Click Here to Sign Up for Your Free Fitness Magazine Subscription
Losing Abdominal Fat
The best way to burn fat off your abs is not to do more ab work, but to do more cardiovascular work, bike, stair master, treadmill, elliptical machine or rower. They are all great fat burners, work at about 70-85 of your age predicted maximal heart rate (220-your age) and maintain it for 30-45 minutes 5 to 6 days a week for optimal results.
Train your abs about twice a week, just as you would any other body part. One you are satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition you can cut back to 3-4 days per week for 20-30 minutes for maintenance.
Seeing your abs or any other muscle group for that matters is strictly the results of having low body fat levels. You get low body fat from proper diet and cardio, not from doing hundreds of ab exercises every day.
Nutrition is half the battle when it comes to fat loss. Eat 6 times a day and eat a meal every 2 1/2 to 3 hours- never, ever, ever miss a meal.
Fat Burning Nutrition Guidelines
1- Eat 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level.
2- Spread your calories into 5-6 small meal instead of 2- 3 big ones.
3- Eat a source of complete high quality protein with each meal.
4- Choose natural, complex carbs such as:~vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, brown rice, and whole grains.
5- Start with at least 50% of your calories from complex carbs and reduce carbs slightly late in the day
6- Drink a gallon of water a day.
Nutrition 50% Cardio 40% Ab exercises 10%
Abs Exercises:
1-Basic Abdominal Crunch ( hands gently~supporting head, feet flat on floor ) 4 sets of 15 repetitions.
2-Supine crunch twist ( Internal and external oblique ) 4 sets of 15 repetitions.
3-Reverse Crunch: Lie supine on the floor with your legs bent at right angles at the knees and hips. Position your arms straight down at your sides, flat on the floor. From this placement, curl your lower spine upward so that your hips lose contact with the floor. Your knees should move toward the ceiling, but the angle of your thighs at the hips should not change. Hold the top position momentarily before lowering your hips slowly back to the floor; repeat. Do not rest at the bottom between reps. Perform 2-4 sets of 10-20 repetitions.
MEDICINE BALL SIT-UPS
Lie supine on a flat sit-up board with your knees bent and feet secured beneath the roller pads. Hold a medicine ball in both hands, positioned such that your arms are stright back in line with your body. Now, perform a sit-up, while at the same time swinging the ball over your head out over your knees. Lower back down under control and repeat. Complete 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions
Abdominal Exercise Machines
1- Standing Roman Chair ( leg lift ) 4 sets of 15 to 25 repetitions.
2- Abdominal Machine Exercise ( trunk curl ) 4 sets of 15 to 25 repetitions.)
For more information go to How To Get The Perfect Six-Pack
