08.04.2018 5629

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Biomechanics of abdominal muscles

How to pump up your abs? This is exactly the question that appears in the head of almost every gym visitor. Many people who only dream of a beautiful, sculpted belly often torture themselves with crunches every time they visit the gym, in order to get closer to those alluring abs on their belly from the cover of a fitness magazine. Unfortunately, they do not know that twisting can not only not bring results, but also cause harm. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, let's talk about everything in order.

In this article, I will look at the main factors that need to be taken into account on the way to beautiful abdominal muscles, as well as mistakes that should not be made.

The abdominal muscles are a group of muscles located in the abdominal cavity and providing protection to the organs that are located in it. These muscles have a rather complex structure, and their role in the human body is very great. From this, we can conclude that it is important to exercise the abdominal muscles not only because they have a beautiful shape, but also to keep the abdominal organs safe. First you need to understand which muscles belong to the abdominal muscles (the so-called “abs”) and what their functions are. It is thanks to these muscles that our stomach acquires a beautiful and athletic appearance.

The abdominal muscle group includes the following muscles:

• Rectus abdominis muscle
• External oblique muscle
• Internal oblique muscle
• Transverse abdominis muscle
• Pyramidalis muscle

Rectus abdominis muscle

The rectus abdominis muscle consists of two parallel muscles. This is a paired, flat, long, ribbon-shaped muscle, wide at the top and narrowed at the bottom, located on the side of the midline. Both rectus muscles are separated from each other by the linea alba. It begins on the pubic crest and pubic symphysis, goes upward and attaches to the anterior surface of the xiphoid process and to the outer surface of the cartilages of the V-VII ribs. The muscle bundles of the rectus abdominis muscle are interrupted by 3-4 horizontal tendon bridges.”
Wikipedia.

The rectus abdominis muscle is closed on both sides by the ligamentous tissues of the oblique muscles. The question arises: what is a “cube” press? This is part of the integral muscle fiber of the rectus abdominis muscle, which is limited from other similar parts by tendon jumpers.

Functions: Raising the pelvis with a fixed chest. Flexion of the spine, lowering of the ribs, pulls the chest down with a fixed spine and pelvic girdle.

External oblique muscle

“Located on the front and side surfaces of the abdomen and partly the chest. The widest of the abdominal muscles. The muscle begins with 7-8 large teeth on the outer surface of the V-XII ribs. The external oblique muscle attaches to the external lip of the iliac crest, the pubic symphysis, and the linea alba.”
Wikipedia.

Functions: With bilateral contraction and a strengthened pelvic girdle, it lowers the ribs and flexes the spine. With unilateral contraction, it turns the torso in the opposite direction and performs a lateral tilt. With a fixed chest, it raises the pelvis.

Internal oblique muscle

“Flat, which is a wide muscle-tendon plate, which is located directly under the external oblique muscle of the abdomen, constituting the second muscular layer of the abdominal wall. The muscle begins with muscle bundles on the intermediate line of the iliac crest, the thoracolumbar fascia and the lateral half of the inguinal ligament. Fan-shaped, the muscle bundles are attached to the outer surface of the cartilage of the lower ribs, and are also woven into the linea alba of the abdomen by a wide tendon.”
Wikipedia.

Functions: Rotation of the torso in your direction (together with the oblique abdominal muscle of the opposite side) and lateral bending during unilateral contraction. With a strengthened pelvic girdle and bilateral contraction, it bends the spine and lowers the ribs. Raise the pelvis with a fixed chest.

Transverse abdominis muscle

Forms the deepest layer of muscles of the lateral walls of the abdominal cavity. It begins on the inner surface of the six lower ribs, on the deep plate of the thoracolumbar fascia, the anterior half of the iliac crest and on the lateral part of the inguinal ligament. The muscle bundles run transversely, forward and medially, passing into a wide aponeurosis, which is also involved in the formation of the abdominal line. The lower bundles of the internal oblique and transverse abdominal muscles are part of the spermatic cord of the levator testis muscle.

Functions: Pulls the lower ribs forward and down, reduces the size of the abdominal cavity, due to which the abdominal wall is supported, intra-abdominal pressure increases, and the spine and pelvis are stabilized.

Pyramidalis muscle

The paired muscle is located in front of the lower section of the rectus abdominis muscle. It begins on the pubic ridge and is woven into the linea alba.

Function: Tightens the linea alba.

Myths about the press

Myth No. 1 - Abs are just “abs”

After a detailed anatomical analysis of the abdominal muscles and their functions, it became clear to us what the same abs that many people dream of consist of. At first glance, the illusion may appear that the abs are only “cubes” on the abdomen (rectus abdominis muscle), nothing more, but as we see, in addition to the “cubes” there are a number of equally important muscle groups that are part of the abdominal press . They are all interconnected, which means they complement each other.

Conclusion: The abs are not only the abs on the abdomen (rectus abdominis), but also other abdominal muscle groups, such as the external oblique, internal oblique, transverse and pyramidal abdominal muscles.

Myth No. 2 - Pumping only the upper or lower abs

Often my clients ask about how to pump up their upper or lower abs. I, in turn, upset them by saying that upper and lower abs do not exist. J Top and bottom abs are one of the most persistent myths in fitness.

