Six Pack Abs- Do We Believe In The Right Thing

Washboard, killer, six pack abs. Good looking guys and women with excellent midsection are admired and make other people's jaw drop. If we can just do a hundred sit-ups a day, then it is possible to get the perfect abs that we want.

Myth alert!

It seems like not all the things that we heard from "experts" or overheard in the public areas are true. Maybe the reason why we are not getting those perfect abs are because we are not doing it right. Then that would be such a terrible waste of our time. So we need to know the myths and what is real to get the chiseled abs we want.

Six pack Myth 1: Abdominal muscle is different from regular muscle.

Muscle is muscle. Abdominal muscle is the same with our biceps and lats. The only difference is the location. Abdominal muscles are not resting on a bony surface, instead it is against the stomach and intestines. There is no significant difference whatsoever.

Six pack Myth 2: Strong abs means a strong back.

The key to a strong back is a balanced abdominal muscles. You can work your abs, but no more and no less than you work your other muscles throughout the day. There are heavy emphasis on working your abs, this heavy emphasis is often misunderstood to be the contributor of food health. Infomercials give the false belief that by working out just one part of your body will give your health great benefits.

Working out and exercise should not just be concerned with one part of the body. What you need is an overall body fitness to be healthy.

Six Pack Myth 3: You have to train your abs at least every other day.

They say that you need to train your abs hard enough twice a week, that is to give them time for recovery. The key is to choose exercises that fatigue your abs, so that they actually need recovery time. Include exercises that use the abs functionality. Since abs are used to stabilize the body, holding a push up position without letting your body sag will really feel and develop your abdominal muscles.

Six Pack Myth 4: To gain results, high repetitions are required.

The key to abdominal gains is the to overload. If you aim abdominal endurance, the more crunches you do each time, the more you can do later on. It does not strengthen the abs very much but it also eats up most of your time.

Six Pack Myth 5: Hard rock abs can be attained by doing a lot of sit-ups.

Many doctors say that sit-ups and crunches are the work exercises and perhaps should never be done. A common mistake done during crunches, is throwing the neck out. Crunches and sit-ups cause the abdominal muscles to be pulled to tight, this excessive pulling put stress on the neck or what is known as throwing the neck out. The overuse of crunch type exercises may even lead to the reduction of thoracic extension and contributes to bad posture.

Six Pack Myth 6: It takes years to get great abs.

Everyone has abdominal muscles, you just need to train them in the correct order and reduce the fat surrounding them. For some, it would take a few weeks. For other it may be longer. Different body type develop at different rates.

All About Stomach Flattening Exercises

Pick up practically any magazine related to health and fitness and there is sure to be an article on stomach flattening exercises. It is no surprise, this is what people want, flatter stomachs. Why do some people have flatter stomachs then others, and what are some ways to achieve this goal? These are a few questions that come up when the subject is addressed.

To answer the first question, why do some people have flatter stomachs then others, there are a couple of very logical answers and some that are not as logical. The logical reasons are the diets of individuals, a person cannot expect to eat chocolate cake every night and still have a flat stomach. The other obvious answer to this question is what people are doing with their stomachs. Some people spend time each day doing stomach flattening exercises, while others do not, they may eat right and hope that is enough to flatten their stomachs. The next few reasons include heredity and factors such as women who have been pregnant and certain medical conditions.

The next question, what are some ways to achieve a flatter stomach then is answered by looking at what causes a person to not have a flat stomach, basically the answers to the first question. Without a doubt stomach flattening exercises are the best and quickest way to get a flatter stomach. Despite a persons good eating habits exercise is absolutely essential in getting the desired results. Good stomach flattening exercises will also combat the factors such as childbirth and heredity.

There is a variety of stomach flattening exercise available to choose from. All a person has to do is do a search on the internet for stomach flattening exercises to find many different ones. It is good to keep in mind that there is a difference between building good abdominal muscles and flattening the stomach, even though they are very similar. The person has to decide what goal is wanted for themselves. Stomach flattening exercises will generally include moves in which the person concentrates on sucking in their stomach, trying to "hollow it out" as they perform each move. If the exercise is intended to build muscle but not necessarily flatten the stomach, the exercise will not stress this point. Every exercise though will build muscle in the stomach, it is just a matter of what the person's primary goal is as they exercise and decide which exercises to do.

One thing to keep in mind as a person works on stomach flattening exercise is that the routine he or she does should include exercises that are meant to flatten each area of the stomach, and not just concentrate on one section, otherwise the person will not get the results he or she is looking for.

A flatter stomach can mean more confidence, better health and more overall strength. It is a reasonable goal to want to have a flat stomach, and is not unobtainable unless there is a specific medical reason for not being able to do stomach flattening exercises. Besides knowing which exercise will bring about the desired results, a person just needs the determination to follow through, remembering that a flatter stomach will not come overnight, it takes time, energy and dedication, but the results are worth it.

