Cardio is essential for cutting fat and exposing your abs. But along with that, you need to work them. Here are few moves to add to your workout.
6 Simple Moves For 6-Pack Abs
The best way to develop a rocking 6-pack is to hit your abdominal and obliques from each and every angle while concurrently building the strength in your lower back.
1. Hanging Leg Raises –Rectus Abdominus (6-pack muscles)
a. You will need something to hang from by either using your hands, ab straps or a captain’s chair
b. Starting position is hanging from the bar – Raise legs until hips are fully flexed and then lower them back down to hanging position
c. If this is too difficult, you can bring your knees up instead of your straight legs
d. It is important to prevent swinging on your body to complete the exercises slow in order to not use momentum for the swing. A spotter can hold the lower back to prevent the swinging motion as well.
2. Lying Twist – External Abdominal Oblique and Internal Abdominal Oblique
a. Lay flat on the floor with your arm extended out to the sides; you will use them as support for this move.
b. Raise your legs toward the ceiling with your knees slightly bent
c. Keep your legs in this position and lower them together to one side as far as you can without your lower back coming up off of the ground. Then like a pendulum, swing your legs back to the other side. The motion is similar to a windshield wiper.
d. To make this easier, have more bend in the knee
e. To make it more difficult, put a medicine ball between bent knees
3. Inchworms – Rectus Abdominus
a. Use a towel, paper plates or gliders for this exercise
b. Put the towel under you feet and get into a plank position with your arms straight
c. Tuck your stomach and pull your feet in towards your chest
d. Be sure to use your abs to pull your feet in and not your lower back
e. Slide your feet back to the original position
4. Cable Side Bend – External Abdominal Oblique and Internal Abdominal Oblique
a. Stand on the side of a low pully cable machine.
b. Grab the handle with the arm closet to the machine
c. Bend waist away from the cable machine and hold for 1-2 seconds and return to original position
d. Try to always keep tension on the cable
e. Repeat with your other side
5. Plank – Rectus Abdominus
a. Lay on the floor on your belly
b. Prop yourself up on your elbows and your toes – keeping your body parallel to the floor. The body should be completely flat like the floor.
c. Hold this position for as long as you can for at least 4 times
d. Work up to being able to hold 4 1-minute planks
6. Supermans – Lower Back
a. Lay on the floor on your belly
b. Raise your arms and legs 2-3 inches off the floor and hold for 5 seconds.
c. Repeat 10 times
Rebecca Black is a ACE/ACSM certified personal trainer, fitness guru and entrepreneur who has competed in several fitness competitions across the country. Next up for Rebecca is the 2012 Arnold Amateur Classic – Bikini division, where she beat out thousands of women for one of the coveted spots. Nike recently featured her in their “Women Make Your Spotlight” campaign and Rebecca’s tips for staying fit can be seen on SELF.com and the April issue of Oxygen Magazine. Expanding her business to far beyond Personal Training, Rebecca is gearing up to open her own boutique fitness center, Bexa Body Fitness in early February. The Bexa Body Fitness studio will offer group training, boot camps, personal training, running coaching and more building a real community and support center for women who truly want to get fit! www.bexabodyfitness.com
