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Health
Crunch Your Abs, Not Your Wallet
The best exercises for flat abs right from your living room!
We as a nation are spending millions of dollars each year on the quest to developing a flat stomach. The more money we spend, the fatter we are getting. The truth is you do not need to do a hundred crunches a day or use complicated equipment to develop a six-pack. Here is an abdominal workout that you can do three times a week at home in your living room that is easy, free and effective!
The keys to developing a toned and sculpted middle are:
Your rectus abdominals are your superficial muscles that will look like a six pack when you are lean and strong. To work them, we do forward flexion and extension. For your love handles or muffin tops, we need to work the obliques by doing side flexion. And finally, the deep core muscles that act like an internal girdle for all of your organs are your transverse abdominals, which we work by doing twisting movements.
Not only do toned abs make you look great, but more importantly, strengthening your core this way will reduce any back pain you may have and reduce your risk of injury, and improve your posture.
Skipping or marching on the spot to begin for warm up - 3 minutes
For each exercise try to complete 12 reps.
STANDING OBLIQUES
In a wide ballet squat, arms are up over the head holding a water bottle or detergent bottle or towel. Bend to one side and recruit your obliques by pulling them altogether and in to return centre. Repeat other side.
STANDING TRANSVERSE TWIST
In a wide sumo squat, push off one leg and bring that knee into the body as you allow your upper body to twist toward your knee. This works your core stability and transverse abdominals. Repeat 12 times each side.
PLANK
On your elbows with feet together, inner thighs squeezing together, you hold and engage in a static position, trying to increase the amount of time you can hold it. Start with a 20 second hold and work your way up to one minute! As the low back starts to get tired take a little break and then go up again into your plank.
With the basic plank position we can:
RECTUS CRUNCHES
Begin lying on your back, knees bent. Keep abs tight as you inhale then when you exhale send the air out of the abdominals and pull a quarter way up to the knees. Keep elbows at temples and space between your chin and chest.
PILLOW PASS
Begin on your back. Start with feet and hands in the air looking like a deadbug with a cushion between your heels. Then, lower the legs (as far as you can go without arching the back) and arms behind your head. As you exhale, bring feet and arms back to the deadbug position with your hands reaching toward your toes and take the pillow into your hands. Keep passing the pillow back and forth. Repeat 12 times.
SIDE OBLIQUE LIFTS
Begin by lying on your side with the top leg forward and resting on your elbow. Lift your body off the ground so that your hip is pushing toward the ceiling and then lower with resistance and repeat.
So there are exercises you can do three times a week in your living room to get the abs you always wanted, free of charge! Another way to ELIMINATE THE BARRIERS TO BEING FIT!
To learn more, visit www.sarahrobichaud.com.
We as a nation are spending millions of dollars each year on the quest to developing a flat stomach. The more money we spend, the fatter we are getting. The truth is you do not need to do a hundred crunches a day or use complicated equipment to develop a six-pack. Here is an abdominal workout that you can do three times a week at home in your living room that is easy, free and effective!
The keys to developing a toned and sculpted middle are:
- Cardio vascular exercise along with a healthy diet will help to diminish fat around the middle and the following exercises will help to develop a sculpted and strong core.
- Working the three different areas of the abdominals.
- Stress reduction, to minimize the effects of cortisol in the body (which is the stress hormone which contributes to belly fat).
Your rectus abdominals are your superficial muscles that will look like a six pack when you are lean and strong. To work them, we do forward flexion and extension. For your love handles or muffin tops, we need to work the obliques by doing side flexion. And finally, the deep core muscles that act like an internal girdle for all of your organs are your transverse abdominals, which we work by doing twisting movements.
Not only do toned abs make you look great, but more importantly, strengthening your core this way will reduce any back pain you may have and reduce your risk of injury, and improve your posture.
Skipping or marching on the spot to begin for warm up - 3 minutes
For each exercise try to complete 12 reps.
STANDING OBLIQUES
In a wide ballet squat, arms are up over the head holding a water bottle or detergent bottle or towel. Bend to one side and recruit your obliques by pulling them altogether and in to return centre. Repeat other side.
STANDING TRANSVERSE TWIST
In a wide sumo squat, push off one leg and bring that knee into the body as you allow your upper body to twist toward your knee. This works your core stability and transverse abdominals. Repeat 12 times each side.
PLANK
On your elbows with feet together, inner thighs squeezing together, you hold and engage in a static position, trying to increase the amount of time you can hold it. Start with a 20 second hold and work your way up to one minute! As the low back starts to get tired take a little break and then go up again into your plank.
With the basic plank position we can:
- rock forward and back
- twist side to side
- bring knees up into mountain climbers
RECTUS CRUNCHES
Begin lying on your back, knees bent. Keep abs tight as you inhale then when you exhale send the air out of the abdominals and pull a quarter way up to the knees. Keep elbows at temples and space between your chin and chest.
PILLOW PASS
Begin on your back. Start with feet and hands in the air looking like a deadbug with a cushion between your heels. Then, lower the legs (as far as you can go without arching the back) and arms behind your head. As you exhale, bring feet and arms back to the deadbug position with your hands reaching toward your toes and take the pillow into your hands. Keep passing the pillow back and forth. Repeat 12 times.
SIDE OBLIQUE LIFTS
Begin by lying on your side with the top leg forward and resting on your elbow. Lift your body off the ground so that your hip is pushing toward the ceiling and then lower with resistance and repeat.
So there are exercises you can do three times a week in your living room to get the abs you always wanted, free of charge! Another way to ELIMINATE THE BARRIERS TO BEING FIT!
To learn more, visit www.sarahrobichaud.com.
