FitSugar

Get Lifted: Reverse Dumbbell Crunch

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:00:00 PST

Crunches are a standard ab exercise that many of us try to avoid. Some just dislike crunches immensely and some are bored by the endless repetition. To keep your abs strong and your mind engaged while you engage you abs, you need to mix it up and do variations like this Dumbbell Crunch. The hand weights provide an extra challenge, and this move will tone your shoulders as well as your low abs.

For instructions on how to do this exercise

Lie on your back with a set of dumbbells nearby. Bend your knees and place your heels a few inches from your bum. Place a dumbbell in each hand.
Straighten your arms overhead and lift your feet off the floor so your knees are over your belly button. This is the start position.
As you exhale, use your abs to lift your bum off the ground, squeezing your knees into your chest. Inhale back to the start position. Keep the dumbbells lifted the entire time.
Do a total of 20 to 25 crunches, take a break, and repeat the exercise but reverse the breathing inhaling on the reverse crunch and exhaling as you control your bum back to starting position.

Work It Girl: At Your Desk Abs

FitSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Sitting at your desk doesn't mean you can't work on toning your mid-section. You can work your belly at work without your boss ever knowing you're doing some strength training on the job. All you need to do is pull your navel to your spine, the most basic Pilates move. Here's how:

Sit up straight, keeping your back away from the back of your chair.
Exhale and pull your abs to your spine without curving your back. This will feel a little like a corset. It should feel a little like you are bracing for a punch to the abdomen.
Focus on your low abs; these you can definitely keep engaged while you breathe.
Breathe into your back ribs, wherever you have ribs you have lungs. This is a nice stretch for the intercostals, the muscles between the ribs.
Hold for 30 seconds. Do twice an hour.

Oblique Variation: To challenge your obliques (the abs on the side of the torso) a little more simply tilt your torso slightly to the right and hold that position for 30 seconds. Then, of course, reverse the action by tilting to the left so you can keep even.

Fit's Tip: You can also work your abs when you're waiting at a long traffic light, when stuck in traffic, or heaven forbid, out on a boring date! Try it right now and let me know how it feels.

Source

You Asked: How Do I Strengthen My Abs?

FitSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:30:00 PDT

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

The abs seem to be a difficult area to tone and while "six pack" abs may be aesthetically pleasing they don't necessarily translate to a strong torso or healthy back. Since we cannot pick and choose the area of our bodies where fat is lost, the best bet for losing belly "flab" is cardio, for all over weight loss.

While you can't spot reduce, you can spot tone (this is important for preventing back problems) and when it comes to abdominals you need to work all four layers of abdominal muscles. Here's a quick run down on the layers going from outermost layer, you have the rectus which turns into the six pack, the external and internal obliques, and the transverse. And you are right you need strong abs to help your back, and here's the run down on what your ab muscles do and exercises for each layer, plus a bonus exercise for your back.

Rectus:
Controls the tilt of the pelvis and can affect the curvature of the lower spine, bends the torso forward
Exercises: Bicycle Crunches and Ball Crunches

Obliques:
Creates intra-abdominal pressure to stabilize the spine, side bending and twisting torso
Exercises: Twist Oblique Crunch and Ab Crossover

Transverse:
Flattens the belly, creates intra-abdominal pressure to stabilize the spine
Exercises: Elbow plank and Side elbow plank

Back Extensors
Stabilize the spine, as well as extend (arch), side bend and twist spine
Exercise: Superman and Flying with an exercise ball

To work your abs you need to do enough reps of an exercise, or variety of exercises, until your abs really burn and feel exhausted. Then repeat the set two more times. Just like strength training, you want to give your ab muscles time to recover, so work them at the most every other day. Your abs, especially your transverse, should engage before you move your arms or your legs to provide stability to the spine. So you should be working them all the time, so if you use the elliptical or stair stepper try not using your hands to force your abs to engage so your time on cardio machines will be doing double duty.

Wow . . . I had no idea I has so much to say about abs.

Source

"Ab"solutely Don't Overwork Your Abs!

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:30:00 PDT

I know that bikini season is approaching fast. I also know that we are all looking to get those abs in tip-top shape; with this in mind, many of us have the tendency to go a little ab crazy right now. However, if you overwork them, you may be doing more harm than good.

The abs are like any other muscle in the body -- Intense work followed by a period of rest and recuperation (at least 48 hours) is the best way to develop them. Working them out on a daily basis is not a great idea because you are not allowing for that essential rest time. Think about having an intense "ab" day once or twice a week -- This would be a day that you only focus on exercising your abs, proceeded or followed with at least 30 minutes of cardio, of course.

I know it's tempting, but resist the urge to do those once obligatory 100 crunches at the end of your workout every single day. You and your abs can thank me later.

10 Minutes to Bikini-Ready Abs!

Zelana Montminy — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:57:52 PDT

Celeb trainer Teddy Bass knows you need to work the entire torso and all four layers of abdominal muscles to create a sleek midsection. In this 10-minute workout, Cameron Diaz's longtime trainer mixes plank variations and roll-ups with standing ab exercise for a complete core workout. Press play and get ready to feel your belly burn - in a good way, of course!

3 Ways to Say Goodbye to Belly Fat

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:53:32 PDT

A nutritious diet and regular exercise have helped you reach your weight loss goal, but you're still trying to get rid of that little extra pooch around your midsection. Here are three things you can do every week to help you achieve a trimmer belly.

