Abdominal Exercises to Improve Your Fitness

Abdominal muscles can be among the most tough places to target when you are working out. Abdominals are hard to deal with; there aren’t a lot of effective exercises and, in order to get any muscles showing, you have to not only work out, but also diet, or else any muscles you build will just be covered in fat and not be seen. However, there are some abdominal exercises that can improve your core fitness, and these exercises can be done in your own home and with minimal costs. Most of these workouts also build the strength of your back and waist, so they truly are multi-purpose. Here are just two basic abdominal exercises that can be practiced at home without the need for any equipment.

Abdominal Exercise 1

This ab workout is great to do if you are new to core strength workouts and are out of shape. It is gentle and simple to do, but effective.

Lie down flat on a bath towel or a small sheet and orientate yourself so that your hands are gripping the top corners of the towel by your ears. Next, bend your knees, keeping your feet flat to the floor. Contract your stomach muscles and keep your vertebral column straight, and then take a deep breath and lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. Hold this position, using the sheet for support. Let out your breath, and at the same time slide your left heel on  the floor until your leg is straight. Then extend your right leg. Do this ten to fifteen times; pulling in and extending your legs, and then let down your upper body back onto the sheet and relax. Swap your legs over and do another ten to fifteen with the other leg first. If you get any back pain stop this exercise immediately.

Why the exercise works? This exercise forces your ab muscles to contract and stay taut while you stretch your legs. This in turn strengthens your core muscles. It is also a lot more gently on your spine or neck as doing stomach crunches. It does take some practice though; so don’t be worried if you crash the first few reps.

Ab Exercise 2

This abdominal workout takes some practice, but it is excellent for deep exercises of the core. Lie on your back on your mat, and then bring your legs up and dish your back (curve your back so that only the small of your back and your shoulder blades are touching the mat). Next, heighten your arms up by your ears and point your fingers out. Hold it for as long as possible. This may sound basic, but it genuinely takes some practice and you may have to try it with your arms down at first.

How the exercise works? This exercise is an simple tool to tighten your stomach muscles, because you are stretching everything out around it. You are also forcing all of your balance on your midsection, which strengthens your core.

Of course, there are many other abdominal strengthening exercises out there, and some use equipment or are best performed in the gym, while others can be performed simply in your home and in privacy. Strengthening your core does not have to be overly difficult, but it does require commitment. Core strength plays a pivotal role maintaining good balance and internal strength so get fit and feel great. Besides, it will be worth it when your abdominals are the envy of all your friends!

Just a final note to warn anyone trying new exercises especially if they are not in good shape to consult their doctor to make sure the exercise would not be damaging.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 7th, 2010 at 7:58 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.