Easy Tips For Having Six Pack Abs

Have you ever seen people with rock hard, six pack abs and wish that you have one like that? There are people who would like to have a great body without spending too much time in the gym. With the fast paced kind of lifestyle that most people have, would there be easy ways to get the body that you want?
Actually there are some easy and simple tips that would help you get the six pack stomach that you want. Avoid eating while watching the television. Since your mind and focus will be on the movie and television show that you are watching, you would not be able to watch the amount of food that you are eating. You may tend to overeat while watching television.
Do not skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. Upon waking up, the metabolism is accelerated and fat starts to burn. You would need enough food to cope to cope up with the day. Calories would burn while you perform your daily tasks. By avoiding a meal, you tend to overeat the next meal. Since you would feel that need to make up for the lost fat.
Incorporate good eating habits to your daily routine. Aside from making sure you eat regularly and not in front of the television, you need to make sure that good fats are incorporated to your diet. Some people shudder in the word fats, well, there are fats that are good for your. Fish oil, flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil are the healthy fats.
Water is good for you. The more water you drink, the better. You don't have to stick just drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water when you can drink more. But we are required to drink that much water everyday to keep hydrated. This would regulate fat burning and body metabolic process.

If drinking milk, the choose skim milk. There are healthier alternatives, all you need to do is make sure that whenever you go to the store to buy groceries, you choose the healthier alternative.
Diet is incomplete if you don't put some mobility into your routine. So still incorporate exercise routine into your lives. Doing a hundreds of sit-ups a day is not good enough. Think about your whole body and not only about your abdomen. When aiming for six pack abs, cardiovascular exercises are a must. This kind of exercise increase stamina and heart condition, it burn fat in a quick way. Cardiovascular exercises can be done 5 minutes a day, and can increase it to 45 minutes. Aside from cardiovascular exercises you can also do some weight training to get the body that you want.
Not all exercises can be done inside the gym, take your exercise outside. Take a walk, stand straight in a cocktail party, you can even do some exercises during your break time while you are sitting down on your chair.
Aside from proper diet and exercise, getting the minimum seven to eight hours of sleep every night is very important. Sleeping rejuvenates your body. It repairs muscular system by decreasing the stress hormone levels.
And last, you need to be consistent. You may plan or devise your own exercise regimen, but getting your six pack abs just does not stay there. You must be consistent with the plan or regimen you devised. That is why diet or exercise do not work, because we lack consistency in doing things. Six pack abs are easy, as long as you put yourself into it.

Six Poor Stomach Exercise Habits

As with all things, there is a right way to go about working for a flatter midsection, and several wrong ways. Working out the wrong way can lead to no physical improvement or worse, serious injury. When doing stomach exercises or any other exercise, be sure to consult a professional, warm up properly, and remember the following tips.

Keep Your Knees Up When doing crunches, you want your knees to bent and your feet flat on the floor so that your knees are centered and pointed upward. Keep them centered and up, not to one side. If you drop your knees to one side, you are unnecessarily compressing your vertebrae, which can lead to a painful back injury.

Sit-Ups Traditional sit-ups actually do very little for the abdominal muscles. Even when done properly, the strain is mostly on the hip muscles. There is also the tendency to pull the torso up with the arms, which of course is not the point of the exercise. Further, when sit-ups are done very quickly, as people have a tendency to do, it is momentum that mostly forces the torso up and down, rather than any muscle groups. The crunch is a good alternative to old school sit-ups.

Straight Leg Lift Another traditional 'stomach exercise," this move actually works the lower back more than any muscles in the midsection. This is also another way to put strain on your back, possibly leading to injury.

Too Many Reps There is never a need to do more fifty reps of a stomach exercise. If fifty reps is not giving you results, doing more than that will not help wither. As you build strength, if you feel the need for a bigger challenge, try a more difficult exercise as an alternative to adding reps.

Sleeping Believe it or not, how you sleep has an effect on your stomach exercise routine. If you sleep in a position that cause back pain, it will make it much more difficult to work on your midsection in the morning. Sleeping mostly on your stomach is one of the best ways to cause back pain, as it forces your back to arch, often resulting in annoying back pain. The best way to avoid this is to sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees. This will help keep your vertebrae in line, prevent back pain and allowing you work out pain free in the morning.

No Resistance All stomach exercises need resistance to be effective, whether it comes from a resistance band, an exercise ball, or just gravity. Exercises that do not use any resistance, such as standing broomstick twists, will not be beneficial to your midsection. The good news is that this particular exercise will not do any harm and is actually a good warm up for your trunk. Just do not expect it to flatten out your stomach.

