Top 7 Tips to a Tigher and Stronger Mid-Section

Taryn — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:05:47 +0000

Looking for the “secret to tighter abs” or a “strong core”? There really is NO SECRET! It’s, actually, pretty straight forward. BUT, there are some great tips to be had, if you really want to dial it in and focus on ridding that left over holiday weight, baby weight, baby fat or whatever you claim that left over flub to be from. And NO, I’m not going to tell you to do 1000 crunches to get abs like Gwen, Fergie or Britney.

There really are two things that need to happen:

1) Rid yourself of the fatty layer that is covering your abdominal muscles; and

2) Tightening and toning your abdominal muscles.

Easy enough, eh? And NO, I’m not going to tell you to do 1000 crunches to get abs like Gwen, Fergie or Britney.

With that being said, here are the Top Seven Tips to a Tighter and Stronger Midsection:

1. STRENGTH TRAINING. Work your midsection with specific core strength training exercises, at least, 3 times a week. Challenging them will build strength and lean muscle.

2. WATCH WHAT YOU EAT. Ditch the sodium laden and processed foods, refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup – IMMEDIATELY.

The fat stores created by excess sugar intake most often accumulate around your waist, covering up your abdominal muscles. Cut these items from your diet and replace them with real whole foods such as lean meats, vegetables, whole grains (lots of fiber!!), nuts and fruits.

3. CARDIO INTERVALS. Not only is 45 minutes on the treadmill or Elliptical incredibly boring, but it doesn’t challenge your fitness, like your body needs, in order to burn more fat.

Break up your cardio training with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), think INSANITY™, for your cardio workouts. HIIT training uses intense bursts of cardio to fire up your heart rate and metabolism. Great way to blast the blubber.

4. RESISTANCE. Crunches are boring and old school. Not to mention your core adapts to them quickly and they become ineffective. Add a little flavor to your abdominal exercises by incorporating some weight or resistance. Use a dumb bell, medicine ball or resistance band to create a harder workout for your core. This is how you’ll bring to build that definition.

5. DON’T BE A SUCKER. Never waste your time or money on:

Packaged health food that come with weight loss claims. It’s likely packaged with chemical fillers that will hinder the loss of belly fat. (See Tip #2).

Goofy abdominal exercise products as sold on late night infomercials – all you really need is your own body weight, an exercise ball and dumbbells or a medicine ball.
So-called weight loss supplements. The magic pill for flat abs doesn’t exist, so you’d be wasting your health and money on a bogus product.

6. TARGET YOUR LOWER ABS. It’s easy to neglect the lower abs, but they are an important part of the equation. Incorporate the V-Up or Hip Raise into your exercise routine:

V-Up Starting Position: Sit on the edge of an exercise bench; lean back to a 45 degree angle. Extend your legs out until they are level with the floor.

Movement: Exhale and bring your legs and upper body close together (envision a “V” shape), while contracting your abdominals. Inhale as you slowly release your legs, returning them to the starting position.

Hip Raise Starting Position: Lay with back flat on the mat or floor, place hands beneath lower back for support, legs straight in the air with feet flexed. Your body should look like a 90 degree angle.

Movement: With no momentum, slowly lift your hips off the mat, using your lower abdominal muscles. Inhale as you bring your hips back down to the mat. Accelerate the move by taking your shoulders off the mat as well to work your entire abdominals.

7. CHALLENGE YOUR CORE OFTEN. Don’t limit your abdominal exercise to the gym, incorporate core strengthening during daily life and throughout each workout. Work on your core even while you sit at your desk. Sit up straight, shoulders back and chest up, pull your belly button into your spine and contract and flex your core. Breath as you would normally, then release after 30 seconds. Continue this several times throughout the day. Great way to get through a long boring meeting!

A strong core is the foundation for flat, tight abs.

However, keep in mind that your results will be seriously hindered if you do the same exercise routine over and over. Your abs need a progressive challenge in order to transform. This means new exercises, different resistance and increased challenge.

