abdominals

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

"Hi Fit,
I am frustrated with my abs. Although I am pretty active, eat well, run a lot and pretty toned and all, my abs are a mess! I have very weak abs and that is the only area where I am completely flabby and loose. Not only does the appearance bother me, but mostly because I want strong abs so that my back is strong too. My question is how do I improve the strength of my abs? I try all sorts of things, but thought if I had a little more guidance on how to strengthen them, I can be on my way to being healthier, stronger and having a tight stomach. If you could help I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!"
– Miss Frustrated

This is a great question and I know you are not alone in this quest, so to see my answer read more

Finding your deep abs is essential to training your core and for just about every Pilates exercise in the book. Accessing them, however, can be difficult. Here is the easiest path to discover your transverse abdominus (TVA for short), the deepest of all the abdominals.

• Sit upright in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Align your head over your pelvis while maintaining the natural curve and keeping the spine long. This is no time for slouching. You need to sit in front of a mirror so you can monitor the movement of your shoulders.
• Place your hands on the sides of your waist with your thumbs pointed back and your index fingers forward.
• Inhale into the back and sides of your ribs (imagine a balloon filling up with air), not just your chest, without letting your shoulders rise to your ears. This can take a few tries to master. If breathing this way makes you light headed, take smaller inhales - just don't let your shoulders rise.

Who knew finding something in your own body could have so many steps? For the rest of the steps read more

Kate Hudson's abs are looking fab these days, but can you get abs like that by using the ab machine at the gym?

Ab machines will definitely give your abs (and back) a decent workout, but I wouldn't rely on this machine for head turning abs. The problem with the machine is that it only allows you one position and if your goal is abs like Kate, a good idea would be to work your belly from all angles.

Right now I am loving the full body crunch because not only does it add variety to a boring ol' crunch and it works your abs from several angles, you can also do it anywhere. Here's how: Lie supine (on your back) with knees bent, feet touching floor and hands behind your head. Curl your abs up (make sure to pull your belly button towards your spine and flatten your lower back against the floor), while bringing your shoulders and feet off the floor. Hold for 3 seconds and lower slowly back to starting point to complete one -- Do 3 sets of 15 to start, but work your way up to doing 3 sets of 25.

Fit's Tip: Make sure to breathe on the curling action of the exercise and don't use your hands to push your head up, your abs should be doing all the work.

For motivation on doing full body crunches, i.e. more pics of Kate's fab abs then read more

You all know that I love Pilates. I started practicing the method because of chronic back pain. After trying physical therapy and yoga, it was doing Pilates regularly that got me out of pain. When I say regularly, I mean 5 to 7 days a week. Mr. Joe Pilates said that all it takes is 20 minutes of these exercises a day to keep the core in shape. I can attest to the truth of that statement. I am a walking, dancing, running, yoga practicing, skiing example of the power of Pilates. There are now some studies that prove the benefits of Pilates as a rehabilitative tool.

Queen's University School of Rehabilitation Therapy studied physically active 20 and 55 year olds with chronic back pain (just like me!!!). They found that the subjects that followed a regime of equipment-based exercises of the Pilates method, that strengthen core muscles in the lumbar-pelvic region, fared better than the subjects that simply consulted with physicians and other health care specialists. The Pilates group overall had 46% more pain relief and these improvements were visible a year later. Were those folks doing their 20 minutes a day? The study didn't say, but some of the basic Pilates concepts really help in activities of daily life.

Pilates teaches you how to stabilize your spine as well as how to safely increase spinal flexibility. I believe wholeheartedly that working with a certified Pilates practitioner is the way to go if you are trying to get out of pain. Although the private sessions are expensive, the pay off is great, less pain and more strength. Once you learn how to engage those deep abs and work your core, there is no going back.

Photo: Melanie Johnson
Power Flow Pilates, New Haven, CN

Life and Style put together the best abs in Hollywood, with a few tips on how they get them that way. It is a little motivational and a lot of eye candy. Plus they asked FitSugar to comment on the lovely bellys of these stars. How's that for a day's work - gazing at the celebs' six packs.

Here are the top ten bellys in Hollywood, listed in order of appearance, and what I had to say about some of them.

• Shakira: Those abs don't lie!
• Jessica Alba: It is a sin to look that good. She's ab-ilicious.
• Gisele Bundchen
• Mario Lopez: He's saved by the belly.

Want to see who else made the cut? Then read more

A lot of people who are looking for a flat, tight midsection may have the tendency to work their abs every day, but that may not be the answer.

The problem with that is this: Your abs are not different from the other major muscles of the body which means you want to give them (like you would your other muscles) time to recuperate. Keeping that in mind, you really shouldn't work your abs (high intensity ab workout) more than three times per week, allowing at least 48 hours rest between training sessions.

Here is the good news: If you're involved in a regular strength training program, you may even want to think about training your abs even less because you're probably working your abs more than you think. The abdominals act as "stabilizer muscles", which means they help support the spine and maintain balance so they are indirectly involved in just about every exercise (even in the slightest way) that you perform. A lot of exercises (such as squats, overhead presses and swimming) require significant contributions from the abs so basically, your abs are being inadvertently worked every time you work out. In fact, many bodybuilders never really only work on their abs, however most body builders have some serious abs.

Fit's Tip: You may say, "but Fit you told me to do your 4 minute ab video everyday!" Yes I did, but that video is not high intensity (say at least 30 minutes of straight ab work), which is what I am talking about here.

Hey all -

How's it going with the 4 minute ab workout? I've been questioning folks here to see what they think and they have noticed a couple of things.

First - The exercises have gotten a little bit easier.

Second - They do feel like their belly's are getting more toned.

Third - A couple of test case volunteers really hate the hip ups, but I love them so so all I can say is learn to love them too.

Please write in and tell me what you think and how your body feels.

Stay tuned for a video workout for toning your love handles just in time for Valentine's Day.

Here's the video if you haven't tried it already.