It's nice to sport a set of six-pack abs, but they won't show very well if the skin and muscles on the sides of your abdomen are weak and flabby. To provide a total upper body workout, you must incorporate work on the oblique muscles. Toned...
The lunge is a complete lower body strengthening exercise. Add a twist to your lunge and you engage your core. If you hold a weight during the movement, you add upper body strengthening to this exercise. A reverse lunge is a variation on a forward...
Most people who pound away at their abs with straight crunches or situ-ps wonder why they're not getting the toned, ripped look they want. Part of the answer to the question is that they're neglecting their oblique muscles, which are one of the...
Strengthening your central, upper and lower abdominal muscles can be performed with a variety of exercises. However, to strengthen, tone and reshape your side abdominal muscles, or obliques, you must perform specific exercises. The oblique twist...
The oblique twist involves turning your torso and hips together in different directions, using the stabilizers close to your spine and joints to keep your body in balance and in alignment while you move. Doing this exercise with a resistance band...
The stomach muscles are often referred to as the "abs." These muscles consist of the rectus abdominis and obliques. The rectus abdominis runs from the sternum to the pelvis and the obliques run diagonally along the ribcage. Russian twists zero in...
Unlike most muscle groups in your body, your abdominal muscles can be trained on a daily basis. When performing a daily strength-training routine for your abdomen, incorporate exercises that target all areas of your abdomen. These muscles include...
Weight bars are excellent for group exercise classes as well as if you are lifting by yourself and you don't want to mess with weight plates and safety clamps. Weight bars have a fixed weight ranging from about 4 lb. to 36 lb. These bars can...
People often start doing countless situps and crunches when they decide that they want to have six-pack abs. The reality is that while situps are an effective exercise for targeting your abs, they are not the best ab exercise and doing them alone...
A back extension bench is also known as a Roman chair. This piece of fitness equipment has a padded upper support and foot rests to brace your feet while performing exercises. This tool can be utilized to work multiple muscles in the upper body,...
A side twist engages your abdominals and obliques, strengthening the muscles of your core. Holding a dumbbell adds weight to the exercise, forcing your muscles to work harder. There are two types of weighted side twists — perform both for...
Unfortunately, there is no one single way to get a six-pack. A six-pack is the result of hard work and doesn't come from just doing situps. Although ab exercises like situps are what give the abdominal muscles definition, you won't be able to see...
Exercises with a ball between your legs target your adductor, or groin, muscles and require them to work against greater resistance for a more intense workout. Your adductors allow you to bring your legs together and take strides when walking....
Exercising your abdominals strengthens your core muscles. Your core is what stabilizes your body so you can stand up straight, move with balance and do activities like run and play sports. With a few basic tools, you can strengthen your ab muscles...
A strong core is important for a variety of reasons. It helps you maintain your posture and balance; it aids you when you need to lift something heavy; and, perhaps most importantly, it prevents you from having back problems. Ab exercises can help...
The cross crunch is an abdominal exercise that works the obliques. There are two sets of oblique muscles, the external and internal. These muscles are on the left and right sides of the abdominal area and are engaged when you turn from side to...
There is more to increasing strength and flexibility than just lifting weights and stretching. You can improve these along with your balance and mobility by adding body-weight exercises to your training routine. The TRX is an effective piece of...
Body balls are training tools that are made out of durable rubber and they get inflated to various diameters. Training on a body ball can help you achieve results because your body is forced to contract multiple muscle fibers to stay balanced....
Muscle requires a higher amount of calories to maintain than fat. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn throughout the day. If you do not have time to complete a full-body strength-training workout, target your largest...
If you are unable to make it to your local gym to complete your exercise routine or are traveling out of town, simulate some of your gym exercises using a dining chair, gallon jugs, exercise bands, an exercise ball and even your own body weight....
Losing belly fat requires diet and exercise. Belly fat consists of two types of fat: subcutaneous fat that lies right under the skin and deep, internal visceral fat. Visceral fat, which puts you at risk for a number of diseases, responds quite...
A weighted ball, also called a medicine ball, is a basic workout tool that gives you resistance training when you lift it, sharpens your coordination when you play catch with it and focuses your attention when you roll on it, say trainers at...
Though our abs may be hidden by those holiday sweaters, it doesn't mean that they should be ignored. Here are a few suggestions for getting six-pack abs during the holiday season. 1. Crunches, sit-ups and ab machines are not the only way to get...
Plan your own easy and effective abdominal workout for your home, without any need for a gym membership or equipment. Include at least one exercise for each part of your abdominal muscles. Some abdominal crunches are more effective than others, so...
V-shaped abs, also known as a money maker, require a lean body and exercises particularly for the lower abs and obliques. A diet plan recommended by a nutritionist or fitness expert might be necessary if your body fat isn't low enough that you can...
Ask anyone in a gym how to do exercises in the Captain's Chair and they'll all tell you the same thing: sit on the chair and pull your knees to your stomach. But is that really all there is? Of course not. The hanging leg raise exercise in a chair...
When choosing the best abdominal exercise machines, it is important to establish the criteria being used. The equipment must be geared to effectively train one or more of the 3 sections that make up the abdominal muscle group: the upper abs, the...
The Roman chair is a piece of fitness equipment that can be found in commercial and home gyms all across the nation. It has a padded support in the center where you place your body and padded supports to place your feet or lower legs. You can get...
The internal and external obliques make up the entire oblique muscle mass. When all of the muscle fibers contract, they aid the rectus abdominis muscles in flexing the vertebral column and in compressing the abdominal wall and its contents. When...
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