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ab toning
- Thread starter mlong2288
- Start date
You can do crunches/situps/ or the ab-gizmo-of-the-week all day every day and it won't give you great abs if your diet and total workout aren't in check.
Focus on clean diet, strength training, and cardiocardiocardio. There is no one perfect ab exercise or machine that will magically tone your abs.
Focus on clean diet, strength training, and cardiocardiocardio. There is no one perfect ab exercise or machine that will magically tone your abs.
I'm sure Niceone is a nice guy, but that really does not sound like a legitimate claim. Muscles either contract or they don't - the only real thing you control is what percent of muscle fibers within the muscle are recruited...
Everyone has already mentioned the fact that you have to get rid of the fat over the abs in order to get a 6-pack. So I won't get into that.
However, here are some exercises to bring that 6-pack out. Your muscles cannot get any bigger than you let them, and they don't pop out unexpectedly. Just stop adding weight when they're as big as you want them! Make sure you actually do add weight, though - one of the things that bugs personal trainers most (aside from people doing crunches trying to get rid of fat) is when people do dozens of crunches when they could just add some weight and be done sooner.
The abdominal region is comprised of a variety of muscles that function in different ways:
- The first is flexion, where the abs curl the lower spine. An example is crunches. If you find you can do a ton of crunches in a row, move to a pulley machine to make crunches harder. http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.html
I would discourage you from using most "ab machines", (designed specifically for abs) including the gym machine where you push your body against a bar. They usually isolate certain muscles at the expense of other abdominal muscles.
- The second is stabilization. The endurance muscle fibers of your abs keep your pelvis and posture in alignment. Most people need work on the stabilization of the pelvis. The collection of muscles which do this are often incorrectly referred to as the "lower abs". In actuality, there is a group of muscles there, including the hip flexors.
To exercise the "lower abs", lie down with your back on the floor and legs straight up towards the ceiling. Then tilt your pelvis so your lower back is flat on the floor. Keeping one finger under your lower back to make sure your back stays flat on the floor, lower your legs, one at a time, down to the floor. If your lower back comes up, bring your legs back up to the top. Eventually you will be able to lower both legs at once all the way down while keeping your lower back flat. Eventually you'll be able to do this while keeping your back flat: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/WtHangingStraightLegHipRs.html
- Next comes the inner and outer obliques. These are exercised with anything that requires a twist. See her twist? http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/WtInclineTwistingSitUpX.html
-In order to make the fat that covers the obliques look smaller, most people actually start exercising the Quadratus Lumborum. First, exercises for muscles will not make fat look smaller. However, exercising this muscle is good. It moves the body from side to side: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/CBSideBend.html
- However, if you really want to tighten up your waist, it is good to work your lower back: (start with low weight)http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBBackExtension.html
Also, the transverse abdominus is important:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/TransverseAbdominus/AbdominalVacuum.html
Finally, don't forget that squats, lunges, and anything that requires your abdomen to stabilize heavy weight is good for your abs.
Everyone has already mentioned the fact that you have to get rid of the fat over the abs in order to get a 6-pack. So I won't get into that.
However, here are some exercises to bring that 6-pack out. Your muscles cannot get any bigger than you let them, and they don't pop out unexpectedly. Just stop adding weight when they're as big as you want them! Make sure you actually do add weight, though - one of the things that bugs personal trainers most (aside from people doing crunches trying to get rid of fat) is when people do dozens of crunches when they could just add some weight and be done sooner.
The abdominal region is comprised of a variety of muscles that function in different ways:
- The first is flexion, where the abs curl the lower spine. An example is crunches. If you find you can do a ton of crunches in a row, move to a pulley machine to make crunches harder. http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.html
I would discourage you from using most "ab machines", (designed specifically for abs) including the gym machine where you push your body against a bar. They usually isolate certain muscles at the expense of other abdominal muscles.
- The second is stabilization. The endurance muscle fibers of your abs keep your pelvis and posture in alignment. Most people need work on the stabilization of the pelvis. The collection of muscles which do this are often incorrectly referred to as the "lower abs". In actuality, there is a group of muscles there, including the hip flexors.
To exercise the "lower abs", lie down with your back on the floor and legs straight up towards the ceiling. Then tilt your pelvis so your lower back is flat on the floor. Keeping one finger under your lower back to make sure your back stays flat on the floor, lower your legs, one at a time, down to the floor. If your lower back comes up, bring your legs back up to the top. Eventually you will be able to lower both legs at once all the way down while keeping your lower back flat. Eventually you'll be able to do this while keeping your back flat: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/WtHangingStraightLegHipRs.html
- Next comes the inner and outer obliques. These are exercised with anything that requires a twist. See her twist? http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/WtInclineTwistingSitUpX.html
-In order to make the fat that covers the obliques look smaller, most people actually start exercising the Quadratus Lumborum. First, exercises for muscles will not make fat look smaller. However, exercising this muscle is good. It moves the body from side to side: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/CBSideBend.html
- However, if you really want to tighten up your waist, it is good to work your lower back: (start with low weight)http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBBackExtension.html
Also, the transverse abdominus is important:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/TransverseAbdominus/AbdominalVacuum.html
Finally, don't forget that squats, lunges, and anything that requires your abdomen to stabilize heavy weight is good for your abs.
Joey007 said:in addition,
when doing your ab exercises, do it in a slower momentum, helps to stimulate the smaller muscles, **also a quote from Niceone* "should result in a smaller waist" otherwise wouldn't be targeted if you were to do it fast as you can.