As we all know, building abs is not easy. In fact, abs are about the most difficult muscles to build to a point where they show. There are so many factors involved. From genetics, do diet, to workouts, abs respond to everything. When you want to build your arms, you work your triceps and biceps for a couple of weeks and you see big changes. But with the abs, it's different. The abs require much more of an investment. But, that investment does not have to be difficult. In fact, you can add a quick ab workout every single day, without changing your daily routine.
What I have done is started my day with 5 minutes of abs. When I wake up in the morning I get a quick workout in right in bed! That's right, I don't even need to get out of bed. Instead of looking at Facebook, I engage my ab muscles!
The best part about these exercises is that anyone can do them! Men and women can do them. You can do them with your spouse. These are simple yet effective ab exercises that will make a difference immediately!
The first exercise I do is 4 inch leg lifts. I lie flat on my back with my arms at my side. My thumbs should touch my thigh. I raise my heels four inches off the bed and I count to 15. I want to hold my heels up for 15 seconds. I repeat this exercise 3 times. Once it becomes easy, I add 5 more seconds. Some of you may be able to do this for 30 seconds right now! That's great! Find your limit and push through it. My goal is to get to 30 seconds each set. I rest for 5 seconds between sets.
The second exercise I do is called Knee Grabs. I lie flat on my back and lift my heels 4 inches of the bed. Then I bring my knees to my chest, working to raise my buttocks off the bed. This engages the lower ab muscles. I want to do this 5 times. Then I take a 5 second break and repeat. When I repeat I raise my head off the bed about 4 inches. This adds some engagement to the upper abs as well. I do 4 sets of this exercise the first day. I try to increase each set by one rep until I get to 12 reps.
The final exercise is called the prone plank. I am going to lie flat on my stomach. Then I am going to put my forearms on the bed under my shoulders. I will get up on my toes in sort of a modified pushup position. I will lift my mid section off the bed for 30 seconds and hold. You might only be able to go for 15 seconds. That's fine. Just try to increase by 2 seconds per day until you can raise up for 1 minute. Make sure you keep you back flat. I want to do three sets of this each day.
Once you get comfortable with the plank, you can add a mountain climber, where you lie in the plank position and bring one knee to your chest and back, then the other knee. You do 5 reps with each knee. This is a great exercise to begin to build your obliques.
There are hundreds of variations of these exercises you can do right in your bed. By starting your day engaging your abs, you will have the muscles fire and burn more throughout the day. Of course these exercises alone won't give you a six pack, but they will get you well on your way to strengthening your abs and building your core!
If you truly want to build six pack abs, start today. Don't wait until tomorrow or the next day. Start today and make a commitment!
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