subject: Are You Looking For Some Ab Workouts That Really Work? [print this page] Let me guess, you have done thousands of sit ups, crunches, leg lifts, knee raises and countless other things all with no results. I am sorry to tell you that your efforts have been misdirected. But, I am happy to tell you what to do to achieve your goals.
The truth of the matter is that those exercises are great for building muscle. However, you will still never see that muscle unless you are below 10% body fat for a man and 16% for a woman. Most of us do not fall into that category. We need to reduce body fat in order to see the results of our efforts. Unfortunately, you cannot spot reduce fat on your belly and, even if you could, ab exercises do not do a lot to burn calories.
So now it is an issue of burning fat not building muscle. Most people go about this by doing cardio exercises. However, just like sit ups this effort is misguided as well. A single pound of fat is 3,500 calories. Even if you spend an hour on the treadmill you are only burning about 400 to 500 calories. You can see how daunting a task this starts to be.
OK, I am going to tell you exactly what workout to do to get down to the right body fat % so you can see your abs.
You need to start lifting weights. This will help you achieve your goal in a number of different ways. You see, the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn. If you do compound exercises such as dead lifts, bench press, squats, dumb bell snatches and others you will be working multiple muscle groups and causing your body to burn calories at a higher rate long after the workout is over. Even though these workouts may not target the abs they will get worked anyway because they must help stabilize the body during your workout.
If you have access to one I would highly recommend using a kettlebell (KB) which is a Russian piece of weight lifting equipment that is shaped like a cannonball with a handle. While barbells and dumbbells allow you to move in a few limited plane of motion KBs allow you to move as you do more naturally. Consequently, there are hundreds if not thousands more exercises you can do. And, because there is an added cardiovascular element to KB exercises that typically do not exist with barbell exercises, you can burn up to 20 calories a minute.
Here is a sample exercise routine that both builds the muscles of your abdomen and will help you burn fat at a greater rate.
1.Halos: Holding the KB upside down in your hands simply rotate it around your head in one direction and then another.
2.Figure 8s: Pass the KB between your legs from one hand to another.
3.Swings: Swing the KB in one hand or two between your legs, thrusting out with your hips.
4.Renegade rows: Assume the pushup position gripping the handles of the KB. Raise one KB to your side and then lower, repeating with the other side.
5.Squats: Holding one or two KBs squat down as low as you can and then rise and repeat.
6.Dead lifts: Standing above one or two KBs bend over, keeping your legs somewhat straight but not locked and lift the KBs up. Lower and repeat.