To develop your abs you must focus on two things:
1.abdominal muscle development
2.reducing body fat
To develop abdominal muscle a certain amount of focused ab training is needed. As with any other muscle this is achieved by resistance exercise. If you are reasonably active your stomach muscles already undergo exercise. In this case you are looking for further definition of the muscle groups. If you are prone to inactivity you will need to start with gentle exercises, possibly some weight loss and a review of your diet. When starting out, avoid exercising your abs daily. Once a week is fine.
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Abdominal Exercises
Think of the abdomen in three sections; Middle and Upper, Sides and
Lower.You need to select appropriate exercises for each section in order to achieve a
balanced outcome. There are many exercises to achieve the desired outcomes but what follows
is two examples of each
Middle and Upper abs development Cable crunches and abdominal sit ups. Cable crunches basically involve kneeling down and pulling a weighted cable in a downwards direction. The weight can be increased over time. You could rig up your own weight and pully system or use good home gym equipment. Abdominal sit ups involve lying on the back with knees bent and hands behind the head or next to the ears. You then begin a sit up but stop about a third of the way into the process. The mid-section needs to be kept taught during the process. Repeat the exercises, maybe up to 10 at a time if you can manage, working up to 4 or five sets, or whatever feels comfortable for you.
Sides Barbell side bends and fingers-to-heel. For barbell side bends, stand upright and with legs apart and place a light barbell across the back of your shoulders so the bar touches the back of your neck. Tighten your abs, bend sideways, straighten up, bend the other way and repeat. For the fingers-to-heel exercise, lie on your back - an exercise mat is most comfortable - bend your knees and straighten your arms palm-side down. The aim is to touch your left heel with the fingers of your left hand and then do the same for the right. You will have to raise your head and shoulders a little to do this and then do as many repetitions as you can. Take a rest and repeat.
Lower abs development Exercise ball abdominal pulls and hand-leg ab crunches For the exercise ball ab pulls you need to lie on the floor face down and then place your feet on the exercise ball. Raise yourself up as though you are about to take part in a barrow race. Pull your knees towards your chest and the ball will support the weight of your legs. Push the ball back and repeat the process. For hand-leg ab crunches, lie on your back with your arms stretched above the head and the backs of your hands touching the floor. Keeping your limbs as straight as possible raise your left leg at the same time as your left arm and touch your leg. Repeat this on the right side. Once you adapt to the exercise you can use hand weights to increase resistance.
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12/08/2005
