Tight and sexy abs are sought after by both sexes. Unfortunately, for women it is very difficult. On a biological level, some women find it harder to build muscle than men, whereas others hesitate to do muscle building exercises for fear of getting too big or muscular. Don't worry – with a smart combination of diet and exercise, women can sculpt strong and beautiful abs and core without starting to look like bodybuilders.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Doing Abdominal Exercises
Step 1. Start with sit ups and/or crunches
Do basic sit ups, lying on the floor with bent knees and feet parallel to the floor. Cross your arms across your chest and slowly lift your upper body, from your shoulders to your lower back, off the floor. Sit down, pause for a moment at the highest movement. Then, slowly lower yourself back down and repeat. Do not tense or use fast movements and do not lift your neck. The pressure should be on the abdominal muscles, not the neck. Make sure your back stays straight, never bend over while doing sit ups. To do crunches, which are easier than sit ups, simply lift your shoulders off the floor – not your entire upper body.
- Sit ups and crunches work your core abdominal muscles. Your abdominal muscles, on the whole, are quite large, running from the waist to just below the chest. For shaped and sculpted muscles, it is very important to work every part of your abdominal muscles. While it's important to work your core abs, don't pay “too much” attention to a six pack – uneven abdominal exercise can result in low core stability, rather than a balanced workout.
- Another good core exercise to do is plank. This exercise, is a great core exercise on its own, and very versatile – by adding different poses and/or movements to the basic plank, you can work a lot of muscles.
Step 2. Perform leg lifts
Lie on the floor with your legs straight and close together. Keeping your legs straight, slowly raise your legs in a vertical position so that they are facing the ceiling. Slowly lower your feet to the floor and repeat. Don't separate your legs or bend your knees while doing this exercise, unless you have a hard time – in this case, modify the exercise so that you bring your knees to your chest instead of bringing your feet up to the ceiling. For an extra challenge, try holding a medicine ball or small weights between your legs while doing this exercise!
- Leg lifts work the lower abdominal muscles. Even though it is very difficult to train and “build”, tight lower abdominal muscles can turn a six pack into an eight pack! In addition, like other core muscles, the lower rectus abdominis and oblique muscles play an important role in stabilizing the waist and back, which, if not maintained, can result in back injuries.
- Other abdominal exercises such as reverse crunches and hanging leg lifts also target the hard-to-reach zone just above your waist, resulting in a firm upper pelvis.
Step 3. Do a bycicle crunch
Lie down in a basic sit up position with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Tuck your palms behind your head, elbows bent. Lift right knee to chest. Lifting your knees, slowly lift and rotate your upper body, touching your left elbow with your right knee. Lower your upper body back down as well as your knees while raising your left knee, touching it with your right elbow. Repeat this movement, alternating knees and elbows.
- Bicycle crunches work the left muscle, which is a "must" for any abdominal exercise. This muscle on the side of your body is not only important in abdominal strength and core stabilization, it looks amazing when it's toned and built. Tight oblique muscles will make your sides look toned and slim, giving a slimming effect. If you "really" concentrate on the oblique muscles, you will eventually see the coveted "bulge" above the lumbar spine which indicates strong oblique muscles.
- Oblique sit ups and side planks are also good exercises for your oblique muscles. Within minutes, you will feel a satisfying burning sensation on your sides!
Step 4. Work your legs, thighs, and back with lunges
One powerful exercise that works your legs and thighs while also using your waist, back, and abdominal muscles as a second muscle is the lunge. To perform a lunge, start by standing straight with your feet hip-width apart. Take a big step forward with your right foot. Bend your left leg and lower yourself to the floor, keeping your back straight, until your knee is bent 90 degrees. Push yourself back into an upright standing position, with your right leg supporting your weight. Repeat this movement with the left leg. Do this exercise slowly and gently – straining or pushing can injure your knees or back.
- While you're probably most interested in working your abs to get a toned abs, it's important to pay attention to "all" your core muscles, including your legs, thighs, back, and waist. Concentrating only on the abdominal muscles can make you look "one-sided" because you will have a well-shaped stomach but the rest of the area is fat. More importantly, good core muscle exercise is essential for good posture, balance, back stabilization, and health. Don't neglect any of the muscles between your chest and knees – you'll regret it!
- There is a very "huge" variety of exercise for your supporting core muscles. Do everything from lunges to hip flexor exercises to leg raises with a stability ball. A strong, solid core is a must if you want to have sculpted abs.
Step 5. Don't believe the common musculoskeletal misconceptions
Because toned abs are so coveted, abdominal exercises appeal to city legends or unsubstantiated claims. Don't believe anything you hear when it comes to building sexy abs – if certain information sounds too easy to be true, it probably is. Here's a fix for two common misconceptions:
- You "can't" burn belly fat right away. This is a widespread myth. It doesn't matter how hard you train a particular body part – exercise "does not" remove fat from that particular body part. In fact, fat is removed little by little from the whole body. In order to lose belly fat to show muscle, you have to lose fat all over your body.
