Knowhow-Now Article

Ask any personal trainer what are the best exercises to get toned and firm six pack abs, and he or she will say that your question is not that easy to answer. This is because there are literally hundreds of ab exercises you can perform, yet once you have decided on your fitness goals to include diet and cardio, you then need to find a set of exercises to tone and strengthen the abdominal muscle group.

There was an abdominal exercise study performed a few years back that produced surprising results. The study showed that several so called "gadgets' for the abdominals were either ineffective or only marginally more effective than regular abdominal muscle crunches. Since an abdominal crunch doesn't cost you anything other than the time required to learn the right technique, it is safe to say that you don't need any specialty abdominal equipment to get an effective abdominal workout.

First, there is the traditional crunch. To do a crunch, you will need to lie on the floor with your knees slightly bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abs by drawing your bellybutton back towards your spine and cross your arms over your chest. Next, raise your shoulders off the floor while keeping your back straight. Don't forget to breathe and remember to exhale through your mouth while performing crunches. With your shoulders raised, pause for a moment and exhale. Now slowly lower your shoulders back to the floor without allowing your head to touch the floor.

No great abdominal workout would be complete without leg lifts. To do a leg lift, lie on the floor with hands at your sides and your legs flat. Lift your legs straight up so that they are pointing at the ceiling; then lower them down again without letting them touch the ground. Continue lifting and lowering your legs for as long as you are comfortable. As an alternative to this exercise, you can also hold yourself up on a bar and do leg lifts by raising your knees to your chest.

You perform a v-up when you lie flat on a mat with your hands extended back over your head, touching the floor. Now raise your torso and legs simultaneously, while keeping your legs straight. Extend your hands towards your feet and if possible, touch them. Hold this position for a few seconds and then return to the flat position.

Here are some abdominal exercise tips to remember when beginning abdominal muscle exercises. If you have lower back pain or an injury, then consult a doctor before you begin, so that you don't hurt yourself. Consult a physician if you are over the age of thirty-five, have a sedentary lifestyle, have high blood pressure, are a smoker, have ever had chest pains or shortness of breath or have a known joint or muscle injury.

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