subject: Do These 3 Exercises Now For A Flatter Tummy Right Before Summer Rolls Around [print this page] Do These 3 Exercises Now For A Flatter Tummy Right Before Summer Rolls Around
Summer is right around the corner and I can't wait. I just got back from Florida and it was a huge tease to be in the beautiful weather for 7 days then come back to snow up here in the north east. I guess it's the weather Gods just toying with me. But it's the time of the year where who ever is NOT in shape starts trying to get in shape for beach season. They want a flat stomach, no love handles, and toned arms to proudly show off. Who doesn't want this?
Besides your exercise program, you need to have your diet in place. Cut out the sugary junk, don't have any carbs at night, eat lean sources of protein through out the day and eat a ton of vegetables. Just by doing this, you will begin to lose weight and it's not even like you're dieting...
Now, not many people know this, but you DO have a six pack. Sometimes it's just under a layer of flab. Everyone has a six pack, it's called the Rectus Abdominus muscle. The Rectus Abdominus is the outermost muscle of the entire abdominal region. It's main responsibility is flexion of the trunk. Hence why you do sit ups and crunches etc...
But the abs are like an onion. They are many layers deep and contain a bunch of muscles with many different functions. Many people get caught up to think that the only ab muscles they have are the coveted "six pack" and that you should do hundreds of crunches and sit ups a day to get a flat stomach. That's completely false.
What you don't realize is the internal abdominal muscles are extremely important in not only lower back health, but also making your stomach firm and FLAT.
The main muscle responisble for this is the Transverse Abdominus. It is the deepest muscle in the entire abdominal "onion." The Transverse Abdominus will actually act as a girdle, pulling everything in and making your stomach nice and tight! This is the area you want to hit hard and you don't do it with crunches or sit ups.
Enter in my opinion the king of all abdominal exercises, the plank. The plank hits the deepest layer of your stomach targeting the Transverse Abdominus and Internal Obliques. There are many variations to the plank, but this is the most basic kind where you stay in a static position and hold for X number of seconds. It's a lot tougher than it looks. Go ahead and try it now....
So your first exercise will be planks. Try and do 3 sets and hold for 60 seconds each set. Your second exercise will be a variation of these called the side plank. Try and do these for 3 sets each side for 60 seconds a set. Perform these after you perform your regular planks! And last but not least your third exercise will be planks on a stability ball.
These will be a lot tougher since you have to control the stability ball from rolling out from under you. This hits the Transverse Abdominus really hard due to the instability of the movement.
Go for 3 sets of 30 seconds after you have finished the other 2 exercises.
And there you have it. Three great exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home that I guarantee will help you on your quest for a flat stomach before beach season comes rolling around!
