The best exercises for building a six pack
There seems to be a global craze with the six pack at the moment, and nowhere more so than in China where the six pack stomach pack has become the the new accessory of fashion for women!
Social media in China has become obsessed and they even have a hashtag for it, #MajiaXian – Because the outline of well-toned abdominal muscles looks like a vest, Chinese call abs “majia” – or “vest” – and “xian” – or “lines,” and this year they have become the goal of many women’s pre-summer workouts
Parents are even posting pictures of their kids on the internet with 6 packs.. Wrong on so many levels.. To the rest of the more health conscious world the six pack is no stranger so let’s focus on how to build a six pack.
There are some sports out there which really help with chiselling those abs, any sport at all will help but just think of doing anything that you have to use your core a lot, or any sport you remember doing, where afterwards your abs were sore.
Here’s our pick of the best water sports for keeping that body toned , but to really focus on the abdominal area you need to do specific exercises.
Ab Crunch
When it comes to exercises there is one obvious one and that’s sit-ups/crunches, so let’s look at how to do the most popular one.
To start, lie flat on your back with your knees bent and the heels of your feet only a few inches from your buttocks. Bring your hands to your temples with palms out, and elbows out from the body at about thirty to forty-five degrees.
While exhaling, bring your shoulder blades off the ground fairly quickly, until you feel an intense pressure in the abdominal muscles. Hold for a one to two second count, then slowly release.
Then beginning the next repetition when the head and shoulders are just about to touch the ground.
The most physically demanding sports
Seated Leg Tucks
Sit on a bench with the legs stretched out in front of you slightly below parallel and your arms holding on to the sides of the bench. Your torso should be leaning backwards around a 45-degree angle from the bench. This will be your starting position.
Bring the knees in toward you as you move your torso closer to them at the same time. Breathe out as you perform this movement.
After a second pause, go back to the starting position as you inhale.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Hanging Knee Raises
This one is great for your grip too. Hang off chin up bar, using an over-hand grip. Allow your body to hang straight down keeping your feet together.
Next, curl your knees up towards your chest while keeping your legs together. Once you curled your knees up as high as you can, pause for a couple seconds while squeezing your lower abdominals, then slowly lower your feet back towards the floor as your legs straighten out again, bringing you back to the starting position.
Jackknife Sit-Up
Lie flat on an exercise matt or floor, extending your arms straight back behind your head and fully extend your legs.
Bend at your waist and at the same time, raise your legs and arms to meet in a closed jackknife position. Exhale as you do this. Your legs should remain fully extended at between 35-45 degrees from the floor and your arms should be fully extended, parallel to your legs, with your upper body should be raised off the floor.
Return to the start position by lowering your arms and legs back to the floor, exhaling as you do so.
This exercise can also be done with an exercise ball
The best sports for weight loss
Exercise Ball Pull In
Begin by lying on top of a stability/exercise ball with your belly facing down and using your hands, walk your body over the top of the stability ball while keeping your body straight until just the tops of your feet are facing down on the very top of the stability ball.
At this point you will be in a push up position with your arms straight and your abdominals pulled in. Next, using your abdominal muscles, tuck your knees up towards your chest as the ball rolls in the same direction with the tops of your feet planted on top of the ball. Once you’ve brought your knees and the ball as far up towards your chest as you can, pause for 1 second and then slowly straighten your legs back out and return the ball to the starting position.
Exercise ball leg lifts and you can also use it while doing jackknife sit-ups
If you are in a gym then are are machines which are specifically for the abs but we’re just focusing on proven exercises which are accessible to all.
Healthy Diet
And remember, no matter how hard you work or do all the exercises you do, the world will never bear witness to the fruits of your labor if you don’t maintain a healthy diet or if you fail to keep a fitness regimen that allows you to burn those excess calories.
Here are 10 foods that can actually help with weight loss
Keeping your body fat down is the only way to get your hard-earned abs visible. Here are a few simple tips on weight loss
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