“Crunches. He’s going to tell me to do lots of stomach crunches isn’t he? Man if I hurt my neck doing another pointless crunch I swear I’m gonna….” That is what many people think when they first hear someone telling them the secret to flat toned abs. And I’m right there with you. Crunches are boring, unproductive and shockingly ineffective compared to the two techniques I’ll reveal later in this article.
The truth is the most effective abs exercises are performed Standing Up. But no gym instructor or personal trainer will tell you that and the reason is, most don’t know. Pilates and stability ball instructors are perhaps closer to the secret of the six pack than anyone else. In both, you are taught basic pelvis and abdominal tension, but they never get further than that. They never get to the good stuff.
The secret to a well toned waist, a firm trim tummy, and strong sexy six pack – is all contained in 1 word - Isometrics. Isometrics, defined as the contraction of a muscle without moving the joint, is the scientifically proven fastest way to build strength and muscle.
Before I explain step by step how to perform an isometric contraction for the waist I wasn’t to explain a little bit about the actual muscles you will be working. One you will be familiar with, and it’s the less important of the two. The other, well it’s crucial for developing a flat stomach.
In the following exercises we will be working the Rectus abdominus and the Transverse abdominus. The Rectus is commonly called the six pack. It’s a sheet of muscle running from the base of the rib cage (sternum) the pelvis. It gets the six pack look from the tendons running across it. Here’s the thing though – the rectus naturally curves outwards when developed – meaning you get a muscle belly!
So how do you keep it in tight and flat and develop the coveted washboard look? That is where my friend the transverse abdominus comes in. He connects the rectus to the lower back and effectively pulls the abs inwards, towards the spine. The problem is very few people even realise they have one, and those that do don’t know how to train it.
Well here’s how….
The 7 Second Stomach Flattener
1. Stand or sit tall and straight. 2. Breathe in and as you do so pull in your stomach. 3. Keep this tense and held in place 4. Contact the abs as hard as you can, you rib cage will dip down slightly and your pelvis may rotate upwards 5. Breathe out making an “sssss” – this will cause inter-abdominal contraction 6. Continue this for 7 seconds. 7. Once finished keep the stomach in tight and repeat ten times. 8. Do NOT relax the stomach until completely finished all 10 reps.
The All Natural Tummy Tucker *Do this ONLY on an Empty Stomach*
1. Stand up straight with your feet wider then shoulder width. 2. Exhale all the air form your lungs 3. As you do so bend over as though trying to touch your toes 4. Once you are as low as you can bend and have breathed out all the air you can, pull in your stomach as much as you can 5. Hold this tension and slowly stand up 6. You want to keep you stomach in as tight as you can 7. Tense your stomach keeping it in tight. 8. Hold for ten seconds. 9. Slowly relax and capture your breathe 10. Repeat 10 times.
That’s it. You just need those two exercises and they can be performed virtually anywhere. You can practice in the shower, in the car, in the office, anywhere.
Now I will mention one thing – you won’t see visible results if you have a high body fat %. You will of course feel the results and quickly too. Your stomach will naturally begin to pull inwards, and become firmer. But guys you need your body fat % close to 8% and gals you need it about 12% to really see chiselled definition.
The best way to do this is enjoy a nice walk, first thing the morning before breakfast. Refreshing, invigorating and slimming, and combined with these two exercises which will improve digestion and fat burning you’ll be trim and slim in no time.
Copyright 2006 Paul J. O'Brien
About The Author
I'm Paul J. O'Brien, the owner and chief instructor of http://www.isometric-training.com/Article2, The ONLY Online Resource dedicated to Isometrics ' The scientifically proven method for developing rock hard muscle, serious strength and rapid weight loss. Check out http://www.isometric-training.com/Article2 NOW for your FREE fully animated exercise guides and e-book! Don't forget to log your success story to be in with a chance to win 2 weeks FREE Online Isometric Training!
