Many people are attracted to those six-pack abs that look chiseled, but not everyone can afford expensive exercise equipment or gym membership fees. Fortunately, there are a variety of equipment-free abdominal exercises that use your own body and gravity as resistance. Follow these steps to get your midsection sculpted the way you want it, without paying a fortune.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Lose Belly Fat
Step 1. Assess/measure belly fat
Excess fat tends to accumulate around the stomach. Since the abdominal muscles are below the belly fat, you need to get rid of the excess fat if you want the muscles to show. So you may need to burn belly fat first, unless you are already very slim.
It should be noted that abdominal exercises such as sit-ups help build muscle and burn calories, but not fat
Step 2. Reduce calorie intake
To lose fat, you must burn more calories than you eat. There are several ways to reduce calories:
- Reduce portion sizes, but don't skip meals. If you don't eat for a long time, your body will receive a signal to store fat.
- Stay away from foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients.
- In particular, stop consuming added sugar. Excess sugar tends to be stored as fat in the midsection. Read food labels and watch out for hidden sugars in bread, sauces, gravy, soda, and alcohol.
- To curb cravings for sweet foods, choose healthy foods like dark chocolate, honey, and fruit.
- Record calorie intake using a calorie calculator, reading food labels, and/or keeping a food journal. There are many apps available for tablets and smartphones that can help you calculate the number of calories you should be eating and keep track of how much you eat.
Step 3. Eat lean protein
Protein is a nutrient that is very important for muscle building, because muscles are mostly made up of protein.
- The United States government recommends that, depending on a person's weight and activity level, about 1/4 of the food intake should be lean protein.
- The body also burns more calories than carbohydrates during protein digestion.
- Healthy protein food choices include chicken, fish, and turkey. Options for vegetarians include tofu, tempeh and wheat gluten (seitan).
Step 4. Eat fruits and vegetables
These foods fill you up quickly, and are rich in vitamins and nutrients needed to maintain an active lifestyle.
- The United States government recommends that we ensure that at least half of our food intake should be fruits and vegetables. The remaining 1/4 of food intake (after protein, fruits and vegetables) should be whole grains. Whole grains are best and should account for at least half of whole grain consumption.
- Foods high in Vitamin C, such as oranges, kiwi, and leafy green vegetables help the body burn fat for energy and balance stress-related cravings.
- Garlic, lentils, broccoli, and red chilies are also very useful in burning fat.
Step 5. Drink plenty of water
Keeping your body's water needs adequate will improve your energy and mood levels, and will help keep you full between meals.
- Medical research has shown that drinking two cups of water before a meal makes people eat less, and reduces consumption of sugary drinks.
- Doctors recommend women drink about 9 cups of water per day, and men around 13 cups.
Step 6. Do cardiovascular exercise
To burn a lot of calories, you should do cardiovascular exercise (exercise that keeps your heart rate high) for 30-60 minutes per day. Combined with a better diet, exercise can help you lose weight.
- Choose an aerobic activity that you really enjoy. If you enjoy exercising, chances are you will continue to exercise. There are many options for aerobic exercise that don't require a gym membership, such as walking, running, hiking, biking, dancing, and swimming.
- If you don't have the time to exercise for 30 minutes, there are simple ways to make your daily routine more active. If you work behind a desk, use your breaks for a brisk walk outside. Do housework around the house or yard for 20-30 minutes, or walk to your destination instead of driving the car.
Part 2 of 3: Training Abs
Step 1. Target the three abdominal areas
To get a six-pack abs, you must work your upper abs, lower abs, and obliques (side abs). While you can't target each area exclusively, each abdominal workout emphasizes a specific area. The following exercises will get you started.
Step 2. Work your lower abs
People often think of this area as the most difficult to build into athletics, so this area requires the most attention. Try the following exercises to target these muscles.
- Scissors: Lie on your back with your legs raised up at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees, depending on flexibility. Place your hands at your sides, and slowly lower your right leg until it is just a few inches above the floor. Return to the starting position, and then repeat the movement with the left leg. Keep alternating between the legs. Try to do at least 10 repetitions without a break.
- Leg lifts: Lie on your back with your feet raised a few inches off the floor. Keeping your knees straight, slowly raise your legs until they are perpendicular to the floor. Slowly return to the starting position without letting your feet touch the floor. Repeat the exercise.
- Body bend: Sit cross-legged and arms extended forward with the fingertips of each hand touching. Inhale. With tight abdominal muscles, slowly rotate your torso about 45 degrees to the right. Exhale. Return to the center and repeat the movement on the left side. Repeat this exercise.