As we have already seen, the rectus abdominis muscle consists of two parallel, integral, flat, rectus muscles, separated by the linea alba, the muscle fibers of which, in turn, are separated by tendon jumpers. This knowledge allows us to dispel this myth and makes it clear that it is impossible to pump the lower abs (namely, the lower rectus abdominis muscle) separately from its upper part and vice versa. When lifting legs while hanging on a horizontal bar, many people feel like their lower abs are on fire, and they conclude that only their lower abs are working. This misconception is caused by the work of the iliopsoas muscles, because they are the ones that actively work in this exercise and, as a result, burn. Of course, the abs are also burning, but it is more correct to say that the lower part of the rectus abdominis muscle is burning, but not to say that only the lower part of the abs is working. When crunches on the floor begin and the abs themselves begin to work, a burning sensation appears and the person begins to believe that only the abs are working upward. A burning sensation in one part of the rectus abdominis muscle does not exclude the work of the other! These are all myths that make no sense.

Conclusion: No matter what exercise you do, be it crunches or hanging leg raises on a horizontal bar, the ENTIRE rectus abdominis muscle works (both TOP and BOTTOM). The fibers contract along their entire length; division into independent parts is anatomically impossible! Leveling up the two lower dice in isolation from the two upper ones is completely absurd. The only true statement is a greater contraction of the lower or upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle in certain exercises, but not independent work of the upper part from the lower one and vice versa.

Myth No. 3 - I pump up my abs and burn belly fat.

It is important to remember one important rule - the more we pump our abs, the less fat we lose. Paradox. The fact is that there is no difference between 3-4 sets of abs several times a week and 3-4 sets of abs every day. In the second case, you only waste time and do not allow the abdominal muscles to recover, instead of training other muscle groups. Belly fat does not go away by pumping up your abdominal muscles; this rule is also true for all other muscle groups. Getting rid of fat in any specific area is impossible, because... fat disappears everywhere from the entire body, including from the face. This is physiology. Even in your imagination, it’s quite difficult to imagine a person with sculpted abs, full arms and a double chin. This is only possible in Photoshop. Even our imagination tells us that it is impossible to burn fat only on the stomach. J

Conclusion: Don't do abs to lose weight.

Myth No. 4 - I’m thin, so I don’t need to work out my abs.

It is important to understand that running on an elliptical or treadmill will not build up your abs. Any muscle group in the body needs work to develop, and the abdominal muscles are no exception. Without training your abs, but losing weight only through nutrition, you will find that your abdominal muscles leave much to be desired, as do the rest of the muscle groups in your body. This is a natural result in the absence of strength training. Training your muscles allows you to tone them and significantly improve their appearance, which equals a beautiful, toned body with beautiful abs. It is important and necessary to pump up your abs, but in moderation, not forgetting the largest muscle groups (chest, back, legs). The paradox is that people who only train their abs do not have abs, while people who train fully (legs, back, chest) do. This is explained by the fact that many complex compound exercises involve the abs to one degree or another, since the abs muscles are stabilizers of the core. Also, training large muscle groups allows you to accelerate the body's metabolism and provoke the release of testosterone into the blood, which is very important for gaining muscle mass, not to mention the fact that training large muscle groups allows you to burn much more calories than low-cost crunches. If you only train your abs and don’t train anything else, you may not expect results.

Conclusion: Only strength training can give your body muscles (and stomach, respectively) an aesthetic appearance. This rule applies to all other muscle groups of the human body.

Myth No. 5 - I’m thin, but I have fat on my stomach, I don’t want to lose weight

In the case when you are already thin, but there is belly fat, it is important to reconsider your nutrition plan and add high-intensity strength training, be patient and work. The required amount of protein in the body will help maintain muscle mass. Controlling carbohydrates and fats combined with high-intensity strength training (high-repetition workouts in the gym combined with strength aerobics) will reduce the amount of subcutaneous fat.

Conclusion: To remove belly fat for a thin person, it is important to have, first of all, a proper diet and the presence of high-intensity training to maintain and develop muscle mass. Proper nutrition, by the way, is the first thing a person needs who is thinking about getting rid of excess fat in the body.

Body fat percentage

Scientists were able to derive a minimum range of the percentage of fat in the female body, below which women are not recommended to fall, due to the appearance of significant disturbances in the vital functions of the body. This percentage ranges from 13 to 16 depending on age differences. Abs are clearly visible if the amount of subcutaneous fat is in the range of 10 to 12 percent. In fact, it turns out that sculpted cubes on a woman’s belly are a deviation from the norm, because with a low percentage of fat in the body, the menstrual cycle and the functioning of the body as a whole are disrupted. In terms of male body fat, what is considered safe for maintaining good health is 5-9%.

The table below shows the minimum body fat percentage based on gender and age. Therefore, minimum fat values ​​should not be lower than these values. Based on the data in the table, you can notice a trend that body fat increases with age, usually mainly due to a decrease in activity level.

Attention! It is important to understand that each person's body is unique. The norm of subcutaneous fat of different individuals may differ from the norms given in the table. For example, if one woman can feel good with 17% body fat, then another at least with 20%. The numbers in the table are not a panacea and you should not rely entirely on them - remember that the body of each of us is unique.