Proper exercise technique is important. These are just a few tips to help you avoid wasting time and potential injury. Be sure to research thoroughly before beginning a new exercise, and always consult your physician before beginning any physical fitness routine.

Abdominal Pain

There aren't many times when you will have abdominal pain in your life when there is nothing wrong. Having an upset stomach is one thing, but having sharp types of pain in any region of the abdomen probably means that there is something wrong and you need to see a physician. There are many things that could be wrong, and it will be up to your doctor to decide if it is a serious problem. You may find that you have to have surgery as soon as possible. That will not always be the case, of course, but you should make sure anything that bothers you is not ignored.

One of the main reasons why you may get abdominal pain would be from your appendix. If this happens to you, you will need medical attention as soon as possible. In fact, if you show up with abdominal pain that will be one of the first things your doctor will look at to determine if you need to get medical attention right away. It may require surgery. Your pain may not signal a problem with your appendix, but it is always something that should be checked out as soon as possible.

Another common form of abdominal pain or discomfort comes from a woman's monthly cycle. Though most women know the difference between the pain in or near the stomach area and the reproductive area, when a young girl first starts to experience her cycles she may not know the difference. If your daughter is complaining of abdominal pain, you want to make sure she can pin point where it is coming from before you rush her in to the emergency room.

Abdominal pain can come from many other different things, but you should always make sure that anything that lasts longer than a few hours is checked out by a doctor. Make sure that you note any other symptoms you may be having along with your abdominal pain like lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, or anything else you may be experiencing. This will help anyone offering you medical assistance an insight as to what you may be having a problem with, and this can speed up diagnosis. Also remember that if you have had any surgeries or medical problems within the last few years that you should mention that to your doctor, along with an special medical conditions that you may have as well.

Why Exercises To Flatten Stomach Muscles Are Popular

There are many times in a person's life when they really want to look their best. Perhaps it is for a high school reunion or for a wedding, and probably the most popular time for wanting to look good is during swimsuit season. For all of these times, and many more times, most people's focus turns to their stomach and they start thinking about excursuses to flatten stomachs.

People tend to think that a flatter stomach means better looks and most people want to look their best. A flat stomach does go beyond looks however; there are medical reasons why people should concentrate on exercises to flatten the stomach. Medical evidence suggests that people that carry extra weight around the stomach tend to be more likely to develop serious medical conditions, including diabetes. The stomach is also the core of the body, this means that the stronger and healthier the core is, the more likely the rest of the body will be as well. Consider a person with back problems, which is a common problem with many people. These people benefit greatly from doing exercises to flatten their stomachs. This will help improve posture and relieve tension in the back as access weight is removed from the center of the body. When a stomach is flat, it also helps the person to walk taller and straighter, giving the person more confidence and improves their overall looks compared to a person that walks hunched over.

Besides looks and health, another reason why exercises to flatten stomach muscles are popular is because they are easy to do. They can be done practically anywhere, in a gym, at home in front of the television or anywhere else. They also do not take equipment to do. While there are plenty of machines and smaller pieces of equipment all geared for flattening a stomach, they are not necessarily needed to get the same results. All a person needs is some room to lie down and the desire to improve their stomach. There are a wide variety of exercises that target this area of the body, so a person can choose which moves will work best for him or her.

Because this type of exercise is so popular, most workout programs, whether on a video watched at home, a health club or any other program a person follows, will include exercises to flatten stomach muscles, because it is so important to keep them strong and also because of the popularity of this type of exercise. Most people are not interested in simply working on their legs or arms or other parts of their bodies unless they are exercising their stomach as well.

Obviously there are many reasons why people want to flatten their stomach and spend a lot of time doing exercises to flatten the stomach. Whether the reason is vanity or health, it is important to remember that like with all things, it will take time to get the desired results and a person must stick to whatever program they are comfortable with until they have the stomach they want. The good news is that stomach muscles respond very well to even a little exercise, with some exercise and a good healthy diet, most people can see results, provided there is no medical reason why they probably won't succeed.

Benefits Of Using A Stability Ball In Your Training

If there is one equipment you should not miss in your training, it is the stability ball. The market comes up with new training tools every now and then. Yet you are not sure if they do work and if they are safe. So for one that is guaranteed to work, use the stability ball.

What Is a Stability Ball?

This is a large and inflatable ball used as an exercise equipment. Despite being air-filled, it is generally heavy-duty and capable to hold 600 to 700 pounds of weight. It is comfortable and gives good support. It perfectly suits the trainee as it easily goes with the structure of the body.

This exercise tool is also sometimes called as the physioball or the Swiss Ball.

The good thing about using the stability ball is it reduces the perception of "working" in training, especially for beginners. It gives some element of "play" as you get rough with the training. It adds some fun and excitement as you advance in the movements and techniques.