7 seconds to a Flat Stomach - The Truth Behind Toning Your Abs
Labels: flat stomach
Why Almost Everyone Is Wrong About Stomach Exercises And Abdominal Muscles
"Stomach exercises" are among the most frequently asked about and searched on (via internet) yet misunderstood subjects in the entire field of health, fitness and exercise. Regardless of age, experience or gender, everyone wants a flat "stomach" because the abdominal region is the true showcase of your physique. Since the abs are usually the last place to "shape up" and "lean out," then most people would say that if you've got abs, you've got it all. Well, in my way of thinking, this is only partially true. There's more to a complete physique than "abdominal exercises" and "six pack abs" and most people are completely wrong about "stomach exercises" and ""stomach muscles." (you'll find out why in just a moment)... The Difference Between "6-Pack Abs" And Truly "Fit Abs" Having a great looking set of abs is very much a matter of low body fat. But make no mistake, just being lean and seeing a "six-pack" doesn't mean you are strong, fit or conditioned. Real fitness means more than visible muscle development, it means strength, endurance, and stability, and this type of true functional fitness does not come from merely eating the right foods or reducing your body fat. Nutrition is so important that you could even say that "abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym" and you would not be telling a lie. But this clever maxim is not telling the whole truth either. Great abs come from nutrition AND training, not one or the other. The training develops them. The nutrition uncovers them. Don Juan Ponce de Leon arrived in America in 1493 looking for a fountain of youth and today in the "stomach exercise" marketplace, it seems that far too many people are looking for a "magic fountain" in order to flatten their waistlines. Ponce never found the fountain of youth and you will never find a magical solution for flat abs. There are no short cuts. It takes a change in lifestyle to get a change in health, physique and performance. That includes nutrition AND training. There's No Such Thing As "Stomach Exercises" THIS is your stomach! Proper choice of exercise is a critical factor in your quest for a firm and flat waistline. But you will never get a great "stomach" from ANY "stomach exercise" because your stomach is a part of your digestive tract, not your skeletal muscular system! So let's get the terminology straight, shall we? The area of you body you really want to improve is called your "core region." Many people refer to it as the "abdominal region." However, training only with "ab exercise" is NOT the optimal approach. The abdominals only include the front (anterior) side of your body and if the only type of training you do is abdominal training, you may be unwittingly setting yourself up for lower back problems. If you don't think this is serious, then consider this statistic: According to the American Chiropractic Association, more than 31 million Americans are suffering from low back pain at any given time. So would you like to trade great abs for a bad back? I didn't think so. The good news is that you can kill two birds with one stone. You can develop great abdominal muscles, great core muscles and a strong, pain-free back by using exercises that focus not on the "stomach," (which is not a muscle you train at all), not on the "abdominals," (which is only part of the muscles you need to target), but on the entire core. The core is the key to your success. The core is the entire complex of muscles around your hip and waist region from your lower rib cage to the bottom of your pelvis. If you just focus on "abdominal exercises" alone (or "stomach" exercises, LOL), you will develop what I refer to as a "one dimensional body." I focus on training the body as a whole, or "multi-dimensional training" to develop a complete person and to develop effective and powerful athletes. What every program I write has in common is that I do not attempt to "isolate" the abdominals (or train the "stomach muscles!") It's all about the core and about integrating your body as a unit so you function better in daily life. As you do core-focused exercise programs you are improving not only your muscular system but also the systems that drives your muscular system - that is, the nervous system. This may very well be the most important secret for getting better results in your workout programs. The more efficiently your nervous system works, the better your results will be. Core workouts that improve both muscular strength and conditioning while also improving neural drive and develop stronger neural control of the associated muscles. This type of training for your core may very well be the most important secret for getting better results in your workout programs. * THIS is why my "brand" of core training gets results in women who have had C-sections, or other abdominal surgeries when nothing else worked * THIS is why the core exercises I recommend will flatten out a "pooching" belly, which is a result of deep muscular weakness and lack of neuromuscular control (It's NOT just a body fat problem!) * THIS is why my clients have overcome lower back when all else failed * THIS is why my workout program have helped men and women recover from embarrassing incontinence * THIS is how I have helped hundreds of new moms regain their flat and firm midsections after having their babies * THIS is why my clients remain injury free, while so many other training programs are actually the CAUSE of injuries * And THIS is why my type of training - PROGRESSIVE CORE TRAINING - develops amazing athletes - top wrestlers, PGA golfers, and pro boxers with powerful punches and abs of steel. I've written an entire book about core training ("Firm And Flatten Your Abs), which you learn more about on the Flatten Your Abs home page, as well as dozens of articles which you can read elsewhere on this site (or you can subscribe to my biweekly newsletter). The purpose of this article was not to give more workout routines (there are plenty of core training workouts to be found on this site and in my book and lots more to come in upcoming issues of my newsletter). The purpose of this article was to "install" 3 incredibly important lessons into your brain: * You can't train your "stomach" because your stomach is an internal organ of digestion not a skeletal muscle! * You can't totally "isolate" your abdominals because your abdominals do not work in isolation, they work in conjunction with the rest of your body (and "isolation" as with only doing crunches, is not the optimal approach anyway). * You get more by training your core! You become a better athlete, you help prevent injuries, you get stronger and you get that coveted 6-pack abs look. I hope the "morals" of these lessons have already sunk in and will become a part of your own fitness philosophy... and the next time you hear someone talk about "stomach exercises", you'll now be able to get a good chuckle out of that.
