Planning Complete Ab Workout Routines

Complete ab workout routines should target all your abdominal muscles – the external and internal obliques, the transversal and the abdominis rectus also known as the six-pack. Because the six-pack is the most sought-after look, many routines focus on them. But health-wise and look-wise, all the muscle groups should be equally trained.

If you prefer doing a cardio routine, instead of an ab-focused workout, kickboxing and tae bo are great ways of achieving a complete workout routine. The leg kicking and knee lifting of both sports work out your lower abs, while the lateral crunches work out you obliques. And, of course, the whole workout has benefic effects over your entire body, as it boosts your metabolism, burns fat and elevates your mood.

Many ab exercises can be slightly modified, so that they focus on different muscle sub-groups. The crunches and the sit ups, for example, have so many versions that allow you to get a complete ab workout using the two basic exercises.

A basic crunch focuses on your six-pack. As you lie on your back with your knees bent and feet off the floor, you lift up your upper body and you bring in the knees at the same time, thus contracting the abdominis rectus. Even a small change, like two dumbbells in your hands, can make a huge difference and can make the exercise tougher.

A change in direction can turn the six-pack exercise into an oblique exercise. Thus, as you lift your upper body, twist to the right. While you twist to the right, bring in the right knee and lengthen the left leg so that it forms a 45 degree angle with the floor. Then twist to the left, while bringing in your left knee and lengthening the right leg.

Another version of the crunch focuses on the lower abs. Instead of lifting your upper body and knees, you just bring the knees in closer to the upper body, which lies on the floor. Unlike the regular crunch, when the feet are off the ground at all times, this reverse crunch allows you to touch the floor with your feet, as you lower the knees and feet.

The basic sit up requires you to lie down with your knees bent and feet on the ground. The exercise consists in you lifting up your upper body close to the knees. If you want to upgrade this exercise, you can place a chair or ball under your feet and then sit up. Or if you want to work on your obliques, you can twist your upper body as you sit up.

The exercise combinations are many and diverse. All you have to do is to be open to change, to be committed to getting fit and training your abs, and to be open to advice. You don’t need a personal trainer or a gym subscription to start working your abs. If you want, you can start at home. And later, as you become more and more advanced, you could resort to a trainer’s advice and supervision. But for now, just grab your mattress and let’s start the workout!

 

Tags: health wise, A gym, personal trainer, Your Ab, Planning, change in direction