- You should "not" only do abdominal exercises. Doing lots of crunches will give you stronger abs, but you may not see the results in toned, sculpted abs. Sometimes, in order to gain abdominal muscles, the person has to diet and make other lifestyle changes (see below) in order to build muscle clearly.
Part 2 of 3: Burn Fat with Lifestyle Changes
Step 1. Set aside time in your schedule for exercise
With any exercise routine, the best way to see an increase in your abdominal muscles is to "stay persistent". Exercise routines are most successful if they are consistently repeated over a long period of time. If you're ready to work out for the toned abs you deserve and you haven't set a workout routine yet, try setting aside at least an hour each day for exercise. Practice a healthy mix of strength training and cardio – a good rule for beginners is to take turns doing strength-building and cardio workouts.
Even if you just want a toned stomach and you're not interested in working out your whole body, your exercise routine should be varied and balanced. A balanced routine will not only improve your appearance and overall physique, it will also be better for your abdominal muscles. The core is used for support in almost all strength sports, so the more variety you do, the better your core and abs will be
Step 2. Look for opportunities to burn fat
Unfortunately, exercise isn't always enough to get a stunning pair of abs. You may get strong abs from intense abdominal and core exercises, but if your muscles are covered in belly fat, you won't get the visual results you want. To burn fat, you may need to make lifestyle changes so that you are in a "calorie deficit" – that is, you use more calories than you take in.
To start, work on changing your daily routine so that you use more calories throughout the day. If, for example, you drive to school or work, try biking or running. If you spend most of your free time watching television, try joining an amateur sports team or going for a jog. Over the long term, these small changes can shed body fat, making your abdominal muscles more shaped
Step 3. Cut calories
One sure way is to cut back on food. There is debate about how often and how much you should eat for optimal weight loss – the most important thing to remember for your weight loss is to consume fewer calories from the food you eat in one day. Calculate your basic metabolic rate, then calculate the calories from the food you eat in one day. Set this number a few hundred calories lower than your daily calorie expenditure, and you will lose weight!
Make sure whatever diet you want to do is realistic, wise, and safe. Don't starve yourself or neglect nutrition, or you could put your health at risk
Step 4. Change the type of food you eat
When it comes to dieting, how much you eat isn't the most important thing – "what" you eat also matters. Try to avoid “processed” foods in your diet – as a general rule, if you don't immediately know what plant or animal a food is made of, it counts as a “processed” food. In addition, try to avoid high-fat and high-sugar foods. Instead, supplement your diet with vegetables (especially nutrient-dense vegetables such as cabbage and spinach) whole grain carbohydrates, lean protein (yogurt, chicken breast, egg whites, certain fish, for example), and healthy fats in limited amounts (such as olive oil)., avocado, and nuts).
Drink as much water as possible. It is very refreshing, has no calories, and helps with weight loss
Step 5. Do cardio
Cardio or exercise (aerobic) is a good way to burn fat. Intense cardio exercises, such as running, swimming, and cycling, burn a lot of calories. If you want to burn fat, consider devoting time each week to doing cardio. This is a good way to enlarge the ratio between the number of calories you eat and the number of calories you use each day. However, be aware – if you increase the amount of food you eat because of a new cardio routine, you may not be burning fat.
As with most types of exercise, do your new cardio routine in moderation. Don't overdo it – if you devote all your time to cardio and don't do strength-building exercises, eat healthily, and rest, you may end up exhausting yourself and getting disappointing results
Part 3 of 3: Doing Basic Crunch
Step 1. Lie down
For comfort, use a foam exercise mat or carpeted floor. Place your feet on a low table or at an angle of at least 90 degrees.
Step 2. Cross your arms across your chest
You may see some people wrapping their fingers behind their heads while doing crunches – if you do this, you can strain your neck muscles. By crossing your arms across your chest, you eliminate the possibility of neck pain.
Step 3. Tighten your abs and arch your upper body starting with your head
Use your abdominal muscles to slowly lift your upper body (with your neck relaxed) as far as possible without lifting your lower back off the floor. Never use fast movements – this could injure your back.
Step 4. Hold this “crunch” position for a few seconds
Start lowering your upper body down gently and slowly.
Step 5. Repeat
Each time you reach the top of the crunch, hold this position for a second or two, then slowly lower yourself down and repeat. If, at any time, you experience pain in the lower back, stop.
Step 6. Repeat this exercise 20 times
After 20 repetitions, take a short break (less than 1 minute), then do another set of 20. Do 2-4 sets, or do it until you “feel a burning sensation” – a slight soreness in your abdominal muscles that indicates your abdominal muscles have been trained.
Tips
- Do these 20 exercises every day but once you get toned up, do 20 3-4 times a week.
- Remember that all these exercises should be done very slowly. Most women think that crunching faster means they are exercising more vigorously and burning more calories and being healthier. This is wrong. You will get the best results from abdominal exercises if you do it slowly – making the muscles in your midsection and abs work really hard!
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
- You have to have a good diet or it won't work. Avoid all snacks, sugary foods and drinks, and all processed foods.
- Avoid canned food.
