You want to get started exercising you stomach muscles but maybe you don’t quite know where to start. The purpose here is to give you simple ab workouts that you can use when you are just starting out. Before beginning your journey to six pack abs, you have hopefully taken the time to sit down and develop a common sense plan with regards to all aspects of firming and toning your body. This includes your diet and an overall exercise strategy. You Have? Good. Then let’s get started.
One of the advantages of starting with simple ab workouts is that you won’t get discouraged by having to learn and master a variety of exercises.
For the initial workout, most fitness experts recommend that you begin with 3 basic exercises. This simple abdominal workout will focus on crunches, reverse crunches and an exercise that is called the pulling in maneuver. The basic strategy will be to perform ea
Simple ab workouts without machines
ch exercise in two to three sets of only ten to twenty repetitions to begin with. Hint: when just starting out, keep it more towards the lower end. You will do each set, rest, then do the second, rest and then the third. Your rest period should not be longer than sixty seconds between each set. Once you have done three sets of one exercise, move on to the next with the appropriate rest period in between.
Now let’s cover the basic techniques you will need to learn in order to do each of the ab workouts effectively. You have to understand that with each exercise of this simple abdominal workout, you will need to perform it correctly in order to get the maximum benefit. With that being stated, let’s find out how it should be done:
- The Abdominal Crunch – Begin on a comfortable place on the floor after you have stretched you back for a brief period. With your hands interlaced behind your head and your knees bent, exhale and just curl your body forward until your shoulder blades are off the floor. Count to one and slowly descend back to the starting position. The two keys to this part of your abdominal workout are to control your movement and learn how to breathe properly. If you do that, you’ll feel the effect in your abdominal muscles after just a few repetitions.
- The Reverse Crunch – While still on the floor, place your hands at your sides. The movement that you want to accomplish here is to draw your knees towards your chest and lift your pelvis off the floor. Just like the standard crunch, count to one and return to the starting position in a controlled motion. Be sure, once again, to pay attention to your breathing. Inhale on the way up, exhale on the way down. If you need help stabilizing your body when first starting out, don’t hesitate to use your hands. As you become more proficient at this part of your abdominal workout you, should resist using your hands at all.
- The Drawing in Maneuver – This also is known as pulling in your abs. What this exercise will do is strengthen the inner muscles of your abdomen along with certain muscle groups of your lower back. Once again, you will be lying on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat. To begin, start by using your stomach muscles to try and pull your belly button all the way to your back and hold it for a count of ten. When you first start your abdominal workout, you may not be able to achieve this, so choose a lower number and work your way up.
These simple ab workouts should be done no more than three times per week in conjunction with your overall exercise routine. Remember, three sets of each exercise with proper rest intervals between each set. Stick with this basic abdominal workout for at least three weeks before you consider changing the routine to get the optimum results. Whatever you do, develop a mindset, stick with it and don’t give up. Think of your exercise routine as investment in yourself. You won’t see results overnight but you will feel the results fairly soon: that in itself should keep you motivated to continue.
