A set of exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles

The abdominal area, or simply the abs, is the most important area of the body that is extremely important to train. This applies not only to the visual aspect, but also to issues of the health of the spine, internal organs and even posture. However, to get the desired result, it is not enough to perform some set of exercises. It is important to understand how to competently combine different types of loads, distribute them evenly across all areas of the abs, how to strengthen the abdominal muscles without aggravating the imbalance in development, and other nuances.

Why you need to strengthen your abdominal muscles

The abdominal muscles are often called the “basis of vitality” of a person. This is partly true, since developed abdominal muscles significantly improve the quality of life at any age, especially after 50-60 years. The main reasons to strengthen your abs:

Health and protection of internal organs, preventing their prolapse.
Maintaining spinal health, improving posture.
Preventing the risk of hernias and protrusions, as well as reducing the risk of exacerbation of existing diseases.
Improved functionality and fitness.
Creating an attractive appearance of the abdomen, improving the relief and visual delineation of the muscles.

In general, the stomach is one of the most important areas, after the head. It contains vital organs, the spine, which is largely responsible for human mobility. Also, the abdominal muscles are a kind of “bridge” for transmitting impulses between the upper and lower extremities. In weightlifting, crossfit, fitness, martial arts, the stomach plays a key role. Therefore, strengthening the abdominal muscles is brought to the fore in the training scheme.

Contraindications

Dumbbells for weight loss should not be used by women in the first month after childbirth. It is also necessary to refuse weight training in situations where there are severe joint pathologies.

Weight training may be contraindicated in cases of diseases of the cardiovascular system, internal organs, or hormonal disorders.

To eliminate negative consequences, before starting to perform a set of exercises with dumbbells, it is recommended to consult with a sports doctor or fitness trainer.

A set of exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles

Almost all exercises for the abdominal area are universal, that is, they can be done both at home and in the gym. The whole difference is that in the gym any physical exercise can be done on machines. This can be a plus for loading the muscles from different angles, but does not have an absolute advantage over normal movements.

Crunches

This is the most universal movement that any program cannot do without. In the classic crunch, the load falls mainly on the rectus abdominis muscle.

Technique:

Lie on the floor, bend your knees, place your hands along your body or behind your head.
Begin to twist your body, lifting your shoulder blades off the floor. Try to bring your chest as close to your hips as possible.
Return to the starting position and repeat the movement without relaxing the muscles.

Oblique crunches

A variation of the movement that, in addition to the straight line, also actively engages the oblique abdominal muscles.

Technique:

Take the position as for crunches.
Perform crunches, trying to bring your right elbow to your left knee.
Repeat the movement on the other side.

Plank

An indispensable exercise for strengthening the internal abdominal muscles. It is optimal to stand in the plank for 1 to 2 minutes, no more.

Technique:

Place your emphasis on your forearm and toes (if you have a low level of physical fitness, you can start by focusing on your knees).
Twist your body a little and round your back slightly.
Hold the position throughout the entire approach or until you are completely tired.

The main mistake is a straight body. In this position, the rectus abdominis muscle is used much less. Try to twist your body a little so that the abs perform their basic function.

Side plank

An excellent exercise to strengthen the oblique abdominal muscles. Allows you to use the massif in a static mode, working all layers of muscles (including deep ones).

Technique:

Take emphasis on your elbow and feet. The body should form a straight line, the pelvis should not sag down. Neck in a neutral position, back straight.
Hold the position throughout the entire set or until muscle fatigue occurs.
Repeat the same movement on the other side.

When performing a side plank, you need to ensure that the load on both sides is equal in time and number of approaches.

Russian twist

An excellent and very difficult exercise for working out the entire abdominal mass. It is believed to be more suitable for men and helps in creating six-pack abs, although women can also benefit greatly from it.

Technique:

Sit on the floor, bring your legs together and bend your knees for support. Tilt the body back, a slight rounding of the back is allowed; together with the tension of the abdominal muscles, this helps to increase the efficiency of the movement.
Take a barbell plate, a bottle or any other weight in your hands, and hold it suspended to your left.
Without changing the position of your shoulders, move the projectile to the other side so that the main rotational movement is performed by the body.

In the starting position, you can hold the weight both on the weight and at the floor level near the buttocks. With a weak press, you can bounce a projectile (for example, a ball) off the floor. This is especially true for women and those who cannot hold weight in the air for a long time without putting stress on the shoulder girdle.

Russian crunches →

Lying leg raise

The most common exercise for pumping up the lower abs. Does not require equipment and can be performed in any conditions.