In order to see the abdominal muscles, we do not need to perform crunches until we lose our pulse - first of all, we need to get rid of the fat layer throughout the body. To achieve this, you need systematic aerobic and strength training, plus the right nutrition plan. It is enough to pump the abs 3-4 times a week for its development and tone, like other muscle groups.

Physiologically, it is more difficult for women to achieve a beautiful, sculpted abdomen than for men, since men have much higher testosterone levels than women. And he, in turn, is responsible for gaining muscle mass and burning fat. This is one of the reasons why women have a harder time gaining muscle mass and losing excess weight throughout the body, including the abdominal area.

Exercises

Remember, at the beginning of the article I wrote that twisting can not only not lead to results, but can also cause harm? So, it's time to talk about this.

Crunches

Almost every gym goer is familiar with this exercise. At first glance, the exercise looks safe and simple, but there are a number of nuances that everyone should know when performing this exercise. Returning to the words that you don’t need to pump up your abs every day, it’s worth paying attention to possible injuries when doing crunches. Excessive and incorrect performance of this exercise can lead to vertebral injuries, because During twisting, pressure on the intervertebral discs increases. As a result, protrusion or intervertebral hernia may appear. This is the same case when incorrectly applied efforts are rewarded with injury.

Execution technique: The range of motion (the angle between your back and the floor in a twisted position) for this exercise should be approximately 30 degrees. In this case, the pelvic floor muscles should be pressed to the floor to stabilize the spinal column. Having twisted, we exhale, returning to the starting position, we inhale. If the angle between the back and the floor is more than 30 degrees, the iliopsoas muscles will come into play and the abdominal muscles will no longer receive the main load.

Muscles involved: The main load during crunches falls on the rectus abdominis muscle (agonist). The secondary load falls on the external and internal oblique abdominal muscles (synergists). Let's look at popular mistakes in abdominal exercises with twisting elements.

Mistake #1 : Lifting the body too high. When we rise too high during exercise, the load is transferred from the rectus abdominis to the hip flexors (iliopsoas and rectus femoris), so you should lift your back no more than 30 degrees from the surface.

Mistake #2 : Pull your hands behind your head while lifting your torso. To avoid this, you should hold your hands not behind your head, but behind your ears or in front of you. At the same time, try not to stretch your neck forward and always look up.

Mistake #3: The pace is too fast. If you perform the exercise in jerks, the abdominal muscles will not have time to engage in work, and the movement will be performed due to impulse rather than strength, while the joints and back will receive excess stress, which, in turn, can lead to injury.

Mistake #4 : Relaxation in the negative phase. When we smoothly rise up, we tense our abdominal muscles, and the same should be done when returning to the starting position (negative phase). We should not go down with relaxed muscles. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the exercise is reduced several times.

Mistake #5 : Retention and uneven breathing. There is no need to hold your breath - it is important to breathe both when lifting your torso and when returning to the starting position. By holding your breath, you deprive the exercise of some of its effectiveness, because... intense exhalation during twisting engages the deep abdominal muscles (transverse abdominal muscle), due to which the load on the muscles increases.

There is another option for performing crunches in a small amplitude, where the range of motion is 20 degrees, and the arms are extended along the body. To increase the load on the abdominal muscles in this exercise, you can stretch your arms up.

Twisting with an axis in the thoracic region

Small amplitude twists (20 degrees)

Diagonal bench raises

If, when lifting the body on a diagonal bench, we lift the body, which is in a flat position, and the legs are secured under the bolsters, there is no difference between the body lying on the floor, in a standing position, or at the top point on the diagonal bench. Only the angle of the body in relation to the hips changes. This suggests that the abs in this exercise do not work at all, but the iliopsoas muscles work perfectly, the burning sensation of which is felt literally immediately. This is precisely why after just a few repetitions you feel a strong burning sensation in the legs, and your abs don’t get tired at all. It's logical. While pumping the iliopsoas muscles, it’s not logical to feel the abdominal muscles, is it?

Technique: With the correct technique of lifting the body on an inclined bench, all the abdominal muscles are included in the work in addition to the iliopsoas muscles; for this, we need to rise not with a straight back, but twist during the lifting process. Thus, we load the rectus abdominis muscle, but also, at the same time, the iliopsoas muscles, the tensor fascia lata and the rectus femoris muscles as part of the quadriceps femoris muscles.

Muscles involved: Agonist (main working muscles) is the rectus abdominis muscle, synergists (secondary working muscles) are the external and internal oblique abdominal muscles. The hip flexors will dominate if you raise your back higher than 30 degrees.

Attention! When performing an exercise on the stomach, in a lying position, we always twist the stomach, do not rise with a straight back, otherwise you can get injured! When performing the exercise on the floor with straightened legs, we press the lower back to the floor and do not let it come off, in this case you can also get injured!

Seated crunches on a machine

Muscles involved: The agonist is the rectus abdominis muscle, the synergists are the external and internal oblique muscles. The axis of movement is in the lumbar spine. This exercise also involves hip flexion, which involves the iliopsoas and rectus femoris muscles.

