Health and Medical

Summertime is here and most of us will go to the beach. Since it is the beach you would like to wear the swimsuit that you bought last year. The dilemma would be do you have the abs to show off? Or you are having second thoughts because of the flab? We may not want a rock-hard, six-pack abs but no less than abs that are lean enough to be shown in swimsuit. In this article we are going to discuss the things to do and the exercises that will focus on toning your abs.

There are several moves that are good for toning your abs. For your information, regular sit ups are not included in the list. This exercise is not recommended because can cause back strain. Putting your hands behind your neck while exercising the regular sit ups can also cause neck injury. What happen usually is not letting your abdominal muscles to do the work of bring your back to your knees, your hands would tend to pull your neck to bring your chest and torso towards your knees. This can cause a neck problems rather than giving you a flat abs.

In top position of the most recommended abdominal exercises is the bicycle exercise. Based on the name itself, your body will move like it moves on a bicycle except that you‘re lie on your back. Put your back on the floor and raise your legs around 45 degrees, spread your fingers beside your head (remember not on the neck), and upper part of your body will work reversely as you “pedal.” Meaning when you bend your right knee towards your torso, your abdominal muscle should contract and pull your upper body until your left elbow touches the raised knee. Then do it vice versa. This exercise focuses on toning your lower, upper, and the side abs or the oblique.

The second exercise is the captain’s chair. In this exercise, you need to have a chair that is sturdy and safe for you to hold on to. Lay your back comfortably on the chair and let your abdominal muscle work and elevate your knees closing to your upper part of your body. This exercise directs to all the abdominal parts.

The next exercise is crunching an exercise ball. Your lower or mid back area should be balanced while resting on the ball, in an inclined position. Feet flat on the floor, arms crossed on your shoulders then again, lift up your upper body using contraction of your abdominal muscle from the ball. This exercise will focus on your upper abs.

The next exercise is the reverse crunch. From the term itself again, instead of bringing your upper body towards the knees, you are raising your bent legs up. You will also need to lie on the floor, raise your legs and bend the knees to make an inverted right angle. Once you are on this position, you will raise your legs again as if you are trying to reach the ceiling.

These are the exercises recommended to tone your abs but don’t forget that it is also important to have a good diet to shed off the extra fats and do aerobic exercises to burn the calories. Exercise goes hand-in-hand with diet.

Filed under: Diet, Weight Loss