Your partner in HEALTH & FITNESS!

5 Ways to Speed Up Your Six-Pack, By Ben Kallen

Taryn — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:33:54 +0000

This is a great article featured in the latest Beachbody newsletter. Don’t miss an issue, as there are great articles to further your health and fitness goals.

No matter what your age, body type, or fitness level, we’re pretty sure one of your main workout goals is to improve your abs. And why not? A flat midsection, with or without a visible six-pack, is the ultimate symbol of being fit and lean. (And yes, it looks great at the beach.) But it’s not just a matter of vanity—a strong core helps stabilize your entire body. That’s why every Beachbody workout program includes a variety of ab-tightening exercises.

Still, whatever you’re doing to get fit, there’s always room for improvement where the core is concerned. Here are five tips to help you to get those great abs faster than ever:

1. Work your entire core. Your “core,” the trunk muscles of your abdomen, lower back, and pelvis, is a whole system that supports your body as you stand up straight, perform everyday activities, and work out. And it’s important to strengthen all these muscles, not just the rectus abdominis (the main “six-pack” muscles targeted by crunches). At the very least, you should strengthen the spinal erectors of the lower back to balance out your abs, which will help your posture and reduce the risk of back pain. Think of total-core training as increasing your functional fitness—meaning you won’t just look better, but you’ll also be able to do things better too. (P90X’s Core Synergistics workout and ChaLEAN Extreme’s Extreme Abs workout are great examples of complete core workouts.)

2. ChaLEAN Extreme®Take it slow. When you’re doing crunches or other ab-focused exercises, it’s easy to speed up and lose proper form, especially when you start to get tired. Either you let momentum carry you through much of the movement or you pull yourself up with your back and shoulders. But you’ll get the most benefit (and the least chance of injury) from your workout if you concentrate on measured, controlled movements. And keep the abdominals contracted the entire time. After all, they’re the ones that should be doing the work. (Doing some Pilates-style movements—like ChaLEAN Extreme’s Pilates Roll-Up, in which you lift your upper body to a count of 8—is a good way to train yourself to slow it down.) When you can’t do any more reps with the proper form, it’s time to stop.

3. Don’t overdo it. If you really want great abs, you may be tempted to grind out crunch after crunch to the exclusion of other exercises, or to do more ab-centered workouts than your fitness program recommends. But directly working your abs too often can do more harm than good. Like any muscle, the abdominals need to recover between workouts. If you find you aren’t improving the number of reps you can do or the amount of weight you can handle, that’s a sign that you’re overtraining, and you need to cut back.

4. Don’t neglect the rest of your body. The more you work your entire body, the better it is for your abs. In fact, just about any full-body or compound movement, from push-ups to squats to deadlifts, takes a lot of ab effort. (That’s the whole point behind programs like Hip Hop Abs® and the upcoming RevAbs™, which give you great core results without focusing on crunches.) What’s more, working your full body will burn many more calories and raise your metabolism, which is important, because you also need to . . .

5. Lose the fat to make your abs flat. No matter how much you strengthen your abdominal muscles, the only way to get a flat midsection is to lose body fat. That’s going to require a diet that’s high in protein and fiber, low in simple carbs, and full of bulky, nutrient-dense foods that keep you full with fewer calories—and of course, plenty of water. If you’re on a meal plan associated with a particular workout, make sure you’re really following it and not fudging here and there. (Keeping a food diary can help.) When you combine an effective full-body workout with a proper diet, getting the flat abs you’ve always wanted is just a matter of time.

Set your goals and get there with a fitness program that is suitable for you. I’d be happy to help you determine what direction is appropriate for you. Send me an email at taryn@choose2befit.com and let’s get started.

Choose 2 Be Fit » core

Top 7 Tips to a Tigher and Stronger Mid-Section

5 Ways to Speed Up Your Six-Pack, By Ben Kallen