Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered "How did I get like this"? That old spare tire that you swore you'd never let anywhere near your body has slowly but surely rolled itself around your midsection. The realization that age and physical neglect have crept up on your physique ignites a fire in your will that leads you to exclaim, "I'm gonna reclaim my body. I can do this. I'll just do sit ups every morning before work". Then you remember someone saying that sit ups, although helpful, weren't considered the best exercise for the abs and love handles. Don't fret just yet. There is a solution. In this short article you'll find simple exercises that will help you burn off those dreaded love handles and spare tire in no time without the use of expensive equipment. And your abs will be the talk of the town. It is important to note that before you begin any new exercise routine that you consult your competent health care provider. With that said, let's go get those rock-hard abs of iron.
The Leg Raise
This one requires a small amount of equipment, but nothing that you don't already have in your home. A great exercise to end your routine with, the leg raise involves positioning yourself between two folding chairs while grasping the backs of the chairs with your hands, and simply raising your legs to your waist, in a bent knee position. The chairs, of course should be facing opposite directions and have books or something heavy weighting them down. Beginners should do perhaps 3 sets of 5 leg raises, resting between each set. As you become stronger, add more repetitions and more sets. Save this exercise for the end of your routine -- it'll exhaust your stomach and leave your abs pumped.
This one requires a small amount of equipment, but nothing that you don't already have in your home. A great exercise to end your routine with, the leg raise involves positioning yourself between two folding chairs while grasping the backs of the chairs with your hands, and simply raising your legs to your waist, in a bent knee position. The chairs, of course should be facing opposite directions and have books or something heavy weighting them down. Beginners should do perhaps 3 sets of 5 leg raises, resting between each set. As you become stronger, add more repetitions and more sets. Save this exercise for the end of your routine -- it'll exhaust your stomach and leave your abs pumped.
The Sit Up
This is a classic abdominal isolation exercise, and is incredibly effective when performed alongside other ab exercises. It's included here because everyone is familiar with this old-time favorite. Just remember to increase its effectiveness by adding other ab exercises in the same workout. For best results, do your sit ups towards the end of your routine, and after any major cardio. Isolation exercises are always best done at the end of your routine, as they stress muscle groups that have already been exercised.
This is a classic abdominal isolation exercise, and is incredibly effective when performed alongside other ab exercises. It's included here because everyone is familiar with this old-time favorite. Just remember to increase its effectiveness by adding other ab exercises in the same workout. For best results, do your sit ups towards the end of your routine, and after any major cardio. Isolation exercises are always best done at the end of your routine, as they stress muscle groups that have already been exercised.
Begin by placing your feet under a couch or love seat or anything else that will properly support you. You can also have an exercise mate to assist and "encourage" you by holding your feet and verbally cheering you on. Sometimes the "drill sergeant" approach can produce amazing results. The sit up can be performed with straight legs or bent legs. Simply raise yourself up to your knees and slowly drop back again to the floor. It's important not to jerk yourself through this exercise as you may pull or otherwise injure muscles. Make all of your movements steady and rhythmic. In the beginning, do 3 sets of 10-15 sit ups. As you become stronger add more sets and more repetitions. Advanced athletes may wish to add slow, steady twists as the body is brought up and down from the knees. This exercises more muscle groups in your waist area.
The Side Leg Lift
The side leg lift is unquestionably one of the best ab exercises that you can perform. It works EVERY muscle group in your abdominal area. Just doing this one exercise alone has helped many people gain that hard and trimmed mid section that everyone wants. Of course, when added to the rest of your ab routine the benefits are even more numerous. You'll start off slow in this exercise and slowly add reps. This exercise is not for wimps, so consider this as an advanced technique.
The side leg lift is unquestionably one of the best ab exercises that you can perform. It works EVERY muscle group in your abdominal area. Just doing this one exercise alone has helped many people gain that hard and trimmed mid section that everyone wants. Of course, when added to the rest of your ab routine the benefits are even more numerous. You'll start off slow in this exercise and slowly add reps. This exercise is not for wimps, so consider this as an advanced technique.
To begin the side leg lift ab exercise, lie down on your back. You will then raise both legs so that you form an "L" with your body. As you slowly move both legs to your left keep them together and straight as possible as they approach the floor. Come to within 3 inches of the floor and slowly start to raise them back up to that "L" position. Keep your legs moving until they are within 3 inches of the floor on the right side. Then slowly raise them again to that initial position and repeat, going to the left. Try this for 30 whole seconds in your first few workouts, then add more time when you are able. If you find that the straight leg position is just a little too tough initially, try the bent knee version. The benefits are still excellent. Remember to keep your back on the floor while doing this to provide maximum benefits of the exercise.
And there you have it! This wonderful gem of an ab workout should definitely improve your overall ab fitness. And as with any exercise routine, just work through the tough initial struggles and continue to progress. Good luck to you.
The ab exercises mentioned here are tried and true. I learned many of these while in the military and they always seemed to work. There are many more great ab resources at my blog at: http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-get-abs-to-die-for. Please feel free to check it out. Also feel free to use and give away this article as long as you include the resource box. Take action on what you have read and you will see results.
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