10 Easy Ways to Get Lower Abs
1. Bust The Myth , Before you get started
toning your lower abs, it’s important to blow a harmful myth: there is no way
to tone one muscle group or one area of your body; you have to lose fat
everywhere, and build muscle everywhere.
2. Eat Right , Step
one in your quest to get toned lower abs is to eat a healthful, low-fat diet.
Avoid fast food and prepared foods (boxed, frozen, or canned stuff is
«prepared» foods), cut soda from your diet, and add five servings of fresh
fruits and veggies every day.
3. Get Your Cardio ,I’m sure you’re afraid that getting
toned lower abs means a thousand sit-ups and crunches a day, but it doesn’t. At
the top of the list of exercises for lower abs is cardio. How much, and how
often? Aim for four times a week, for 40 minutes. And remember, for cardio to
count, it has to mean your heart is thumping hard for that entire time… good
examples are running or jogging, swimming, rowing, biking or even brisk
walking.
4. Bear Weight (and Don’t Bear Weight!) , Sneak in your cardio and two other
types of exercise, weight bearing and non weight bearing, to get toned lower abs.
Weight bearing exercise is anything that requires you to balance your own body
weight, like running, elliptical, or jogging. Non weight bearing exercise is
something you can sit down for, like biking or rowing. See? You can combine
these with your cardio to multi-task your way to getting toned lower abs.
5. Decline Bench Crunches , Okay, you knew it had to happen…
crunches really are one of the best ways to get lower abs, so you knew they’d
have to show up somewhere on my list. No worries, though… you don’t need to do
a thousand of them a day! Start with these basic decline bench crunches, with
your feet at the high end and your head at the low end. Either cross your arms
over your chest, or put them behind your head, as long as you don’t use them to
complete the crunch. Rise half-way up, then slowly lower yourself back down. That’s
one crunch! Now complete three sets of 12. Don’t have access to a decline
bench? Lie on the ground and put your feet on a coffee table or chair instead.
6.Decline Bench Twist Crunch , This exercise is nearly identical
to the one above, only with a twist… literally! As you’re sitting up, twist at
the waist so your left elbow touches your right knee, and sit back, then when
you sit up again, touch your right elbow to your left knee. Again, do three
sets of 12.
7. Sit-backs ,Finally, something on my list of ways to get lower abs that ISN’T a
crunch… technically. Use the same decline bench, sitting the same way, with
your feet at the top. Keep your abs tight, sitting up, then slowly lower
yourself down, stopping about half-way down. Now sit back up again. It doesn’t
sound like much, but it is… you’ll feel the burn by the time you finish your
three sets of 12.
8. Prone Single Leg Lift,This exercise is a lot harder than
it sounds, so be prepared! Lie flat on your back with your arms at your side.
Now slowly lift one leg into the air, keeping it as straight as possible. Try
your best not to bend your knee, then lift your hips off the ground. Try to
hold this position for as long as you can, aiming for 15 to 20 seconds.
Complete three sets of 12 lifts.
9. Bosu Ball Crunch , Okay, one more crunch and we’re
done with them! You’ll be using a Bosu ball (which looks like half of a large
exercise ball). Sit with the Bosu ball in the small of your back with either
your knees bent, or with your feet on a bench or coffee table. Crunch up
half-way, then sit back again. Complete three sets of 12 crunches… the trick
here is that the Bosu ball keeps you slightly off balance, so you’ll use your
core to keep from tipping over. It’s quite a work-out, one that will definitely
help you tone your lower abs.
10. Leg Lifts , Again, these exercises definitely
belong on my list of ways to get lower abs, even though they don’t sound like
much! Sit on a sturdy bench, holding on to the bench with your hands behind you
for balance and support. Slowly raise your legs, bending at the knee, until
they almost touch your chest. Lower them, straightening your legs, but don’t
let your feet touch the floor before you bring them back up. Keep your back as
straight as possible during the maneuver. Repeat for three sets of 20.
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