The first region is the Transversus Abdominus, which wraps around your torso and plays a major role in your posture. The second region is the Internal Obliques, that are on the sides of the torso. The obliques are worked when rotating the torso. The third group is the Exernal Obliques, which are also located on the outside of the torso, and are also worked when rotating the torso. And finally, the fourth region is the Rectus Abdominus, which stretches from the bottom of the ribcage and down to the pelvis. The Rectus Abdominus is comprised of two parallel muscles and are separated by a band of connective tissue. The Rectus Abdominus region is what is commonly referred to as a, "six pack." Now, lets take a look at exercises that target each specific region.
The Transverse Abdominus is often ignored, because many common exercises do not place heavy emphasis on the trunk. An excellent exercise the work the Transverse Abdominus is the side leg raise, and side bend. To perform a side leg raise, lay on your right side, with your elbow underneath your right shoulder, with your weight on the outside of your right foot and your right arm. Lift your body so that it is in a straight line. If performed properly, you will feel the action in your trunk as you left your hips the ground. An advanced version of this exercise involves holding the position for a period of time, before lowering your hips back to the floor.
The obliques can be targeted with many of the same exercises as the Transverse Abdominus. However, one exercise that is an exceptional obliques-targeting workout is the lying crossover stretch. To perform this exercise, lie on your back with your arms straight out from your sides (perpendicular to your body, for support). Lift one leg straight up, then lower it to the opposite side. For example, lift your right leg straight up, then lower it to the left side, crossing over your left leg, then hold and stretch. Alternate legs and repeat.
The Rectus Abdominus can be targeted with various crunch and leg lift exercises, but one of the most popular and highly recommended workouts is the bicycle exercise. To perform this exercise, lie on the floor with your hands behind your head, bring both knees to your chest, lift your shoulders slightly off the ground. Then, extend your right leg to where it is at a 40-45 degree angle with the floor, while rotating your upper body to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee- Alternate and repeat.
The truth is, doing ab exercises may actually be hurting your six-pack ab results, therefore, instead of solely doing ab exercises, we must rev up our metabolism and stick with healthy eating to get ripped abs. Ab exercises have always been promoted as the best way to achieve ripped abs. Many different types of crunches, sit-ups and core exercises, mostly utilize and recruit the hip flexor muscles rather than the abdominal muscle group, which can cause muscle imbalances. Some ab exercises position the back in an awkward position, which can cause injury. Ab exercises don't have any effect on having ripped abs. To have ripped abs, we need to increase our metabolism. Resistance training as well as interval training have produced very quick results when it comes to burning fat. Resistance and interval training exercises increase lean body mass. Consequently, more muscles mean more energy required to fuel those muscles and so more excess body fat, especially from the stomach area, will then be used as an energy source. Remember that increasing metabolism also maximizes the body's efficiency and ability to burn fat even several hours after the training session. Our diet is important in that we can fuel our bodies with quality food and allow our body to burn calories more efficiently. By eating food that is balanced in lean protein and complex carbohydrates, we can energize our body to easily burn the calories we consume. Avoiding sugar snacks, sodas, fast foods and fatty foods will allow our body to not store the excess calories as fat and help us watch our caloric intake. Consuming small, frequent meals around 5-6 times throughout the day prevents our blood sugar levels from going up and down too much. As a result, we remain energetic and manage to maximize excess body fat burning. Ab exercises may be hurting your six pack ab results so the best way to avoid muscle imbalances and injuries and to achieve ripped abs is to increase metabolism through interval and resistance training and to practice healthy eating.
Both Jay Dubois & Jose Loni are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jay Dubois has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mens Health, Lose Weight. Jay Dubois writes lots of fitness articles. Visit him on the web HERE Or,. Jay Dubois's top article generates over 1000 views. Bookmark Jay Dubois to your Favourites.
Jose Loni has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Mens Health and six pack. If you'd like to lose belly fat and get six pack. Jose Loni's top article generates over 74000 views. Bookmark Jose Loni to your Favourites.