- It should be noted that when performing these exercises, the lower back should always be on the floor. Otherwise, your back may be injured.
Step 3. Work your upper abs
The muscles of the upper abdomen are those located just below the breastbone. The abdominal muscles in this section must be strengthened to get a solid six-pack. Here are some exercises that target these muscles.
- Crunch with feet on the floor: Lie on your back with knees bent at a 45-degree angle and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest and place your hands behind your head. Inhale as you use your core muscles to lift your head and shoulders off the floor and toward your knees. The lower back should remain flat on the floor. Next, exhale as you slowly lower your body back down to the floor.
- Crunches with legs raised: Get into the crunch position, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, lift your legs up, keeping your knees bent. With your legs still and keeping your lower back on the floor, lift your upper body toward your legs while exhaling. Then, inhale as you slowly return to the floor. Repeat.
- Hip lifts: Lie on your back with arms out to the sides, palms pointing up. Next, lift the leg so that the sole of the foot is facing up. Lift your hips up, so that your stomach lifts up. Repeat.
Step 4. Work the obliques
Lastly, you need to strengthen the oblique muscles. If you don't do muscle training in this section, the result will be an unbalanced core muscle and the shape of the six-pack you get will look strange or misshapen. Here are some exercises that will help strengthen the side abdominal muscles.
- Side bends: Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your waist, then bend your waist to the side slowly, moving your upper body to the left. Return to the original position, then repeat the movement on the left side. For a tougher workout, do it with your hands at your sides and carry a heavy object, such as a jug of water in your hand, when you bend.
- Oblique crunches: Lie on your back with your feet raised and your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and hip-width apart. Perhaps the easiest is to lie down on a flat surface such as a bench. Then, place your hands behind your head, and use your core muscles to lift your head and shoulders off the floor, touching your right elbow to your left knee. Return to the starting position, then repeat the movement so that your left elbow touches your right knee. Exhale as you lift, and inhale as you return to the starting position.
- Oblique twists (Russian twists): Lie on the floor, bending your knees and placing your feet under a heavy object. Lift your upper body off the floor. Extend your arms fully, perpendicular to your body, and bend to one side as you exhale. Return to the starting position while inhaling. Repeat, bending to the other side. For a tougher workout, do it while holding a heavy object, such as a jug of water, or a sack of flour, or a large dictionary.
Step 5. Do the exercise with the plank
Plank exercises are important for abdominal exercises because they work the abdominal muscles at the same time, as well as many other muscle groups. To do this exercise, start in a push-up position, using your elbows to hold, not your hands. Keep your body in a straight line, making sure your hips don't droop. Hold on as long as possible.
- Keep your head relaxed and looking at the floor.
- Start by holding this position for 10 seconds at a time, and work your way up to longer intervals.
- To ensure that your body is straight, do this exercise in front of a mirror.
Part 3 of 3: Watching Your Progress
Step 1. Keep a food and exercise journal
For any exercise program, a journal is a good way to keep tabs on your goals and whether or not you're meeting them.
- Carefully record everything you eat and all the exercise you do each day.
- An exercise journal can help identify areas of your diet and exercise that need improvement.
Step 2. Measure your waist circumference
Because muscle weighs more than fat, this measurement is a more important indicator of your progress than a weight scale.
- Waist measurements taken weekly will hold you accountable and highlight the progress you've made.
- To get an accurate measurement using a regular tape measure, measure above the top of your hipbone.
- Do not measure by the clothes you are wearing. Relax the muscles and do not contract the stomach.
Step 3. Take “before” and “after” photos
Since we look at ourselves in the mirror every day, it can be difficult to see our full progress without photos.
Take a photo of your body every two weeks and compare it to previous photos. The changes you see will keep you motivated
Tips
- If you're trying to lose a fair amount of belly fat, focus your efforts on diet and aerobic exercise first. After losing weight, then you can start doing abdominal exercises. This will prevent your efforts in building the abdominal muscles under the fat layer from being in vain.
- Combine sports. This will keep the body guessing, and avoid boredom and the urge to give up.
Warning
- Don't overdo it with practice. Your goal is to burn fat and build muscle, not pain.
- Use your hands to support your head as you crunch and avoid straining your neck.
- To avoid back pain, do all the abdominal exercises on the mat. If you don't have a fitness mat, use one or two blankets.
- Talk to your doctor before starting any new diet and exercise regimen, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition.
- When doing lower abdominal exercises, be sure to keep your lower back on the floor to avoid back injury.
