As a London Personal Trainer I often get asked how to
develop a strong core and 6 pack stomach muscles. It seems
that so many people are still practicing old exercises and
cranking out hundreds of situps on a daily basis in the
hope of reducing stomach fat and developing their 6 pack
abs.
Doing regular sit ups or crunches will not only give you
back problems but doesn’t really help in develping
your core and revealing your stomach muscles. Our core /
stomach muscles are more complex than you may think and
need to be worked in three different planes of motion for
optimal results. Doing regular situps and crunches is both
unnatural and only addresses one plane of movement, and
it’s not very good at doing that.
As well as taking the core / stomach muscles through 3
different planes of movement the body fat covering the
abdominals must also be addressed. Forget the old wives
tale about spot reducing fat, this simply isn’t the
case, hundreds of situps won’t burn stomach fat - fat
naturally comes off in layers from all over the body. The
only way to reduce stomach fat is with a good total body
exercise programme and by eating a healthy diet.
Remember that we all have stomach muscles waiting to be
seen under our belly fat but in order to increase their
size and make them more visable they need to be trained
like any other body part. So, a combination of the correct
abdominal / core exercises, a healthy diet and a good all
over body routine will bring your 6 pack abs out for all to
see.
I have found the following 6 exercises to be the best for
stabalising your core and reducing potential back pain
whilst bringing your abdominals / obliques to the surface.
1. The Side Plank - keep your hips inline, belly button in
and maintain this postition for as long as possible. Start
with 30 secs and increase up to 2 minutes over time.
Breathe!
2. The Front Plank - keep your body in a straight line,
belly button in and arms at 90 degrees. Start with 30 secs
and increase up to 2 minutes over time. Breathe!
3. The Bird Dog - keep your back flat, belly button pulled
in, thumb up and out at 45 degrees. Opposite leg goes
straight back. Start with 6 reps on each side and work up
to 3 sets of 12.
4. The Front Mountain Climber - in a press up position with
you back flat and belly button pulled in bring your knee
straight up to your chest. Breathe out as you do so and
contract your abdominals as if you were being punched in
the stomach. Take leg back and repeat. Start with 6 on each
side and work up to 3 sets of 12.
5. The Outside Mountain Climber - as above but drop your
hips slightly and bring your knee to the outside of your
elbow. Squeeze the side of your stomach, your obliques,
together as if being folded in half sideways.
6. The Inside Mountain Climber - as with the above mountain
climber but bring your knee across and squeeze the side of
your stomach muscles (obliques).
Perform all these exercises 3 times a week along with your
regular workout for the ultimate strong core and the highly
ellusive six pack stomach muscles.
Good luck and enjoy your new abs!!
----------------------------------------------------
Greg is a health and fitness professional based in
Hampstead, North London. He achieves fantastic results for
his clients by using his indepth knowledge and the most up
to date techniques.
http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com
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