In today's post, I am going to discuss about 8 simple exercises that could help you achieve flat belly in a short span of time. It is not about that painful crunches exercise. I know crunches were once the alternative to sit-ups exercise and the gym warm-up during our elementary school days.
But now both abdominal exercises have gained a bad rap in the fitness community. This is due to the studies which suggested that the repetitive flexing of the lumbar spine, or lower back, has been implicated in back injuries as serious as disc hernias. The exercises I am going to cover in this post can help flatten your belly while minimizing pain.
Being a big big proponent of core stability exercises like the plank and its many variations, it is familiar to have one plank favorite which is to hold high plank, in which position your arms are extended versus on forearms and alternate a weight between each hand.
The weight should sit next to one hand and be pulled across the body with the opposite hand. Repeat this exercise for one minute. Doing this will allow alignment of the spine to be neutral, so to maintain ideal core activation. A good point of focus is the pelvis. If you can keep the pelvis neutral, I mean not tilting it forward or backward, the low back should remain neutral. Plank can be a good way to work on a neutral, stable spine.
Remember to breathe comfortably - exhale while you lift the weight and inhale while you return to start position or relax. This exercise can be a great way how you can lose belly fat without exercising at all.
You want to avoid creating too much flexion in the lumbar spine by doing McGill curl up exercise. In order for you to implement and complete this movement, position your body to lie on your back with one leg straight and one leg bent.
After you have done that, now place your forearms and hands under your lower back. And then slowly lifting your head, chest and shoulders off the floor as much as you can without having to jutting out your chin.
Do this with everything moves in one piece like there is a board under you, from the tailbone to head. You might not lift very far, but that is okay. Do two sets of 10, switching legs between sets. These are other exercises that can make back pain better.
If you are someone who are just into building a fitness routine or building a foundation for a more complex moves, I recommend another type of core stability exercise which is known as marching. To implement this exercise, you want to lie flat on the floor with your knees together and bent, your feet lie flat and your arms by your side.
Now you want to lift one leg at a time while maintaining the bent leg, and now draw your knee of the lifted leg as close to your abdomen as possible.
It is important for you to practice the drawing in maneuver during all core exercises. So to draw in, you want to slowly pull the area below your navel towards your spine while maintaining your spine at neutral position. You can maintain a neutral spine by placing your hands on area below your navel and it is interesting noticing as you breath - as you inhale, notice how your stomach draws towards you back.
It is important to focus on making sure you have adequate balance and stability, if not you could injure yourself or develop long-term injury. This could happen because your body start to overcompensate in the wrong area.
Another great core exercise for building foundation work is what is known as the two-leg floor bridge. To complete this exercise, you want to lie on the floor with your knees attached together, bent, your feet flat and your arms by your side.
Now lift up your pelvis and hip off the floor so that your knees, hip and shoulders are all in line. Now slowly lower down to the floor and repeat the sequence. I recommend you do this core stability exercise one to four sets with 12-20 repetitions.
After you have started to build strong exercise foundation, and your progression continues, you can go further by move into power core exercise like soccer throw core exercise and swiss ball with medicine ball pullover throw exercises. To complete a soccer throw, stand tall with a medicine ball (weight of your choice) overhead. Quickly throw the ball toward the floor and follow through with the arms. Complete two to three sets of this power core exercise, repeating the steps for eight to 12 repetitions. Your abdominals should be engaged.
While those exercise targeting your ab muscles, they are also protected by fat and tissue that are surrounding them. With that in mind, when you are working on flattening the belly, don't forget about fat that covers them. So you could have great muscles covered with a layer of fat, and calories burning activities like cardio workout are great addition. And you will need to address your diet to trim down your belly fat most effectively.
Nutrition and exercise are equal partners in the goal of achieving a flatter midsection of your belly. You can do all the abdominal and core exercises you want for hours a day, but if you are not eating healthy, you will mask that muscle growth with layers of fat.
Carbohydrates themselves are not the things holding people back from having a flat belly, it is the amount in which they are consumed. So as long as you live by the old phrase ‘everything in moderation,’ you can still see results.” In fact, here are more healthy reasons to keep bread in your diet.
