Toning your Abdominal Muscles

Toning your Abdominal Muscles
The abdominal muscles are one of the muscle groups that are
most focussed upon in the fitness industry. Almost
everyone wants to improve their body by getting that
'washboard stomach' or 'six pack abs'. A defined stomach
can really improve the appearance of a person's body
because it is a central, focal point. There are two main
ways to tone your abdominal muscles. First, you can do
abdominal exercises such as crunches and situps. Secondly,
you can use machines such as the balance ball or rowing
machines.

To begin I will look at abdominal exercises to tone your
stomach. Obviously, there are the standard situps and
crunches. However, there are a lot of other exercises out
there too. Below I have outlined a couple of abdominal
exercises you may not have considered previously:

- The Bicycle is a great abdominal exercise. To begin you
lay down flat on your back. You then place your hands
behind your head with your fingers laced together, bring
your knees to your chest and rotate them at close to 45
degrees (like you are peddling a bicycle). As you do this
touch your right elbow to your left knee and vice versa.

- Another great exercise is Hindu Pushups. You begin on
your hands and knees with your legs spread wide and your
rear end pushed up. Next you bend your elbows (like you
are doing a pushup) and bring your back down in an arc.
Then straighten your arms so your back arches upwards with
your hips just above the ground.

Both of these exercises should add some variety to your
usual adominal exercise routine. However, if you are still
looking to spice up your adominal workout you could try
implementing some machines. Below are a few suggestions
for you if you want to start using machines:

- The Balance Ball highly versatile and improves your core
stability. Not only does it exercise your abdominal
muscles but it also works the rest of your body. To stay
balanced on the ball your abdominal muscles need to remain
tight, a task which is often a lot more difficult than
people think.

- The Rowing Machine primarily works your shoulders,
forearms, biceps, triceps and legs. However, due to the
position you have to maintain whilst seated on the machine
it also gives your abs a great workout and helps tone and
strengthen them.

- The Red Exerciser is a relatively new piece of equipment
which keeps the upper body still, allowing you to oscillate
the lower body using your abdominal muscles. If you use
the Red Exerciser regularly you will begin to notice great
results.

However you decide to exercise your abdominal muscles I
hope that this article has proved useful to you. Variety
in your abdominal workouts is a good idea because it
prevents you from getting bored with your routine. Also,
doing different exercises will keep working your abdominal
muscles in different ways and help give them more tone and
definition.

Remember to also try and eat healthily, incorporating lots
of fruit and vegetables into your diet. Also try to
consume plenty of water. Finally, make sure that you
perform regular cardiovascular exercise. Doing this will
reduce your body fat, allowing your stomach muscles to
stand out more. Keep it up and you will have the abs
you've always dreamed of in no time at all.

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abdominal muscles by heading over to
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