The Best Exercises to Tone your Stomach (and Other Surprises)
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The Best Exercises to Tone Your Stomach Ain't Exactly What You Think...
I spend a lot of time around people looking for six pack abs, and I've noticed repeatedly that the first thing a novice usually looks for is exercises to tone the stomach. This means they want the proper form, the amount of reps, and the ideal number of days in a week to do crunches, sit-ups and the like.
This is OK, but as far as exercise goes is really only about 1/3rd of the story if you're looking for a firm, sexy six-pack. The truth that surprises many people is that your work mostly involves melting away fat rather than building muscle. This job can certainly not be accomplished with abs exercises alone; rather, it requires greater attention to metabolism-boosting, full-body exercises as well as what I like to call the perfect abs diet (because if you manage to stick to it long-term, you're perfect).
So what are these magical full-body exercises? I'll discuss it briefly below, or - if you're looking for more in-depth information on getting a serious six-pack - you can check out my very favorite abs-sculpting link at 6PackAbsTruth.com (but be prepared to work hard with that type of program).
This is OK, but as far as exercise goes is really only about 1/3rd of the story if you're looking for a firm, sexy six-pack. The truth that surprises many people is that your work mostly involves melting away fat rather than building muscle. This job can certainly not be accomplished with abs exercises alone; rather, it requires greater attention to metabolism-boosting, full-body exercises as well as what I like to call the perfect abs diet (because if you manage to stick to it long-term, you're perfect).
So what are these magical full-body exercises? I'll discuss it briefly below, or - if you're looking for more in-depth information on getting a serious six-pack - you can check out my very favorite abs-sculpting link at 6PackAbsTruth.com (but be prepared to work hard with that type of program).
Multi-Joint Exercises to Tone Your Stomach, or, 66.7% of the Battle
Yes, I would say that engagement in multi-joint exercises is at least 2/3rd's of the battle. But don't take my word for it, here's what a world-renowned personal trainer has to say (impressive, I know):
"By focusing the majority of your time in the gym on bigger compound movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and upper body multi-joint presses and pulls, your body is forced to work harder and burn more calories during and after the workout." (Mike Geary, 6PackAbsTruth.com)
Imagine your gorgeous ab muscles as a diamond buried in the center of an onion; you would likely have no way of knowing it's there until you start peeling away the layers. Development of the abdominal muscles is actually the easy part; the 'revelation' of the muscle is what's going to take more time.
"By focusing the majority of your time in the gym on bigger compound movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and upper body multi-joint presses and pulls, your body is forced to work harder and burn more calories during and after the workout." (Mike Geary, 6PackAbsTruth.com)
Imagine your gorgeous ab muscles as a diamond buried in the center of an onion; you would likely have no way of knowing it's there until you start peeling away the layers. Development of the abdominal muscles is actually the easy part; the 'revelation' of the muscle is what's going to take more time.
Abdominal Exercises to Tone Your Stomach
Now, I don't want to give the impression that abdominal training has no importance. It does, so I'm also going to cover the basics of what you need to know about those, too.
The most important thing to Know about abs exercises is this: If your form is incorrect, they're going to be virtually useless. This means that you need to understand the difference between an anterior pelvic tilt (back arched, pelvis tilted forward) and a posterior pelvic tilt (back flat, abs contracted). In a nutshell, when you are engaged in the posterior pelvic tilt, your abs are engaged and you are maximizing the benefits of the exercise. With the anterior pelvic tilt, you are letting other muscles do the majority of the work, and are rendering your abs nearly useless.
The second most important thing to know about abs exercises is that you get the most overall benefit from working them at various angles. Upper body curls, lower body curls, and oblique-oriented movements should all be involved. More on that in a minute...
The most important thing to Know about abs exercises is this: If your form is incorrect, they're going to be virtually useless. This means that you need to understand the difference between an anterior pelvic tilt (back arched, pelvis tilted forward) and a posterior pelvic tilt (back flat, abs contracted). In a nutshell, when you are engaged in the posterior pelvic tilt, your abs are engaged and you are maximizing the benefits of the exercise. With the anterior pelvic tilt, you are letting other muscles do the majority of the work, and are rendering your abs nearly useless.
The second most important thing to know about abs exercises is that you get the most overall benefit from working them at various angles. Upper body curls, lower body curls, and oblique-oriented movements should all be involved. More on that in a minute...
Examples of Multi-Joint Exercises to Tone Your Stomach
If you want to know the granddaddy of all multi-joint exercises, the Deadlift is to these exercises what Sean Connery is to the Bond franchise. It works pretty much all of the major muscles in the body, and in so doing packs on lean muscle that works to rev up your metabolism even when at rest. This is the most effective way to burn fat in the abs and all over.
If you're unfamiliar with the Deadlift, here's a demo:
If you're unfamiliar with the Deadlift, here's a demo:
What about a Nice Ab-Toning Exercise for We Who are not 'Muscle-Bound'?
There're plenty of those as well; it's been my experience that exercises like the Deadlift are not popular with women, which is perfectly fine because of the variety of alternatives.
One of the most popular - and one of my faves - is the Dumbbell Lunge. You don't even need dumbbells necessarily - you can use heavy books, paint cans, etc - and do it anywhere. The most important thing about the lunge is that it requires focus on balance, and therefore engagement of the abs.
This is what it looks like:
One of the most popular - and one of my faves - is the Dumbbell Lunge. You don't even need dumbbells necessarily - you can use heavy books, paint cans, etc - and do it anywhere. The most important thing about the lunge is that it requires focus on balance, and therefore engagement of the abs.
This is what it looks like:
A Powerful Upper Body 'Attack' to Tone Your Stomach
The Bench Crunch is one of the standard abs exercises that involves an upper body curl. You will get better results if you hold for a count of 2-3 while your abs are contracted in full crunch mode.
Here's a basic demonstration:
Here's a basic demonstration:
A Powerful Lower Body 'Attack' to Tone Your Stomach
I'm a big fan of the Reverse Crunch, and you don't even need a bench for this, or any other equipment. For a little more info on this one, you can check out my page that shows how to tighten lower abs.
Here's a demo of the reverse crunch:
Here's a demo of the reverse crunch:
A Powerful Diagonal 'Attack' to Tone Your Stomach
Oblique exercises are - to the beginner - often the most painful, as you're working muscles that you tend to ignore much of the time. The Alternating Ab Crunch is a great one, however, for overall tightening and toning. As usual, you'll get better results if you hold the pose at the top of the crunch for 2-3 seconds.
Here's a video demo:
Here's a video demo:
Okay...Get to Work!
So there you have it...two of the best multi-joint (fat burning) exercises and 3 abdominal exercises that work the ab muscles from 3 different angles. Of course, there's plenty more to cover, and I couldn't even get into the diet aspect of abs...but...
If you're interested in delving a little deeper, if you think you've got just a little more ambition than the others, go check out 6PackAbsTruth.com. It covers what I have already done here and lets out a few little known ab-sculpting secrets to boot...
Have fun pushin' yourself to the other side!
If you're interested in delving a little deeper, if you think you've got just a little more ambition than the others, go check out 6PackAbsTruth.com. It covers what I have already done here and lets out a few little known ab-sculpting secrets to boot...
Have fun pushin' yourself to the other side!
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by SixPackAbsMan
I used to have many obsessions, now I just have one: to get rid of the last remnants of my 'love handles' (c'mon, there are other things to hold onto)... more »
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