Side bends in a Roman chair

Muscles involved: Agonists are the external and internal oblique abdominal muscles, synergists are the extensor muscles of the back and the lumbar muscles. This exercise does not reduce fat in the lateral pelvic area or abdominal area. By pumping up the oblique muscles, we can increase the waist size, this should be kept in mind, because... many people do this exercise thinking they will burn fat. This is a big mistake.

The position of the hands during the exercise affects the difficulty of the exercise and the load on the oblique muscles. If your arms are placed along your body, the load will be lower than when your arms are behind your head.

Diagonal crunches to the knee

This exercise involves flexion of the spine with rotation.

Muscles involved: Agonists - external and internal oblique muscles of the abdomen, synergists - rectus abdominis muscle, multifidus muscles of the back.

Error: placing the weight on the chest to increase difficulty. This method leads to a decrease in the range of motion, which reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. If we want to increase the difficulty of the exercise, we can hold the weight behind our head.

Option without weights

Option with a pancake behind the head

Standing side bends with a kettlebell

Muscles involved: Agonists - external and internal oblique abdominal muscles, synergists - back extensors, quadratus dorsi, lumbar muscles, etc.

Lying pelvic lift with legs raised up

Muscles involved: The agonist is the rectus abdominis muscle, the synergists are the external and internal oblique muscles. If we lower our feet to the floor, the hip flexors become dominant and the abdominal muscles are statically loaded.

Hanging Leg Raise

Muscles involved: Agonists - iliopsoas muscles, rectus femoris muscle, synergists - external and internal oblique abdominal muscles, rectus abdominis muscle, sartorius muscle, tensor fascia lata. The exercise consists of two movements - hip flexion and pelvic lift while simultaneously flexing the spine.

There is also an option with lifting the pelvis without flexing the hips, in which case the agonist is the abdominal muscles, not the hip extensors. This exercise is more suitable for advanced athletes.

Dynamic corner

Muscles involved: Agonists are the rectus abdominis and iliopsoas muscles. Synergists are the tensor muscles of the fasciae lata, the rectus femoris, the external and internal oblique muscles of the abdomen.

Lifting the pelvis in support

Muscles involved: Agonist - rectus abdominis muscle, synergists - external and internal obliques. In this exercise, the pelvis is lifted in partial amplitude.

Plank

Technique: Lying on your stomach, go into emphasis on your forearms, tense your legs and place them on your toes towards each other. The body should create a straight line. We do not protrude our pelvis upward and do not bend excessively downward in the lumbar region of our back. We pull in our stomach and tighten our abdominal muscles to eliminate the possibility of spinal injuries. Elbows should be at shoulder level to avoid unnecessary stress on the shoulder joints. The humerus is directed strictly upward (perpendicular to the floor).

Muscles involved: Agonists - rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, synergists - muscles of the shoulders, legs, back.

If you are a beginner and have never pumped up your abdominal muscles, the number of approaches in each abdominal exercise should be limited to 3, and the number of repetitions to 15-20. As we progress, we can increase the number of sets to 4 and repetitions to 25, or move on to more complex exercises. If our goal is to gain muscle mass, and we have already strengthened the abdominal muscles (it has become easy for us to perform 4 sets of 25 times), we should use additional weights and do 10-12 times in each approach for men and 12-15 times for girls, so that During the last repetitions of the exercise, a burning sensation was felt in the target muscle groups.

3 options for stretching the abdominal muscles

Finish your workout by stretching your abdominal muscles. By stretching, they will be relieved and stimulated by blood, which will contribute to more effective recovery after strength training.

1. We lie down on the floor, pull our arms back and legs forward - stretch the whole body.

1. Lie on your stomach, palms on the floor at chest level, lift your upper body and take a deep breath. The legs are pressed to the floor. Let's stretch smoothly!

1. We lie on our stomachs, bend our legs at the knee joints, grab our feet with our hands, lift our chest and hips off the floor, trying to stretch ourselves upward.

Results

In this article, I demonstrated both simple and complex exercises for the abdominal muscles, most of which even beginners can perform. These exercises are more than enough to work on your stomach. You can include them in your training program and perform them both before training as a warm-up and at the end. I recommend doing abdominal exercises when you work on the upper muscle groups (chest, back, arms, shoulders). When doing legs, you don’t have to put any stress on your stomach.

A detailed analysis of the functions of the abdominal muscles and its biomechanics makes training the abdominal muscles clear and technical. There are many abdominal exercises besides those given in this article. By understanding how the abdominal muscles work, you can choose exercises of varying difficulty to suit your physical level. That is why in this article I analyzed the anatomical role of the abdominal muscles and their biomechanics in as much detail as possible. Add a few exercises to your workout routine, and don't be afraid to switch them up and move on to more challenging exercises. Do everything technically!

Remember that the abs work when performing heavy compound exercises. This is why it is important to train comprehensively, developing large muscle groups and adding abs to them - not the other way around! Otherwise, you are unlikely to have strong, defined abs. Also don't forget about genetics. Some people may initially have 8 raised cubes, while others may have 4 barely visible ones. But this does not mean that you should give up and not work on your stomach!

