Main Street Magazine. Blogspot 2: Ab Fabulous

Provided by Sarah Grant and Nathane Jackson

Wish you were more hourglass than pear? Bummed that you’re sporting a baby bump and your baby is already two? Here’s everything you need to know about your midsection and what you can do to change it.

WAIST-ENHANCER PLAN
The best way to get those fab abs is with a combination of intense cardiovascular exercise, abdominal strength training and proper nutrition.

Cardiovascular Training: 4 to 6 times a week for 30 minutes or more. Exercise as intensely as possible to get bang for your buck in calorie burning. If you want to tone your midsection, pick an activity that is challenging for you. If you’re someone who regularly walks, try jogging, swimming or spinning.

Strength Training: 2 to 4 times a week, perform progressive resistance movements. Try our stability ball exercises (below) to get started and as you improve, add a comprehensive, full-body strength-training program.

Stretching: Just 10 minutes at the end of every workout will help with your recovery and prevent injury.

Nutrition: Eat 5 to 6 smaller meals per day that include lean protein (chicken, fish, egg whites or tofu), fibrous carbs (unprocessed vegetables and fruits) and starchy carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and steel-cut oatmeal). This will rev up your metabolism to burn fat and give you the energy to get through your exercises.

AB BREAKDOWN
All these muscles contribute to a flat tummy.

· Oblique (internal and external): Form a sheath around the torso, protecting your bony structures and internal organs.

· Rectus Abdominis: Forms the classic and sought-after six-pack.

· Transversus Abdominis: Hidden beneath the rectus. Acts as a girdle to flatten your middle.

FAT FACTS
Even the most developed abs can be hidden under layers of fat.

· Subcutaneous Fat: Found all over the body beneath the skin (like cellulite on the back of your legs and butt).

· Visceral Fat: Surrounds internal organs and is more dangerous because it can impede organ function. People with large waistlines may carry a lot of visceral fat, and are at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes and many cancers.

TOP 5 MYTHS

1. Ab exercises get rid of abdominal fat.
Fact: For a healthy and sustainable change to your midsection, you must reduce body fat with good old-fashioned exercise and healthy, balanced eating.

2. For best results, train your abs every day. Fact: Your abs need at least one day of rest to recover and regenerate after a workout.

3. Certain supplements target your abs.
Fact: You can’t spot-reduce body fat with supplements.

4. Using additional weight to work your abs will give you a smaller midsection.
Fact: Proper form is more important than adding weight. Focus on form and reducing body fat. (If you carry body fat around your midsection, your abs will be hidden no matter how developed the ab muscles.)

5. Crunches are the best ab exercise.
Fact: Training your abs with a combination of exercises will produce better results. Varying the exercise helps ensure that you consistently make improvements without reaching a plateau. Targeting all abdominal muscle fibres will help you achieve a more balanced midsection.

WORK YOUR ABS...NOT YOU’RE HIP FLEXORS

These simple do’s and don’ts will help you improve your form and isolate your abs – not your hip flexors. You will know your abs are working when you feel the burn after about 15 reps.

· Do contract your abs in 2-3 inch movements.

· Do keep your abs tight and flexed throughout.

· Do crunch with a controlled speed and keep moving.

DON'T

· Don’t use a large range of motion.

· Don’t pause or relax your abs during the movement.

· Don’t crunch too fast.

1. Stability Ball Crunch

Get into position Put the ball under the lower/middle back area. The lower back should be pressed into the ball throughout the exercise.
Step 1 Slowly curl your trunk, pressing your ribcage down toward your hips, allowing your shoulders and upper back to move away from the ball. Crunch the abdomen while exhaling and focus on feeling the muscle contract. The crunch should be a 2-3 inch movement.
Step 2 Slowly return to the starting position and repeat in a smooth and continuous motion.

2. Oblique Crunch

Get into position Place the ball on the floor next to a wall. Kneel on the floor between the wall and the ball. Place your hand on top of the stability ball for balance. Extend one leg forward and one leg backward, bracing them where the wall meets the floor. It is very important that the bottom leg is the one extended forward.
Step 1 Stretch sideways over the stability ball with your arms bent and hands beside your head. Push your hips downward into the stability ball and crunch your body to the side, lifting 2-3 inches off the ball in the direction of the wall.
Step 2 Slowly lower yourself back to your original position and repeat in a smooth, controlled, continuous motion.

3. Reverse Ab Crunch

Get into position Place both feet on top of the stability ball. Press your heels into the ball and use it to anchor your body during the crunches. Keep the stability ball tucked under your legs.
Step 1 Curl your trunk, pressing your ribcage down toward your hips and lifting your shoulder blades off the floor. The range of motion should be about 2-3 inches.
Step 2 Lower yourself back down to the starting position and repeat in a continuous, smooth motion

As seen in the June Issue of Main Street Magazine.

Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises

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