Washboard Abs, Six Pack Abs -
Are They Possible
Having a flat stomach or more commonly, -
washboard abs - is not just accomplished by working out daily, it has to become an
all-encompassing lifestyle. The key components are healthy diet, cardiovascular
training, and abdominal exercises. If a movie star stomach is your goal, you
must realize that to achieve your goal you have to first concentrate on what you
eat, not how many situps you do in a day. Of course, as with any fitness and
health goal nutrition and exercise are always the main ingredient.
#1 Healthy Diet
The most important factor in acquiring
washboard abs is eating a healthy diet. Here is a list of recommended healthy
ways to help you lose a few inches:
-
Drink at least three liters of water per day (100 oz)
-
Eat five servings of vegetables and fruits per day
-
Eliminate fried foods and cheese
-
Eliminate processed sugar (for example: sodas,
cookies, candy)
-
Eliminate fatty red meat - only lean meats (1-2 times weekly)
Diets like the Atkins and other high protein diets may help at first
but to get rid of that last 10-15 pounds, it is recommended to lower calories to
a range of 1500-2000 calories a day BUT you must exercise rigorously both with
core or
abdominal exercises and cardio work. See
TRX for an awesome Core
trainer
#2) Cardiovascular
exercise
Washboard abs, getting lean, and losing weight are all tied into
a consistent cardiovascular workout program. You should do 30-45 minutes of
activities like walking, running, biking, or swimming daily 4-5 times per week.
It takes about four weeks before you start to see the physical benefits or your
diet and exercise program. You will see almost immediate results in your energy
level, overall mental alertness when exercising daily. Start off slowly if you
have not trained with much intensity in the past several years. A good way to
get started is to walk or run with the following six weeks program if you have
been running / walking regularly.
For beginner runners -
click here:
-
Week #1 - Walk/run 1 mile a day for 5 days a week
-
Week #2 - Walk/run 2 miles a day for 5 days a week
-
Week #3 - Non-impact week bike or swim for 20-30 minutes a day
-
Week #4 - Walk/run 2 miles a day for 5 days a week
-
Week #5 - Walk/run 3 miles a day for 4-5 days a week
-
Week #6 - Walk/run 4 miles a day for
3-4 days a week
NOTE: week #3 is non-impact due to high
number of injuries that occur to legs (knees, shins, feet, hips) during the
third week of beginning a walking or running program.
#3) The One Simple Exercise - You have to build ab muscles to
see them! Even if under fat - start now!
The Ten-second Crunch is probably
one of the best beginning exercises for firming up the belly. Simply lie on your
back and lift your shoulder blades off the floor and hold for ten seconds.
Repeat this at least for ten repetitions. Try repeating the 10 seconds crunch
for 10 repetitions morning and night for starters. Also, stretch and flex your
lower back for a few minutes after each set in order to balance the muscles that
support your torso. However, a variety of abdominal exercises will help build the muscles under
the fat. Now lose the fat by watching your diet and cardio vascular exercise
and you will soon see the muscles!
Below are some beginning, intermediate and
advanced abdominal exercises taken from some of the eBook sold on the
StewSmith.com Fitness eBook
Store. Sample ab exercises are the following:
Hanging
knee-ups Bring your
knees as high as you can as you hang from a pullup bar.
Advanced
Crunch - (Legs up) - Lie on your back with your feet straight in the air. Keep
your legs straight up in the air for the advanced crunches. Cross your hands
over your chest and bring your elbows to your knees by flexing your stomach.
(Do not do if you have previous lower back injury place feet on the floor
instead)
Reverse Crunch - In the same position as the regular
crunch, lift your knees and butt toward your elbows. Leave your head and upper
body flat on the ground. Only move your legs and butt. (Do not do if you have
previous lower back injury)
Double Crunch Add the regular and
reverse crunch together in one motion. You will feel this one twice as fast
Right Elbow to Left Knee - Cross your left leg over your right
leg. Flex your stomach and twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee.
Left Elbow to Right Knee Same as above just switch sides. Cross
your right leg over your leg. Flex your stomach and twist to bring your left
elbow to your right knee.
Hip rollers This exercise will help
you build your abs, back and hips to help with long ocean swims and balance out
the hip flexors exercises. Twist to both sides keeping your shoulders on the
floor and stay in the bent knee position when rotating left and right.
NOTE: Anytime you work your
abs, you should also exercise your lower back to build balance in your
torso.
Lower Back Exercise - Lie on your stomach
with your arms extended over your head. Lift your right arm and your left leg
off the ground at the same time and repeat for specified number of repetitions.
Switch arms/legs and repeat.
Lower Back Exercise - Swimmers - Lie
on your stomach and lift your feet and knees off the floor by flutter kicking
repeatedly as if you were swimming freestyle.
Advanced Abdominal Exercises:
Do not do if you are a
beginner! These exercises are not healthy for weak or injured backs. If you
cannot do the above swimmer exercises for 1:00 do not attempt these
exercises.
Situps - Lie on your back with your arms
crossed over your chest, keeping your knees slightly bent. Raise your upper body
off the floor by contracting your abdominal muscles. Touch your elbows to your
thighs and repeat.
Half Situps- With your hands on your hips,
lift your torso off the ground higher than a crunch but not as high as a full situp. Your middle/lower back will be on the floor still at the up position.
Flutterkicks - Place your hands under your hips. Lift your legs 6
inches off the floor and begin walking, raising each leg approximately 36 inches
off the ground. Keep your legs straight and moving. This is a four count
exercise.
Leg levers - Lift your feet 6 inches off the floor.
Raising both legs approximately 36 inches off the ground, keep your legs
straight and off the floor until specified number of repetitions are complete.
Scissors Lay on your back. Lift your feet 6 inches off the
floor. Open and close both legs approximately 36 inches apart, keep your legs
straight and off the floor until specified number of repetitions are complete.
Atomic situps - Lift your feet 6 inches off the floor as if you
were doing a leg lever. Pull your knees toward your chest while simultaneously
lifting your upper body off the floor. This is a mix between the situp and the
leg lever.
Thanks for the e-mails. Keep them coming at
stew@stewsmith.com.
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