Everyone wants a tight, toned stomach. Your diet is half the battle to shedding belly fat, but abdominal exercises to firm your abs are another key ingredient to the flat abs formula. For a truly toned tummy, work the side muscles of your abs too, not just the front. The side muscles are called the obliques and they deserve just as much attention as the abdominals.
The Russian Twist
The Russian twist is a core exercise that works the muscles of the waist with special emphasis placed on the obliques. A free weight such as a dumbbell, exercise plate or medicine ball is typically used to strengthen the abs during a Russian twist. Wearing wrist weights is another option. To begin a Russian twist, sit on the floor and extend your arms in front of you. Hold the sides of the free weight or clasp your hands together with your arms straight. Place your feet on the floor and bend your knees. Lean back halfway to the floor but keep your spine straight. Twist your upper body to the right as far as you can without lifting your buttocks off the floor. Twist all the way to the left to complete a Russian twist.
Single-Leg Windmill
The single-leg windmill is an advanced stomach exercise that works the transverse abdominus and oblique ab muscles. Also, the shoulders, glutes and thighs are used in this exercise. Stand up straight with your feet hip-width distance apart and extend your arms out to shoulder level at your sides. Lift your right knee off the floor and twist your shoulders to the right as you incline forward from the waist. Your left forearm will almost make contact with your right knee. Return to the start and repeat on the other side.
Kneeling Cable Crunch
The kneeling cable crunch tones the stomach using the weight from a cable machine. As you get stronger, you can easily increase the amount of weight you use until your stomach is as toned as you wish. The rectus abdominus or six-pack muscle is the main target for this exercise. To do the kneeling cable crunch, kneel in front of a cable machine. Grasp the rope affixed to the high pulley with your palms facing each other. Pull the ends of the rope next to your head and bend your elbows. Lock your arms in place. Then, bend forward at the waist until your forehead touches the floor. The elbows touch the floor as well, coming down in front of your knees. Sit back up to complete a cable crunch.
Member Comments