The abdominal area is a popular site for toning and sculpting. When you have excess weight covering your abs and you are confined to your home, you can make it disappear by following some key steps. Even though spot reduction is not possible, you can still incorporate ab exercises to tone and strengthen the muscles.
Step 1
Eat only high-octane foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, beans and whole grains. Avoid simple carbohydrates and high-fat foods like processed meats, white bread, commercial baked goods, fast food and high-fat dairy products.
Step 2
Eliminate all the high-calorie beverages you currently drink like soda, sweetened teas, milk shakes, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee and beer. Spare yourself calories and keep your body hydrated by drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.
Step 3
Reduce your daily intake by 250 to 500 calories. Do not drop below 1,200 total calories if you are female, or 1,800 calories if you are male.
Step 4
Perform at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise to burn calories and promote fat loss on top of your abs. Do some form of cardio that you enjoy and can do from home like running, rollerblading, hill walking, jumping rope, swimming or bike riding.
Step 5
Build muscle over your whole body with weight training exercises. Perform 12 to 15 reps and three to four sets of traditional push-ups, incline push-ups, decline push-ups, triceps dips and wall ball squats. Execute these exercises on a stability ball to increase the recruitment of your abs.
Step 6
Perform 12 to 15 reps of abdominal pull-ins with your shins on a stability ball. Place your hands on the floor and draw your knees into your chest as you contract your abs and roll the ball. Extend your legs back out and repeat.
Step 7
Lie on your back and do 12 to 15 reps of reverse crunches. Place your hands flat on the floor by your sides and lift your legs 4 inches off the ground. Bend your knees and draw your legs into your chest. Extend your legs back out and repeat.
Step 8
Perform 12 to 15 reps of mountain climbers. Come into a starting block position with your hands on the ground, your right foot forward and your left foot behind you in a staggered stance. Shift your foot position back and forth quickly as if you are running in a horizontal plane.
Step 9
Lie on your back again and do 12 to 15 reps of bicycle maneuvers. Place your hands on the sides of your head and elevate your legs so your shins are parallel to the floor. Place your hands on the sides of your head and alternate bringing your opposite knee to your opposite elbow in a cycling motion.
Step 10
Put your whole workout together. Do your ab exercises in the order they appear here, all the way through with no breaks. Do three full circuits and take 30 to 45 second rests between each one. Do your ab exercises three days a week right after your cardio sessions. Do weight training three days a week on the opposite days of your cardio and ab training.
Tips and Warnings
- For your weight training, place your hands on the ball for incline pushups, place your toes on the ball for decline pushups and place your heels on the ball and hands on a chair for triceps dips.
Things You'll Need
- Stability ball
- Jump rope
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