About The Author
David Grisaffi is a Sports Conditining Coach and holds multiple certifications including three from the prestigious CHEK Institute: Level II Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiologist, Golf Biomechanic, and Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach. Plus he is also the author of the popular selling e book, "Firm and Flatten Your Abs," which teaches you how to develop a ripped abdominal region. Lean how to shed bodyfat and eliminate low back pain and receive his free newsletter by visiting: http://www.flattenyourabs.net
Labels: Abdominal Muscles, Stomach Exercises
Self Affirmative Exercises for a Brand New You
Positive affirmations, when worded optimally and charged with emotions, are able to tap into the boundless power of the subconscious mind. There are many exercises and techniques that can help you achieve the benefits of positive affirmations, by putting the subconscious mind to work for you. 1. Repetition Constantly repeating the positive affirmations will become a good habit that results in self-improvement. It strengthens your ambitions, and the activations of the subconscious mind creates solutions to make it come true. By repeating your affirmations several times a day in present tense, they will soon become an extension of your daily thoughts, making it easier for your subconscious mind to work on. 2/ Belief If you do not believe in what you are saying, no matter how constantly you repeat it you will not believe in it. This will build up more resistance, and hamper you from achieving your goals. 3. Clearing your subconscious mind Your subconscious mind is overloaded with thoughts and emotions, and you will need o not just create positive affirmations, but eliminate the negative thoughts as well. After you’ve cleared the negative thoughts, you can then move on to inculcating the positive thoughts you would like to see bear fruit. 4. Music Music serves as a tool to amplify your emotions. When positive affirmations are charged with positive emotions, it can produce amazing end results. The use f music tends to make individuals more receptive to new thoughts and positive affirmations. For example, listening to music with a fast beat is liable to get your feet tapping along, and recalling something strongly associated with the theme of the music. 5. Goal When setting goals and repeating them to yourself, it is important to use the present tense, as if the goal has already been achieved. This translates into the use of positive words that reflect the now, and not the future. This is with the ultimate goal that you will over time come to believe it to be true, embedding it into your mind and allowing the subconscious to work. 6. Reminders Constant reminders are a valuable tool for reflecting the positive qualities that you already possess, or have achieved. These constant reminders need to be used regularly to maintain positive feelings and thoughts, and belief in yourself to achieve the goals that you have set out. Make it a part of your daily ritual and incorporate it into your life, so that it gives you a positive vibration.
About The Author
Greg Frost is a coach in helping people unlock the power of their subconscious mind to improve every aspect of their daily lives. Click Here to Grab your Free "Ultimate Success Unleashed" Subliminal Cd today at http://www.chargedaudio.com
Labels: exercise, self affirmative
The life wire
Are you too bbbusy partyingand not get toned?
Then try this;
-stand with your feet apart and a weight on each hand
-Bend into a squat with your back straight
-as you rise ,keep your elbow tucked in and bring the weights slowly to your shoulders.
do this 30 times.
