Some of the most effective ads are rock hard abs and washboard stomach. This seems to catch the eye of most men, and women, and will also prompt them to spend a crap load of money. You should never dump a butt load of money into any workout regimen and its associated products, unless of course, you are redesigning your home and furnishing it with the latest gym equipment. In that case, there is no way to get around investing a decent size chunk of money.
Developing a six pack has more to do with body type, targeted exercises, dedication, and an appropriate diet than it does money. It is also important that you learn which exercises are best for you, personally, and which are counterproductive for everyone. If you are busting out 100 crunches every night and waking up feeling like you back is 80 years old something is wrong. Your abs may look great, but it is really pointless, if you cannot walk upright.
It is better to self-educate a bit to determine which exercises will prove to be the most beneficial for you. The internet affords everyone an easy method of performing research. Now days you can research just about any subject via your smart phone during your commute to work. If you ride on a public transit system, this may be a great way to spend that time. If you drive, there is always hands-free voice command.
Food as Foe
There are a number of foods that, in all reality, you should cut completely out of your life. That is a bit drastic and may be too much for you personally. Try reducing them to the greatest degree possible and replacing them with a better alternative. One of the most important keys to remember is these foods are simply unhealthy. Whether you intend to bulk up like the hulk or just want to improve your health food is one of the keys to success.
- Highly Processed (Grains; Meats, Cheeses; Sugars; Junk; Snacks)
- Artificial Sweeteners
- Fried Foods
- Fast Food
- Low Fat Foods
Note: Low fat content in many cases means that the manufactures have increased the sugar content. The most commonly used sweeteners in manufactured food is highly processed sugar.
Annihilate you Adversary
These foods should be eliminated; however, that is easier said than done. Many individuals have a weakness for all or some of the foods listed above. Busy families often rely on processed foods for convenience. These factors make it difficult to eliminate them completely. You may have better luck reducing the number of times that you consume them.
These foods are detrimental on your health, period. The introduce toxins into your body which causes oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is one of the key culprits of many diseases and dramatically dampens your immune system. This is in addition to the fact that they are counterproductive to any exercise regimen.
Fats, fried, and fast food are self-explanatory. Fructose, the most popular processed sweetener, is transformed into triglycerides, FFAs, and VLDL in the body. FFAs are also known as free fatty acids and VLDL is the detrimental form of cholesterol. The body stores all of these components as fat.
There are any number of websites out there vying for your attention. They promise rock hard abs, provide exercises supposedly guaranteed to flatten your gut, and try to sell you the latest fad diet. There is no reason for all of this mumbo jumbo. Eat right and dedicate yourself to a routine. That is pretty much all there is to it. There are a handful of exercises included below to get you started. These target areas of your core.
Air-Bike Crunch
Lie with your back to the floor, elbows bent, and your hands placed on the back of your head. Raise your legs and bend them at a 90° angle. Draw your right elbow while bringing your left knee forward toward your elbow. As you glide into position twist your torso toward the left and touch your elbow to your knee. Upon contact you should be in a crunch type position. Repeat this on the opposite side.
One suggestion is to do as many as possible in 60 seconds to complete a set. A better thought is to perform 20 complete cycles per set. Once per side is a complete cycle and holding for a cunt of 2 on each side. Perform 2 sets per session. This targets your lower abdomen and oblique muscles.
Roll Out: Swiss Ball
Kneel down on an exercise mat and place a Swiss Stability Ball within reach. Engage your abs and straighten your hips with only subtle bends. Place your fists upon the ball about hip width apart. Press lightly upon the ball using your fists to roll it forward as far as possible without losing contact.
Use your fists to roll the ball back toward you into the starting position. Maintain the starting position posture throughout. For a set perform 10 complete cycles. You will be targeting the rectus abdominis; however, if instead you roll the ball out on each side at a 45° you can target the oblique muscles on both sides.
Spidey Plank-Crunch
You should begin this exercise in the basic plank position. Bring your right knee slowly toward along the side of your body and touch your right elbow with it. Return to your start position and repeat on the opposite side. The completion of both sides is a complete rep. Perform 10 reps for a set and about 2 sets per session. This is one of the best abdominal exercises as it is one of the few which targets all of your core muscles simultaneously.
Traditional Plank Tip: Form fists with each hand. Place your elbows upon the mat with your forearms parallel with the floor. Your elbows should be about shoulder width apart. Straighten your entire body using the placement of your toes upon the mat for balance.
