Diet Meal Plans

Everyone wants flat abs, and the quest for a tight tummy can cause common sense to get tossed out the window. Thoughts of “no pain, no gain” can lead to injuries and, well, pain. Do you know that Abs exercises can be very dangerous for your lower back?

Any ab exercise can be dangerous if you lack proper form, use too much weight or attempt to go through a range of motion that is beyond your strength and flexibility. 

If you have a history of lower back pain or have not developed proper core endurance then it is best to avoid the traditional sit-ups and related abs exercises even if you are using an Ab exercise equipment or machine.

This exercises if not properly executed can impose a great deal of stress on your lower back. Any flexions of the hips can heavily activate the abdominal muscles and create a great amount of pull or strain on the lower spine.

It is important to do exercise appropriate to your fitness level.

Some people like to use ad trainers to help them in their workout routine. This may seem to be safe and come with instructions but these machines can be detrimental for your core workout because they allow you to cheat. Especially for those that uses momentum kind of workout.

Momentum will not help you build muscle. With the help of these abdominal exercisers, you will tend to life a lot of weight as you do not require your muscles to stabilize you, this will be especially be bad on your back. The excessive weight can hurt your back, spine and neck.

Instead, you want to focus your abs workouts on endurance exercises that keep your spine in a neutral position. In so doing, you will lessen the strain on your back while greatly developing the deeper abdominal muscles such as the transverse abdominal muscle and internal/external oblique.

So put away those gimmicky ab exercise machines and ab belts that will not help you burn off fat and add the following 3 ab exercises into your routine.

The Bicycle exercise
One of the best move to target the rectus abdominis (the ‘six pack’) and the obliques (the waist), according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise.

To do this exercise correctly:
1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck.
3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a ‘pedalling’ motion for 12-16 reps.

Exercise Ball Crunch
The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and comes out number three for working the rectus abdominis.

To do it right:
1. Lie face-up with the ball resting under your mid/lower back.
2. Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
3. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
4. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., you shouldn’t roll).
5. Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 12-16 reps.

Vertical Leg Crunch
The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques.

To do it right:
1. Lie face up on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
2. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
3. Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.

Tip for Great Abs
To speed up your result to having great abs, nothing can take the place of a good healthy diet. Everyone has abdominal muscles. If they are covered with fat, no amount of ab exercises can get rid of it. If you want to see visible abs, the fat has to go.