When eating: Take an honest look at your diet and your bathroom schedule. Your belly might not be caused by fat, but by air trapped in your digestive system. If you're not getting enough fiber (you need 25 to 30 grams a day), constipation can cause bloating. Here are some common reasons women don't get enough fiber and how to overcome them. On the other hand, overdoing it on fiber or eating too many gas-producing foods like broccoli, apples, or beans can also make your belly stick out. There are also foods you can eat, like blueberries, that are proven to diminish belly fat, so be sure to include these five fat-blasting foods in your diet.
When doing cardio: Studies show that including interval training in your cardio sessions is proven to diminish belly fat. If you find that you normally stick to a consistent pace when running, biking, or swimming, mix it up by adding 10- to 60-second fast-paced or sprinting intervals.
When strength training: Basic crunches can help tone your abs, but they only target certain abdominal muscles. Incorporate full-body exercises like side planks as well as balancing moves on a ball or on one leg to target all the muscles in your core.

6 Best Ways to Flatten Your Belly By Summer

Prevention — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:33:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By the Editors of Prevention

A toned, flat tummy is a goal many of us strive to achieve in time for bathing suit season, but endless crunches and ditching all your favorite foods until July 4th isn’t the right-or fun-way to do it. A sculpted core and trim tummy can be attained by incorporating small changes into your day, like holding in your abs while you walk and adding the right healthy fats to your diet. In our lean belly guide, you’ll get diet and exercise tips that will help you eliminate hard-to-reach ab flab and reveal a sculpted, sexy midsection. Here, learn 6 ways to flatten your belly by summer.

Make Time For Cardio
If you want to burn the most belly fat, a Duke University study confirms that aerobic exercise is the most effective in burning that deep, visceral belly fat. In fact, aerobic training burns 67% more calories than resistance training or a combination of the two, according to the study.

Top 10 Reasons Your Abs Exercises Aren’t Working

Fight Fat With Fiber
For every 10 grams of fiber you eat daily, your belly will carry almost 4% less fat. Thankfully, there are more enjoyable ways to increase your fiber than scarfing down a box of bran flakes: Two apples, ½ cup of pinto beans, one artichoke, or two cups of broccoli will all give you 10 grams of belly-flattening fiber.

More flat-belly tips after the break.

No Crunching Required: Ball Pass Ab Exercise

Zelana Montminy — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:49:53 PDT

Kick your abs into gear with this great exercise - no crunching require! All you need is an exercise ball and to watch this short video to help you master the move. The ball pass exercise works your abdominals as they stabilize the torso against the weight of your arms and legs moving away from your center. Try it!

7 Workouts to Help Achieve a Toned, Tight Tummy

Michele Foley — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:03:30 PDT

It's getting hot out there, which means many of you are busting out the bathing suits, crop tops, and waist-skimming bottoms. If you're not quite ready to bare your midriff, we've got just the thing for you! Here are seven ab-focused workouts that'll have your tummy tight and toned by the time Summer rolls around.

We are all about total-body workouts, but sometimes it's nice to give a little extra attention to the midsection. For those moments, turn to our comprehensive all-abs workout, where you'll find the best moves to tone your upper abs, obliques, and lower abs.
Pictures don't lie: Lady Gaga is definitely sporting a six-pack. To get results like Gaga's, follow this workout plan created by her trainer Harley Pasternak.
Just because it's quick doesn't mean it won't do wonders for your belly. All you need are four minutes to do our short, sweet, and complete ab video workout. It's the perfect way to spend a commercial break during your favorite show.
Yes, crunches are the go-to exercise for working your core, but they aren't so good for posture. Skip them altogether, while also giving your body a bigger challenge, by doing our favorite crunchless ab exercises.
Yoga not only relaxes the mind, but it also helps tone the tummy, something Jennifer Aniston knows all too well. In this short video, watch as celeb trainer Mandy Ingber takes us through three poses she uses to help sculpt Jen's midsection.
Another celeb with a set of drool-worthy abs is Minka Kelly (she was voted one of Esquire's sexiest, after all). Her trainer Gunnar Peterson shared one of the actress's fitness secrets with us: standing ab work! Grab a dumbbell and get set to follow along with this video workout highlighting Minka's ab routine.
Skip the Spanx and tone your way to a midsection you'll be dying to show off - even in that dreaded pooch area. To help work that lower ab section, Amy Dixon, group fitness manager at Equinox in Santa Monica, developed this workout to target the lower abdominal muscles. You'll work with a stability ball to challenge your core even more.

7 Ways to Challenge Your Plank

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:08:00 PDT

If you want to work your core, plank position (top of a push-up) is a great move. You'll not only feel it in your abs, but it works your back, arms, shoulders, and legs. Here are seven variations to make it even more challenging.

Get low: Instead of balancing on your hands in a straight-arm position, bend your elbows and lower onto your forearms into dolphin plank. This plank variation targets your core and arms even more. Be sure to engage your abdominals to prevent straining your lower back, and if it's too intense, lower one or both knees to the floor.
Get up, get down: Instead of holding in a straight-arm position or an elbow plank position, alternate between the two. To do the up-down plank exercise, begin in the basic plank position with arms and legs straight. Lower your right forearm to the floor, and then your left (now you're in elbow plank), then come back onto your right hand, and then onto your left. Repeat this for 10 reps, and then reverse directions, lowering the left forearm first and then the right and so on for 10 more reps. To effectively work your arms and core, keep your torso as still as possible and avoid rocking too much from side to side.

Keep reading for five more ways to challenge your plank.