Stomach
Exercises
It used to be that we were taught
the only way to keep your tummy flat was to do sit ups. It turns
out there are a lot more diverse ways to tone up core muscles.
Stomach exercises are not just sit ups anymore. There is a wide
variety of stomach exercises that work not only the abs, but the
obliques as well, providing a strong, great looking core! Try some
of these stomach exercises to get yourself looking and feeling
great!
The standard stomach exercises still work. Sit ups are great. They
work the central abdominal muscles. You can feel them working very
quickly, which makes endurance a little harder. The down side to
sit ups is that they can be hard on the back and neck, especially
when they are done on a hard floor, like the gym floors we all
learned to do them on. Second is that they only work those central
abs, making those love handles a little harder to fix.
Crunches are another exercise that still work great on those abs!
They are very similar to sit ups, but they lift only the neck and
shoulders, rather than the whole back, off the floor. This
eliminates the spine making impact with a hard floor. But like sit
ups, crunches only work the central abs.
A different version of crunches, where you lift your neck and
shoulders while turning your body to one side, will help tone the
oblique muscles, located on the side of your body below your
ribcage. You will need to do equal sets in each direction to get
the best benefit, and you face the same drawbacks as the regular
crunches.
By far the most effective method I have found for working stomach
and abs is Pilates. There are dozens of instructional Pilates
videos on the market. You will have to find the one that you find
the most helpful and entertaining. Also look for one that has a
variety of workouts, or purchase several, to work out the entire
body over time instead of focusing just on one area.
The benefit of Pilates as stomach muscles is that it works fast.
It does cause some soreness when you first start because stomach
muscles are being used in ways that they are not used to. Pilates
focuses on using what they call the Pilates C. You sit on your
behind for the stomach exercises.
Usually, I place a small workout
ball (about 12” in diameter) in the small of my back to provide
support. With my knees bent and arms out in front of me, I slowly
allow my body to sink into a C shape, while I lean back, rolling
my spine. Then as slowly as I went down, I straighten my spine and
sit back straight. This is great for the same muscles as the sit
ups and crunches, and no strain or impact on my spine.
To work the oblique muscles and tone those love handles, I do the
same Pilates C, but I turn my arms and shoulder to one side about
45 degrees. I then sink in the C shape of my spine and come back
up, just like the regular Pilates C. Again, you must do sets of
eight or ten, and do them equally on both sides and in the center.
That will provide you with a well rounded strength training of the
core stomach muscles. Plus you will be thrilled with how you look.
Another set of stomach exercises I have done are on an exercise
ball. Sitting on the ball, which is about up to my knees in
diameter, I place my feet against a wall on the floor to keep them
from sliding. Placing my arms across my chest, I do sit ups while
sitting on the ball. These provide the same benefits as regular
sit ups, without impact, and the ball is much softer than the
floor on the backside! Also, maintaining balance on the ball
requires other core muscles to engage, providing a more thorough
workout.
Whatever stomach exercises you do, be sure to do eight to ten
repetitions in each set. Do two to three sets at a time. It will
be hard, but push through, and you will be thrilled with the
results.
Also remember that these are toning and strengthening exercises,
which are very important, but they are much more effective when
coupled with a cardiovascular exercise time of 20 minutes or more.
When you come off your cardio workout, be sure to allow your body
a short time to catch up to you, but don’t cool off too much.
Warmer muscles stretch and tone much more easily than cold ones.
Total body health is important. Stomach exercises are a key
element to total body health. Try out several different stomach
exercises and see which ones work best for you. Talk to your
doctor to make sure your body is healthy enough to exercise. If
you have any questions about doing any of these stomach exercises
properly, contact a trainer at your gym and ask for pointers to be
sure you are getting the most bang for your buck from your stomach
exercises.
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presented only for informational purposes and does not replace medical advice from a practicing
physician.
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