And finally, without getting rid of the fat layer, the attractive “abs cubes” will not be visible, so you should think about reducing the amount of subcutaneous fat. Without proper nutrition, it is impossible to get rid of excess fat, just as it is impossible to gain muscle mass, including pumping up your abs. Remember this every time you have the desire to pump up a sporty, beautiful stomach. Well, if you need help in creating a nutrition and training program, feel free to contact me by private message on the website. Thanks to competent individual programs, you will achieve your goals much faster.

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Anyone who purposefully visits the gym to shape the body of their dreams will confirm that the most difficult thing is to pump up beautiful abs, which would be adorned with sculpted muscles. The main difficulty is that on the way to your cherished dream there are always fat accumulations in this part of the body.

Moreover, even small amounts of deposits can significantly spoil the picture. Therefore, if you set yourself the goal of becoming the owner of sculpted abs, you need to remember that a lot depends on nutrition. But in the conditions of correction of the daily diet, special exercises for strengthening the abs will help to achieve the goal .

As already mentioned, strengthening the abdominal muscles through regular training will have obvious results only if fat deposits in this area are kept to a minimum. To do this, it is imperative to adjust your daily diet, replacing fatty, fried and sweet foods with protein and fiber.

Special exercises will also help you achieve your desired results faster:

• The simplest and most famous exercise for burning calories and strengthening muscles is considered to be the “cyclist”, which involves simulating the corresponding movements with your legs. You can perform this exercise both in a sitting and lying position.
• Raising straight legs. Both sitting and lying positions are also suitable for performing this exercise.
• An exercise called “scissors.” It is difficult to find a person who is not familiar with this exercise from school years, for which you should lie on the floor and alternately cross your straightened legs, holding them in weight.
• This exercise consists of sequentially changing positions. So, first you should lie on the floor, then take a sitting position, bending your legs, and return to the starting position.
• You need to take the starting position, kneeling, and begin to bend backwards. It is important to ensure that the hip joints are extended.
• You need to lie on your stomach, and then begin to reproduce the actions of raising the abdominal wall. When lifting, be sure to hold for 5 seconds.
• For the starting position, you should stand on all fours. The exercise involves drawing in the abdominal wall with a slight arching of the back. You should stay in this position for at least 5 seconds. After this, you need to relax and repeat the exercise.
• You should lie on your back and place your arms, bent at the elbows, behind your head. After this, you need to simultaneously raise your head and shoulders, holding this position for about 5 seconds. After a short relaxation, the exercise must be repeated.

Each of the exercises is quite effective, but the results will only be visible with regular training. It is recommended to repeat each exercise about 15 times.

Strengthening your abdominal muscles can be done not only during training. For example, throughout the day you should periodically retract the abdominal wall, repeating the action at least 5 times.

Abdominal Strengthening: Exercises

The set of the following exercises is aimed directly at creating sculpted abs. Strengthening the abdominal muscles can also be achieved through walking and running, which involves raising the hips high, bending over, and raising the lower extremities.

The following exercises will strengthen your abdominal muscles:

• To take the starting position, you need to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, after which you should slowly bend forward, trying to touch the floor with your fingertips. It is necessary to monitor the position of the knees, which are strictly forbidden to bend. Ten repetitions are enough to get the desired result.
• The starting position is the same, and the exercise involves alternately raising the straightened legs forward. At the same time, you should extend both arms, trying to touch your toes with your toes.
• To perform this exercise, you need to lie on your back, and your arms should be spread to the sides so that your palms touch the floor. Straightened legs should be slowly raised up and bent behind the head, touching the floor with your toes. It is recommended to repeat the exercise no more than 5 times.
• You need to lie on the floor and bend your knees, resting your feet on the floor. Arms should be extended along the body. The exercise involves raising your head so that your chin is as close to your chest as possible. At the same time as your head, you need to raise your arms and alternately reach with your right hand to your right foot and your left to your left. You need to make sure that your shoulders are also slightly raised during the exercise.

Conclusion!

The above exercises aimed at strengthening the abs are considered simple and at the same time effective. A video about the step-by-step implementation of each exercise will allow you to avoid many mistakes and achieve the intended results on the way to the figure of your dreams.

Video about ways to pump up abs for beginners

Do you dream of losing weight in your belly, getting rid of your sides and reducing your waist? Start doing exercises for a flat stomach at home today! To train your abs, you will need minimal equipment and some free space in the room. We are offering to you a selection of high-quality exercises for the abdominal muscles , which is guaranteed to help you tighten your abs and get rid of fat from the waist area.

Rules for performing exercises for abdominal muscles at home

1. If you want to achieve a flat stomach in a short time, then your workout should include Cardio exercises for burning fat and exercises for the entire muscle corset(stomach + back).

2. The workout plan for a flat stomach can be divided into two parts: cardio training (15-20 minutes) and abdominal exercises (15-20 minutes). The second part includes exercises for the abdomen on your back, standing, in a plank - at your discretion. It is advisable that the exercise program be as varied as possible.

3. The total time of such a set of exercises for the abdomen takes 30-40 minutes, you need to exercise 2 times a week. Of course, you can train more often or less frequently depending on your goals and problem areas.