Another good point with the ball is that it can be used by anybody. No fitness level is required. It is very portable and light weight, easy to bring along even when traveling. It is also inexpensive compared to other exercise equipment and it could last for a very long time.

How Stability Balls Came About?

The use of the stability balls for training can be traced in rehabilitation. As early as the 1900's, physical therapists have been using balls in addressing the neurological disorders of their patients.

Then, in the early 1960's, Aquilino Cosani, an Italian toy maker, made the ball and sold it, known then as the "Gymnastik." Two decades after, Cosani came up with a company called Gymnic and became the major supplier of the stability ball to most rehabilitation programs and centers.

The ball then shifted from the rehabilitation to the athletic area, in the 90's. It was used to condition the body of professional athletes. From then on, the ball became very prominent in the fitness community.

At present medical specialists and fitness professionals very much recommend the use of the stability ball by the public. It serves more than solving physical problems. It is good in preventing you from having one.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Stability Ball?

The stability ball definitely is best to improve the strength of the abs and the lower-backs. It improves as well the functional strength, balance and flexibility of the body.

1. Proper Alignment Using the ball during training will test the body to make use of the different parts to maintain the proper balance. The dynamic movements during exercise will improve the natural motor reflexes of the body as different muscles are utilized in movement, especially the ones that are not usually used. The challenge posed by the ball is to maintain balance. As one aims to get the proper balance, the alignment of the body parts is also improved.

2. Great Abs For people working out to achieve great abs, this ball can definitely target the abdominal areas. The abs and the back muscles are simultaneously moved as you work in your balance. Just imagine the good feeling of having a flat stomach area and you will definitely love this ball.

3. Muscle Strength and Endurance The stability ball can help in alleviating any back pain and preventing one in the future. As all the major muscle groups are exercised, the muscle tone, strength and endurance are also improved. Thus it gives the body flexibility, stability and resistance.

4. Core Stability This concerns the major muscles that helps stabilize and support all of the body movements. This is made up of back and the deep abdominal muscles. With the ball, no matter how 'deep" or "into the core" these muscles are, they are still exercised. This is something only the stability ball can guarantee.

5. Stretching The ball is a good companion during stretching exercises. With this, you can easily move into and move out of different stretching positions.

6. Losing Weight Of course, with all the good benefits of using the ball, you will not miss out on the aspect of losing weight. With regular exercises and trainings done with the stability ball, a person can lose some unwanted pounds as the body is firmed.

Health is definitely your most important asset. So do your regular exercises and maintain a healthy diet. Furthermore, have a happy and fun training with the stability ball.

All About Working The Transverse Abdominals

A group of muscles that often gets neglected in stomach exercise routines are the transverse abdominals, the core muscles that lie below the rectus abdominus. Most abdominal exercises target the rectus abdominus and the vertical abdominals, ignoring the transverse abdominals. Even crunches, the staple of most abdominal workouts, do nothing for the transverse abdominals.

These muscles are actually the most important to target, however, as they connect to both the lower back muscles and the rectus abdominus and for a girdle for the entire abdomen. Any routine aimed at flattening the stomach should include the transverse abdominals as a focus. Using the following exercises, you can work out your transverse abdominals and really make progress on that flat tummy. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.

Pelvic Tilts This stomach exercise requires lying on your back on a flat surface, such as the floor or a bench. Use a mat or towel to cushion your spine. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Raise your pelvis (and only your pelvis) off the floor, hold momentarily, and then lower it back down. Repeat for an entire set. Maintaining a controlled movement is crucial to this exercise. This will allow you to use your abdominal muscles, rather than your body's momentum, to do the work on the exercise. Also, be sure to keep your upper body on the floor throughout.

Crunchless Crunch This first exercise is fairly simple but can also be fairly difficult. Essentially, it involves trying to pull the belly button in towards the spine. This can be tricky, as it involves using muscles which you may not be used to activating. To start, either lie or on your stomach or kneel. You might want to try both ways and see which helps you feel the exercise better. Relax your body as much as possible, then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button toward your spine. Hold for ten seconds. If holding for ten seconds feels easy, hold for a longer period. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominus. When you feel this, let the contraction out.

Scissor Kicks This stomach exercise also requires lying on the floor. Position your hands under your butt, keeping your back pressed against the floor. Slowly raise one leg to a height of about ten inches, then slowly lower it back to the floor. As your lower one leg, raise the other. Repeat this motion for an entire set. Maintaining control throughout is important, not allowing momentum to get the better of you. Your upper body should remain on the floor through the entire move.

There are plenty of other exercises targeting the transverse abdominals, but these three ought to be enough to get you started. Stomach exercises like these are key to any tummy-flattening plan, and they are especially good for pregnant and post-partum women.