But now both abdominal exercises have gained a bad rap in the fitness community. This is due to the studies which suggested that the repetitive flexing of the lumbar spine, or lower back, has been implicated in back injuries as serious as disc hernias. The exercises I am going to cover in this post can help flatten your belly while minimizing pain.
Being a big big proponent of core stability exercises like the plank and its many variations, it is familiar to have one plank favorite which is to hold high plank, in which position your arms are extended versus on forearms and alternate a weight between each hand.
The weight should sit next to one hand and be pulled across the body with the opposite hand. Repeat this exercise for one minute. Doing this will allow alignment of the spine to be neutral, so to maintain ideal core activation. A good point of focus is the pelvis. If you can keep the pelvis neutral, I mean not tilting it forward or backward, the low back should remain neutral. Plank can be a good way to work on a neutral, stable spine.
Remember to breathe comfortably - exhale while you lift the weight and inhale while you return to start position or relax. This exercise can be a great way how you can lose belly fat without exercising at all.
You want to avoid creating too much flexion in the lumbar spine by doing McGill curl up exercise. In order for you to implement and complete this movement, position your body to lie on your back with one leg straight and one leg bent.
After you have done that, now place your forearms and hands under your lower back. And then slowly lifting your head, chest and shoulders off the floor as much as you can without having to jutting out your chin.
Do this with everything moves in one piece like there is a board under you, from the tailbone to head. You might not lift very far, but that is okay. Do two sets of 10, switching legs between sets. These are other exercises that can make back pain better.
If you are someone who are just into building a fitness routine or building a foundation for a more complex moves, I recommend another type of core stability exercise which is known as marching. To implement this exercise, you want to lie flat on the floor with your knees together and bent, your feet lie flat and your arms by your side.
Now you want to lift one leg at a time while maintaining the bent leg, and now draw your knee of the lifted leg as close to your abdomen as possible.
It is important for you to practice the drawing in maneuver during all core exercises. So to draw in, you want to slowly pull the area below your navel towards your spine while maintaining your spine at neutral position. You can maintain a neutral spine by placing your hands on area below your navel and it is interesting noticing as you breath - as you inhale, notice how your stomach draws towards you back.
It is important to focus on making sure you have adequate balance and stability, if not you could injure yourself or develop long-term injury. This could happen because your body start to overcompensate in the wrong area.
Another great core exercise for building foundation work is what is known as the two-leg floor bridge. To complete this exercise, you want to lie on the floor with your knees attached together, bent, your feet flat and your arms by your side.
Now lift up your pelvis and hip off the floor so that your knees, hip and shoulders are all in line. Now slowly lower down to the floor and repeat the sequence. I recommend you do this core stability exercise one to four sets with 12-20 repetitions.
After you have started to build strong exercise foundation, and your progression continues, you can go further by move into power core exercise like soccer throw core exercise and swiss ball with medicine ball pullover throw exercises. To complete a soccer throw, stand tall with a medicine ball (weight of your choice) overhead. Quickly throw the ball toward the floor and follow through with the arms. Complete two to three sets of this power core exercise, repeating the steps for eight to 12 repetitions. Your abdominals should be engaged.
Cardio Exercises and Eat Healthy
While those exercise targeting your ab muscles, they are also protected by fat and tissue that are surrounding them. With that in mind, when you are working on flattening the belly, don't forget about fat that covers them. So you could have great muscles covered with a layer of fat, and calories burning activities like cardio workout are great addition. And you will need to address your diet to trim down your belly fat most effectively.Nutrition and exercise are equal partners in the goal of achieving a flatter midsection of your belly. You can do all the abdominal and core exercises you want for hours a day, but if you are not eating healthy, you will mask that muscle growth with layers of fat.
Carbohydrates themselves are not the things holding people back from having a flat belly, it is the amount in which they are consumed. So as long as you live by the old phrase ‘everything in moderation,’ you can still see results.” In fact, here are more healthy reasons to keep bread in your diet.
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