4. If you want to lose belly fat faster, it is better to focus on cardio training. This is more effective for burning fat than just doing abs.

5. Belly fat is only burned when you eat within a calorie deficit. (you consume less food than the body spends on energy) . If you do not follow dietary restrictions, then you will not lose weight even with daily abdominal exercises.

7. If you want to work on your whole body, then check out our collections of effective exercises:

• Top 50 most effective leg exercises at home
• Top 20 arm exercises at home for women

Exercise plan for a flat stomach

We take a choice of exercises from those presented below. You can alternate exercises, swap them around or add new ones.

• Cardio exercises(15-20 minutes): 5 exercises according to the scheme 30 seconds work - 30 seconds rest or 40 seconds work - 20 seconds rest, repeat the exercises in 3 circles, 1-2 minutes of rest between circles.
• Standing exercises + back exercises
• Planks + exercises lying on your stomach(10-12 minutes): 8-10 exercises according to the scheme 40 seconds work - 20 seconds rest or 50 seconds work - 10 seconds rest. After every fourth or fifth exercise, you can take a short break.

Cardio exercises for the abdomen

Cardio exercises for the abdomen will help you burn more calories, speed up your metabolism, start fat burning processes and strengthen your abdominal muscles. Cardio exercises are best done in interval mode, for example, 30 seconds of intense work + 30 seconds of rest (or in Tabata mode), this will help the workout be much more effective.

If you have health contraindications, simply do the exercises without jumping or running, while trying to maintain high speed. For example, instead of exercising simply pull your knees toward your chest in a plank position. The most important thing in cardio training is to maintain your heart rate in the fat-burning zone, and not to perform impact exercises.

8. Burpees (can be done without push-ups)

Exercises for abdominal muscles on the back

The most common exercises for a flat stomach are: exercises lying on your back– variations of crunches, leg lifts, pulling knees to chest, etc. The advantage of such exercises is that they help pump up the target abdominal muscles (rectus and obliques), which means making your stomach flat and toned.

Please note that these exercises for a flat stomach should be treated with special caution if you have problems with the spine. Various variations of crunches put stress on the back and lower back, so such exercises for the abdomen can aggravate the problem of the spine. If you experience pain while performing abdominal exercises on your back, then it is better not to practice them. Replace them standing abdominal exercises And slats(they will be discussed below).

2. Twisting with the foot touching the floor

5. Oblique twists to the leg

9. Bicycle with legs extended

Plank exercises for abdominal muscles

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Exercises for abdominal muscles while standing

An excellent alternative to more traditional floor abdominal exercises are exercises that are performed in a standing position. When performing such exercises, there is less likelihood of incorrect back position, which means less risk of injury and exacerbation. To begin with, it is not necessary to perform exercises with dumbbells; you can start training without additional equipment.

4. Dumbbell Side Crunch

5. Tilts from dumbbells to the floor

10. Mill

Exercises for the abdominal, back and lower back muscles

This is another group of very effective exercises for the abdominal muscles. While doing them, you will also strengthen your back muscles and

Crunches using weights on outstretched arms

This exercise is aimed at strengthening the upper abdominal muscles. Lie on your back, knees bent, heels on the floor. Take light dumbbells in your hands and extend your arms straight behind your head. Now do crunches without bending your arms. You should not push using only your hands. Perform 12-15 repetitions.

Seated abdominal crunches

Sit on the edge of the bench. Grab its edge and lean back slightly, straighten your legs, feet 10-15 cm from the floor. Bend your legs and slowly lift your knees towards your chest. At the same time, lean your body forward so that your thighs are pressed toward your chest. Return to the starting position. Perform a set of 12 repetitions.

Exercise "corkscrew"

This exercise targets both the lower and oblique abdominal muscles. Lie on your back, raise your legs strictly vertically. Your knees should be slightly bent. Hands lie along the body, palms down. Use your lower abs to lift your hips off the floor and bend your legs toward your chest, lifting your feet straight up. Simultaneously rotate your hips to the right. Hold this position, then return to the starting position. Repeat the movement, turning left. Perform 10 reps on each side.

Unilateral crunches using weights

This exercise targets both the upper and oblique abdominal muscles. Lie on your back, legs bent, feet on the floor. Hold the dumbbell with both hands and press it to your right shoulder. Lift the body and turn it to the left. Lower yourself onto your back, then repeat the exercise on the other side, pressing the dumbbell to your left shoulder. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps on each side.

Knee crunches with lat pulldown

Kneel facing a pulley and grasp the ends of a rope attached to a tall pulley. Hands are located on the sides of the face. Lean your body forward. Return to the starting position, then repeat the movement, this time bending toward your left knee. Return to the starting position, then bend toward your right knee. This is one repetition. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps.

Combination of crunches and side bends

This exercise targets both the upper and oblique abdominal muscles. Lying on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor, hands behind your head. Lift your shoulder blades off the floor and bend forward. Then turn your body to the left, bring your left armpit towards your left thigh. Straighten up, then turn to the right. Lower yourself to the starting position and repeat the movement. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps on each side.

