ab workouts.
If you want to try 8-minute abs, then by all means do so. I'm sure you can get a free video on it off kazaa/limewire/something similar.
I do however, as with the ab roller, have to say that the 8-minute ab course is not necessary.
You only need to work your abs 2-3 times weekly. Your abs, like any other muscle you try to build, are skeletal muscle. Therefore if they are to grow, they will require rest & recovery time.
The most simple and perhaps most effective ab workout is the crunch. Not the sit-up. The crunch.
The idea is to bring your upper body into your waist area - you do not lift your lower back - only your upper back! (the difference between a crunch and a sit-up).
As for ALL ab exercises; pace and control are crucial. The slower, and more controlled the movement, the more microtrauma is caused and the more effective the exercise for hypertrophy (muscular growth).
another good exercise is the V-Sit, which Carl devised a very similar version called the ab-swing.
This is done by:
- sit on the edge of a bench or a table with your hands at your side.
- lower your upper body towards the table with your chin close to your collarbone until your upperbody is about an inch or two above the table. at the same time raise your legs with your feet toghether and your knees slightly bent until your whole body is basically parallel to the floor.
- simultaneously bring your upper body and your legs towards each other while keeping your lower leg parallel to the ground, and then lower both your upper body and legs down. until your body is parallel to the ground.
do this slowly and controlled!
one more..
lay on your back (kinky, i know) now bend your knees as if you would to do a crunch. Then stretch forward with your right hand, touch your feet, and return to starting position. Then the same with your left. Repeat until you can tell it's time to stop! And don't drag your body along the floor while doing this movement. Raise your upper body!
That is all you need to know.
The key - nutrition, cardio, ab workouts.
& LOL @ being the third time i've had to paste this in on this forum.
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