Ab Exercises At Home? No Problem!

If you do daily crunches and sit ups but aren't getting the ripped abs you want, then you may need to tweak your workout and diet. Genetics and lifestyle play a big part in determining your physique, and many people are just predisposed to carrying more belly fat. However, targeting that soft tummy with the right exercises will help you feel stronger while getting a slimmer waist. In this article, we'll talk about some ab exercises you can do at home that really deliver results.

The torso twist is a popular way to tighten up the midsection and it's one of the best six pack abs exercises that you can do. Stand up straight, suck in your stomach and rotate your upper body from left to right while keeping your legs straight. As you turn, you will engage both the internal and external oblique muscles, which are very important core muscles, and the contraction produced in this exercise will hit them from a different plane of motion than side bends. You can easily do this exercise at home or at work to relieve stress.

To add a little more oomph to your abdominal exercises, try the double crunch, which combines the crunch and another exercise called the knee raise. This exercise places more emphasis on the lower abdominal region. Lie flat on your back against the floor with your legs in the air and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle so that your calves are parallel with the floor. Take a deep breath, suck in your stomach, keep your eyes focused on the ceiling, and raise your upper body off the ground until it is at a 45-degree angle with the floor. Make sure not to pull your neck. Hold the contraction for 2 to 3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position.

If you are looking to actually increase the size of your ab muscles, then weighted six pack exercises are your best bet. Since muscle tissue will only grow significantly when an overloading weight is placed upon it, and you must treat your ab muscles like you would any other muscle in the body. You wouldn't get as developed doing push-up after push-up as you would with heavy bench pressing, so the same principle applies here. Terrific options include decline weighted sit-ups, weighted abdominal twists (moving from side to side), and hanging leg raises with weights strapped to your ankles. If you are at home or work, hold books or bottles of water as you perform your exercises. You'll be amazed at how something as small as a two-pound weight will help you to get defined six pack abs much more quickly.

It's important to realize that everyone has a unique body. While you may envy Hugh Jackman's or Jessica Biel's million dollar midsection, your abs just may not be shaped that way. Don't let this discourage you because frequent exercise and a healthy diet can help you build abs that look great and support your body. By committing yourself to performing these ab exercises at home on a regular basis, you'll get great results.

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