Tightening your stomach at home quickly (exercises) is possible provided you follow the basic rules. The key to successful training is strict adherence to recommendations, slowness and consistency of physical actions.

What should you do to tighten your stomach at home quickly? Exercise is the most effective method.

You should start training your body after muscle warm-up(jumping rope, running, gymnastics). During the performance of the strength complex, the abdominal muscles of the abdomen must be involved in the work and always remain in a tense state.

Note! Burning sensations in the muscles should be regarded as a sign of technically correct execution of the exercises.

Effective training includes several cycles with a gradual increase in tempo and load. This is the only way to tighten your stomach at home quickly with exercises.

Every movement should be accompanied by athletic breathing, where you exhale before making an effort, and inhale when relaxing.

The sequence of muscle pumping determines the effectiveness of gymnastics. First, attention is paid to the upper part of the abdominal region, then the lateral (oblique) muscles and finish with a load on the lower abs. Effective training includes several cycles with a gradual increase in tempo and load.

Exercises for tightening the upper abs

It is important to know! Warm-up should precede the start of complex exercises. To quickly tighten your stomach at home without causing harm to yourself, you should start performing effective exercises after a basic warm-up.

A good workout for this part of the abs would be the following:

• lie on your back;
• put your hands under the back of your head or cross them over your chest;
• tone the press;
• monitor your breathing;
• lift and lower both legs without touching the floor surface.

This strength complex can be modified if the legs are fixed on a hill. When exhaling, you should raise your body as high as possible, then while inhaling, lower it to level 0. The cycle should be 25-30 movements in 3 sets. It is recommended to bend your legs, ensuring your lower back is pressed to the floor.

A more difficult exercise is this:

• position – lying down;
• legs bent at the knee joints;
• feet and lumbar area are on the floor;
• lifting the body with alternately outstretched arms;
• fixation at the lifting point and return to the original position.

Training performed on the stomach, facing the floor, helps to stretch the muscles of all areas of the abs well. The task is to simultaneously raise the legs and arms (straight), and then lower them to the original position.

From this position (horizontal on the stomach) you can move on to the next activity - “scissors”, accompanied by synchronous movements of the legs and arms.

Exercises to strengthen your lower abs

You can get the desired relief in the lower abdomen by creating a significant load on this part of the body.

“Bicycle” copes with this task perfectly. Back on the floor, head in hands, raise bent legs and begin to move them in a circle, imitating riding a bicycle.

Gymnastics that involve straight leg raises are effective. The whole secret is that the limbs cannot be completely lowered to the floor, thereby giving the body rest. The hands are behind the head, the back is pressed to the floor, and the two legs simultaneously rise and fall to a height of 50-20 cm from the floor.

Synchronized loads on all areas of the press are provided by the “Book” exercise. Lying down, pressing your lower back tightly to the floor, you should simultaneously point your outstretched legs and arms towards each other so as to touch your knees with your forehead.

The movements are made without jerking, breathing correctly (exhale before lunging, and inhale before lowering to the floor).

Active movements “Scissors” on the back. Hands are placed on the back of the head or extended along the body. With straight legs at a height of 20 cm from the surface, they make synchronous movements that imitate the blade of scissors, moving the limbs behind each other.

Exercises for obliques

To tighten your stomach at home quickly (exercises for oblique muscles), perform bending, rotation, and twisting.

You should start your classes by rotating your body in different directions.

Then, take a stable position:

• place your hands on your belt;
• spread your legs shoulder-width apart;
• bring the abdominal muscles into a state of tension;
• make turns with the body in a cone-shaped pattern.

Movements should be confident, smooth and intense at the same time.

Side bends with the body are done from the original position of the previous training.

To perform crunches, you need to take a horizontal position:

• raise your legs to form a 90 degree angle;
• place your palms on the back of your head;
• alternately twist the body in the opposite direction from the tilt of the bent legs (torso to the left, bent legs to the right, and vice versa).
• the abdominal muscles are tense.

The muscles located on the sides of the abdomen are effectively pumped during exercise, with alternately bringing together the opposite lower and upper limbs (knee-elbow). The lumbar region is fixed to the floor.

Exercises for the abs and thin waist

As a warm-up before the main workout for a wasp waist, perform the “Mill”. To do this, place your legs wider than your shoulders, tilt your body forward, and swing your arms left and right 20-30 times.

Actions must be confident, fairly smooth and intense. With each subsequent workout, the frequency of approaches and movements should be increased.

A universal training is the plank. The standard plank position is resting on your toes and elbows. Pull in the abdomen tightly and hold for 30-60 seconds. and more, then loosen.

When training with a hoop, you should take into account that the smaller the distance between the feet, the more load will be placed on the muscles.

The side plank provides a quality workout for the oblique abdominal muscles. You should lean on your outstretched arm, and keep your body in a state of tone with tense muscles. Periodically one hand replaces the other.

Hula hoop exercises will help you tighten your stomach at home quickly. This is a weighted hoop equipped with massage balls and spikes.

When training with a hoop, you should take into account that the smaller the distance between the feet, the more load will be placed on the muscles. The training should take place against the backdrop of deep breathing and muscle tone in the abdomen.