Technique:

Lie on the floor, arms along your body for additional support, legs together.
Raise your legs to a level where they are perpendicular to the floor, then lift your pelvis off the floor and raise your legs to the level of your head (only through movement in the pelvis).
Slowly return to the starting position.

Hanging Leg Raise

Another popular exercise aimed at working the abdomen with an emphasis on the lower part.

Technique:

Hang on the horizontal bar (or rest on your elbows in the machine).
Raise your closed legs in front of you until they are parallel to the floor.
Slowly lower your legs to the starting position.

Beginners can do lifts with the knee bent; this will take some of the load off the legs and allow for better use of the abdominal muscles.

What success can you achieve in a week?

With the help of exercise and strict dietary restrictions, significant gains can be achieved in a week of intense training. If you need to quickly and quickly get rid of fat on your stomach and sides, then exercise every day for at least 45-60 minutes. Focus on training your abs and obliques, adding in intense cardio exercises. Read more about how to lose belly fat in a week here.

To remove the belly and sides, in addition to abdominal exercises, you must adhere to a carbohydrate-free diet, consisting mainly of low-calorie foods. Eliminate unhealthy and high-calorie foods from your diet. Frequent and small meals combined with intense physical activity activates metabolism and significantly accelerates weight loss.

Recommendations for women and men

It is important to understand that any gymnastics to strengthen the abs or workout should be regular, but without overdoing it. You should not perform more than 3 workouts per week. In one session, it is optimal to do no more than 3-4 exercises in 3 working approaches.

Basic recommendations:

Always do the movement slowly, controlling the tension in your abdominal muscles. Otherwise, they will be used much less.
Do not do more than 15-20 repetitions, after this amount the load will be “spread out” on other groups, making the movements ineffective.
Abdominal work is a great way to start or end a workout (as part of a warm-up). However, if the abs are a lagging area, it is better to put a load on them at the beginning of the overall workout.
The abdominal area can be trained at any time, both in the morning during exercise and in the evening, shortly before bed.

And also read: A set of abdominal exercises → Is it possible to pump up your abs in a month?

Common mistakes when performing exercises with dumbbells

Many women believe that the greater the weight, the faster the rate of weight loss. In fact, you shouldn’t strive for high loads. The weight of the apparatus should be increased gradually, by 5-10% with each subsequent workout. This will make it possible to avoid injuries and prevent stagnation of results caused by muscle adaptation to stress.

Special attention must be paid to the position of the back. In exercises such as squats, lunges, and dumbbell rows, you should constantly monitor the position of the spine - it should remain straight throughout the entire range of motion. You cannot arch your back: this can cause displacement of the intervertebral discs.

A rationally selected sports uniform will help minimize the likelihood of injury. It should completely cover the hip, knee and elbow joints, allow air to pass through and not restrict movement.

Elimination of local fat deposits

Unfortunately, many people torture themselves with diets and exercise for many years, break down and start again, and they even manage to reduce the volume, but not in all the desired areas. You can resort to liposuction, but not everyone is ready for this procedure. Fortunately, medical cosmetology has found a solution - intralipotherapy - to eliminate local deposits. The procedure is carried out using the drug Aqualyx, which is injected with a special thin needle into problem areas, and this can be not only the stomach or sides - it is also used for fat deposits on the back, arms, the “breeches” area and even with a double chin. The drug has a European quality certificate, registered in Europe, Ukraine and Russia. In its structure, it is a viscous aqueous solution that is injected into adipose tissue, which Aqualix affects locally, without affecting the body. That is why, if the drug gets into the skin or non-adipose tissue, it does not cause damage to them. The drug “dissolves” the membranes of fat cells and affects only them, helping to actively destroy them. Intralipotherapy is painless, but after it the formation of hematomas and redness in the area of the procedure is possible. Several sessions should be repeated depending on the zone (from 2 to 4) once every 3 weeks to achieve results.

Effective physical activity

Cardio exercises will help reduce your waist size and get rid of your belly. For girls, they are not limited to running: you can easily choose the optimal type of training:

swimming and water aerobics;
dancing;
yoga and pilates;
bodyflex;
Hula Hup.

Any chosen load will help correct your figure not only in a certain place. After just a few weeks of active exercise, you will notice a decrease in waist and hip size, as well as weight loss. In order to achieve quick results, do cardio exercises for at least twenty minutes a day. And as an additional workout, make it a habit to walk up and down stairs. By the way, an evening walk at a comfortable pace will not only help get rid of belly fat, but will also reduce stress levels and give you a restful, healthy sleep.