Watch enough television, and you are bound to see a commercial for the next great abdominal exercise machine, promising to flatten your stomach and reduce your waist size. Tightening muscles around the stomach is a concern for many people wanting to look trimmer and thinner. Decreasing your stomach size requires a combined effort of cardiovascular and weight training, as well as eating better, according to Jennifer Matthews, certification director for the American Council on Exercise and an ACE-certified personal trainer.
Importance of Cardiovascular Exercise
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services partner to write the dietary guidelines for Americans. This initiative is specific on activity necessary to lose and maintain weight. To manage body weight, the guidelines recommend 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity on most days of the week. To keep the weight off, 60 to 90 minutes of moderate activity on a daily basis is recommended. Cardiovascular activity, such as running or jogging, burns more calories than strength training. As calories burn, so do the fat stores in the body, which eventually reduces the overall size of the body's midsection.
Bicycle Maneuver
The American Council on Exercise sponsored a study conducted at San Diego State University to determine the most effective exercises for the abdominal region, based on electromyography readings in two muscle groups. The bicycle maneuver produced the highest amount of activity in the rectus abdominis group, and the second-highest total in the obliques. The bicycle maneuver looks like a stomach crunch --- your knees are drawn into the stomach, head off the ground and elbows resting next to your head, according to ACE. Instead of merely flexing the abdominal muscles to bring your head and elbows forward to your knees, however, you add a leg pumping motion like you are riding a bike. The goal is to touch the elbow to the knee on the opposite side when you pull it upward.
Captain's Chair
In the same ACE-sponsored study, the captain's chair was ranked as the best exercise for the obliques and the second-best for the rectus abdominis. The captain's chair requires the use of an elevated set of arm rails, similar in appearance to a captain's or lifeguard's chair minus the seat. With your back against the rear of the unit, grip the hand holds and slowly pull your legs up so your knees are even with your hips. Gently lower your legs, then repeat.
Vertical Leg Crunch
The vertical leg crunch ranked as the fourth-best activity for the rectus abdominus muscle group and fifth-best for the obliques, according to the ACE-sponsored study. Lie on your back with your legs in the air and feet crossed at the ankles. Then, using a typical crunch motion, pull your head upward to flex your abdominal muscles.
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