Exercises for a tummy tuck after childbirth

After giving birth, a woman needs high-quality burpee training. You need to start the exercise from a standing position: squat deeply, do a plank on both outstretched arms (wait 30-60s); jump back to the previous position (squat) and jump to the vertical starting position. The whole complex must be performed confidently, smoothly and at a pace.

Jumping “Walk” - from the “start” position, make confident jumps on two legs simultaneously in different directions, forward and backward, each time returning to the original position.

The simplest physical exercise for the muscles is to slowly raise both straightened legs and lower them smoothly.

Exercises with additional equipment for 5 minutes will help you return to your former shape after childbirth.

Equipment used at home for a quick tummy tuck
Hoop	Jump rope	Bench	Video clip	Dumbbells
For elaboration abdominal muscles, improving the vestibular apparatus, coordination of movements and burning subcutaneous fat at the waist.	To improve the physical fitness of not only the abs, but also the back, arms, legs, buttocks.	Universal a strength training machine that increases the effectiveness of exercises.	An ideal exercise machine for pumping up abdominal muscles.	Special equipment for enlargement loads.

Exercises performed with a chair or on an abdominal bench

For exercise on a bench and chair:

• all abdominal muscles are tense;
• keep the neck straight;
• the chin is not pressed to the chest.

When performing exercises on a bench at home, in order to quickly tighten your stomach, you should avoid:

• jerky movements;
• pull-ups with hands behind the neck;
• lifting the lower back off the bench;
• arching of the back when moving the body forward;
• lie on your feet with a full forward bend.

Lying on a bench, throwing your feet over the support, slightly bending your knees, placing your hands behind your head, begin to cyclically lift your torso. The meaning of the action is to achieve a right angle between the legs and the raised torso.

At the peak of the rise, fixation occurs, then inhalation and return to the starting position. Start by exhaling and finish by inhaling. When training with an inclined bench, there is no need to return to the original position, leaving a 10cm distance between the body and the surface of the machine.

Exercises for tummy tuck with dumbbells

Additional use of dumbbells is aimed at improving the tone of the entire body, where a significant group of muscles is involved.

Most abdominal training can also be complicated with dumbbells. For beginners when training with dumbbells, it is recommended to dose the duration of training.

1. The arms are placed heavily on the chest in a crossed manner.
2. The feet are placed behind the stop.

Lying on your back, place dumbbells on your outstretched legs in the area of ​​your feet, and lift them to a height of 25-35 cm, wait for a while and lower them without touching the floor. Allows you to fix your hands on a support (edge ​​of a sofa, bed, etc.).

Turning over from the previous position onto your stomach, hold the sports equipment between your feet and bend your legs back, trying to touch your buttocks. Even ordinary torso tilts from a vertical position in different directions with dumbbells in your hands will strengthen the lumbar and lateral abdominal muscles.

Ab roller exercises

An effective simulator for physical exercise is a roller. Working with this gymnastic device, you strengthen the muscles of the abdominal cavity, arms and back.

Trainers assure that effective exercises with a roller will quickly help you tighten your stomach at home only if you follow the basic rules: movements must be smooth, the technique of movements must be accurately performed, there are no contraindications(injuries, pain).

For the task with the roller, you need to kneel and hold the roller in outstretched arms. The simulator should be gradually rolled away from you along the floor as much as possible, and then returned to the starting position. The frequency of manipulations should gradually increase.

Body position – vertical, legs wide apart, take the roller in your hands. You need to lean forward and lower the roller to the floor, and make movements with it left and right (without lifting your feet from the floor). This is how the oblique abdominal muscles are worked out perfectly. To train your upper abs, it is recommended to move the roller back and forth.

Sitting with straight legs spread to the sides, take a gymnastic roller in your hands. Roll the roller away from you with smooth movements. Avoid touching the body to the floor surface. Slowly take the initial position.

Vacuum exercise for a quick tummy tuck at home

To do the exercise, you need to lie on your back and pull your stomach in as far as possible, tensing your abs. There should be a feeling that your stomach has reached your spine. The “vacuum” action must be carried out while inhaling.

At this point, you need to hold your breath, keeping the abdominal muscles toned, and then, without relaxing the abs, exhale slowly, and “fix” the muscles again.

You can achieve the appearance of abs on your stomach only after losing weight and active physical training.

The cyclical training consists of 10 exercises of 3 approaches. In a week you need to start training 5 times. The starting position for performing “Vacuum” can be a traditional vertical position or a sitting position. The success of “Vacuum” will depend only on compliance with the execution technique.

Important to remember! The final stage of physical exercise should be a cool-down (muscle stretching routine).

How to enhance the effect of tummy tuck exercises

To get the desired result - to tighten your stomach at home quickly - effective exercises should be part of a set of measures to improve your figure. Physical activity must be combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Confidence in your abilities, the presence of a powerful motivator and regular exercise will ensure the desired physical shape and toned stomach.

You can achieve the appearance of abs on your stomach only after losing weight and active physical training. If during classes you show pity for yourself, do not maintain the schedule, technique and cyclicity of exercises, then the expected result may not be obtained.

How to quickly get rid of belly fat at home: effective exercises in this video:

How to quickly tighten your stomach, see here: