Getting Your Best Ab Workout

Your abs are often seen as a centerpiece for your overall beauty and they, being your central region deserve attention! Before we talk about how to take care of your abs, lets talk about WHY you should have healthy abdominal muscles! Your stomach is highly reflective of your lifestyle, what kinds of foods you eat and how you carry yourself. Wouldn’t you rather that they say something good about you? Before you think of how much you dislike sit-ups and want to abandon the whole idea, I would like to talk about some natural and safe ways to get a toned stomach that you might not have thought of!

 Your stomach is a vulnerable area

Did you ever stop to think about what goes on inside of your stomach? Your digestive organs are at work most of the time and your stomach still has to support you and work in alignment with your back muscles. Your lower torso provides support and grounding for the rest of your body. Everything you do from walking and running to sitting is all controlled by the lower stomach. Try to see the stomach as your central region and treat it well, giving it time to digest food properly before going for an evening jog or getting up and doing work.

Getting your best ab workout

Everyone who wants the perfect abs and is prepared to work for it has their own formula for success. What you need to know is that what works for someone else may not work for you the same way. For atrophied muscles, straining them can land you in a position where you are sore for weeks and wish you hadn’t been so overzealous with your workouts! You need to go slow if you want results and not overdo it, no matter what sources you are getting the information from. In the beginning you might want to get your new routine going fast. In the long run, though it might be better to start slow.

Tip #1. Know your limits!

Abs are one the most challenging parts of the body for most of us to maintain for reasons that can be connected to poor diet, bad posture or sluggishness due to lack of exercise.  The goal here is to form muscles underneath the fat that are flexible and relaxed, not too tight and hard. The harder a muscle is, the less movement it allows and the abs are not a place you want to pull a muscle in-trust me. If you are going to do crunches and you haven’t done them in years, start with 5 a day for a week. Then move up to 10 the next week. Start rotating different exercises for different muscles groups and you are on your way.

Tip #2. Don’t keep working the same muscles

Your abdominal muscles need more than a rigid type of workout. Alternate with side crunches and leg crunches. Try different things and see what gives you the look and feel you are wanting. Most of all, don’t do anything that hurts in a bad way. There is “feeling the burn” and then there is the pain of tearing a ligament. When you work the same muscles, they don’t have time to heal and grow. This wastes your valuable time and doesn’t get you the stomach you are looking for! Instead, work one muscle group for a while and then begin with another.

 Tip #3. Get an ab roller if crunches are too hard

Crunches can be difficult for people. The facts are, when you are not used to working out, crunches and sit-ups can strain your back and pelvic region, putting you in a lot of pain. If you are new to working out then an ab roller is a better choice. Over time, you can go back to regular military sit-ups once you know how to do the movements with ease. The issue many people face is simply that they are not working the right muscles! You want to feel a burn and there needs to be some resistance. Abs rollers are not the only safe way to get a lean stomach. Tension exercises, yoga balls and good posture will give you a flatter stomach.

Tip #4. Know the difference between “crunches” and “sit-ups”.

There is actually a difference. There are also a lot of variations like hands behind your head crunches and sit-ups, knee touch crunches and sit-ups and side rotations for an all-around workout that stimulates the “love handle” region. Pick whatever feels right to begin with while challenging yourself each time. Crunches are when you are just barely raising your back above the floor while sit-ups are when you are sitting up all the way or almost all the way each time. Some trainers say that crunches give you more tone and an effective workout because sitting up all the way is easier to do and ends up putting strain on your back muscles.

Tip #5.  Don’t forget to have fun!

You don’t need to do the same boring, bland exercises to look good and be healthy-remember when you were a kid and getting exercise was easy to do? That’s because you were having fun and being yourself! There are a TON of natural, recreational workouts that don’t even feel like a workout at all. Jumping on a trampoline, swinging on a swing at the park or on a tire swing especially will tone your abs in a very relaxing, natural way. Running, gentle jogging and swimming and summer activities that burn stomach fat without you even having to feel it!

Your ab workout routine can be as varied as any other workout! Don’t limit yourself to just crunches and this can be a part of your life that blends right in with everything else you do. A natural workout is better than anything you force yourself to schedule. If you prefer a schedule, however fun activities that burn fat like swimming can be reserved for the days you want a little change. Hopefully, this article helped you to find a lot of creative and smart ways to work out!