Health Network News

Let’s face it, a great majority of this society is overweight and out of shape, and many are seeking to improve their first impressions with others by taking the bull by the horns, losing weight and setting up an ab workout that will trim their midriffs and give them a set of firm abs that will be the envy of all onlookers. Well, maybe not that strong; but there are a lot of folks looking for a solution to their flabby midriffs, and a good workout routine targeting the abs is a good start.

There are basically 4 groups of muscles that make up what is referred to as the abdominals and before you decide on what kind of an ab workout you want, you should familiarize yourself with what those 4 groups are, and what they do—-what their function is in the moving of the body. The first is called the rectus abdominis—this is what laymen refer to as the “6 pack”; then the obliques—internal and external; and finally the transverse muscle. Knowing what action each of these muscle groups performs and why, will help you choose the most targeted ab workout for your body.

Knowing the functions of the different abdominal muscles will give you a better handle on what they do, which direction they move in, and how far can they be taxed. This in itself will help you target your ab workout to the degree that you are getting the most efficient output in muscle development for the least effort. First of all, take a look at the “6 pack” set of muscles, or the rectus abdominis. These are located in the front of the torso between the ribs and the pelvic bones—-their function is to aid in the motion of the middle body. Next, examine the transverse muscle; consider it like a belt that is designed with the function of holding in your internal organs and keeping them in place. The oblique muscles are internal, and external. The internal obliques are located just inside the hip bones, and are involved in the action of rotating the torso. The external obliques are more on the sides of the body, and are used to twist the torso.

Now we get into the meat of the discussion about an ab workout, and that would be the exercises needed to get the most out of your effort and help you reach your goal. Most ab exercise programs will revolve around doing crunches—-because they are much safer than situps in that they do not endanger your back. You can do different types of twists to strengthen the obliques, the bicycle maneuver; and then incorporate leg lifts and static holds that will help strengthen your core muscles. Don’t forget the core muscles—-they benefit just as much from a correct ab workout, because they are the pinions of the middle of the body and help keep all the other abdominal muscles in line.

And when all is said and done, a good ab workout is only as good as the body is healthy. If your diet is poor and you are shortchanging yourself metabolically by eating garbage, then all the exercises and workouts in the world will not do much good when they do not have a strong basis to work from. You need a well planned eating program—-you’ve heard it all before; lower fat intake, eat smaller meals but eat more often, never skip breakfast, and drink drink drink water. Depending on the type of ab workout you will be doing will determine the amount of protein you take in, and the amount of carbs as well. Certain types of exercises require more carbs than others, and you need to get that information and incorporate it into your plan. Start lifting weights and doing a cardio routine as part of your total workout as well.

There are a few little things that you should keep in mind whenever you finally start to put your ab workout together and those are: make sure the exercises you choose are targeted for the ab area and muscles of your mid body, your metabolism should be running at a steady pace so that fat is being burned steadily and your energy level is elevated, and lastly—to lose just one pound of fat per week, you will need to have a deficit of at least 500 calories per day.

Creating and maintaining an effective ab workout is not an easy job, but the end results are worth all the effort. If you target your exercises to the ab muscles, follow the routines laid out in the eating plan, drink plenty of water, and stick with it; you should have the body you want in no time at all.