Core Exercises To Improve Your Abdominal Workout

The abdominal workout is far from refreshing so far as new exercises go, but it’s a tried and tested technique that we know works. If you want to take your core training to the next level, however, you need to build on this exercise and create something that’s really going to challenge your muscles. Almost all of our daily tasks, including just sitting at an office desk, require our core muscles, so it stands to reason that strengthening them is going to be better for you than neglecting them. Researchers believe that the average American spends 56 hours a week sitting down, which weakens the core – this all makes regular activities harder. But by maintaining stronger abs, you’ll prevent back pain, boost your agility and increase your flexibility. Before you begin, you need to remember the golden rule which is quality over quantity. 2000 average crunches won’t leave you with the results you want. But building up to 30 second quality crunches will leave you with a washboard stomach to be proud of. Here are some new exercises to add to your regime for great results.

Spiderman Plank Crunch

Beginning in a regular plank position with your forearms on the ground and your body perfectly straight, bring your right knee towards your right elbow, then return to your starting position. Repeat by bringing your left knee towards your left elbow – that’s one rep. Alternate sides for a total of 10 reps. This is one of the few exercises which uses your entire core, so it’s great for building tone and definition. You don’t need any equipment, yet you’re building muscle in your obliques, lower back and rectus abdominus.

Cable Rotation

Start by holding a cable with both hands out in front of you at just below shoulder height. Keeping your arms fixed and straight, with your abs engaged, and rotate your upper body to the left, then back to centre and the same for your right side. That’s one rep. Alternate sides for a total of 10 complete reps. This really targets the obliques and is sports-specific so it’s ideal for baseball players, golfers and tennis players.

Bicycle Crunch

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head, and your legs raised and bent at a 90 degree angle. Alternate sides by bringing your right elbow towards your left knee, then the same for your left elbow and right knee, building up to 60 seconds. Try and hold the crunch for a total of two counts on each side, to force a slower and more concentrated movement.  With this exercise you’re really targeting three areas all at once. It combines a regular crunch but the side to side motion targets the obliques, and the reverse crunch hits the lower abs.

Cross Crunch

Begin by lying on your back with your arms and legs diagonally out so that your entire body forms an X shape. Keeping your arms and legs straight, bring your right hand towards your left foot, then your left hand towards your right foot, lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. This is one rep – you need to aim for one complete set of 10 reps. This is a simple exercise but you’ll feel the results. The legs coming off the floor means you’re hitting the lower abs, and because you’re coming in at an angle, you’re also hitting your obliques and your rectus abdominus as well. It’s a brilliant overall exercise for your whole core, and you’re supported on the ground the whole time so there’s no strain to your back.

Categories: abdominal workout, alternate sides, Core, core strength, exercise, left, left elbow, left knee, rectus abdominus, rep alternate, straight bring, toning

Core Exercises To Improve Your Abdominal Workout

The abdominal workout is far from refreshing so far as new exercises go, but it’s a tried and tested technique that we know works. If you want to take your core training to the next level, however, you need to build on this exercise and create something that’s really going to challenge your muscles. Almost all of our daily tasks, including just sitting at an office desk, require our core muscles, so it stands to reason that strengthening them is going to be better for you than neglecting them. Researchers believe that the average American spends 56 hours a week sitting down, which weakens the core – this all makes regular activities harder. But by maintaining stronger abs, you’ll prevent back pain, boost your agility and increase your flexibility. Before you begin, you need to remember the golden rule which is quality over quantity. 2000 average crunches won’t leave you with the results you want. But building up to 30 second quality crunches will leave you with a washboard stomach to be proud of. Here are some new exercises to add to your regime for great results.

Spiderman Plank Crunch

Beginning in a regular plank position with your forearms on the ground and your body perfectly straight, bring your right knee towards your right elbow, then return to your starting position. Repeat by bringing your left knee towards your left elbow – that’s one rep. Alternate sides for a total of 10 reps. This is one of the few exercises which uses your entire core, so it’s great for building tone and definition. You don’t need any equipment, yet you’re building muscle in your obliques, lower back and rectus abdominus.

Cable Rotation

Start by holding a cable with both hands out in front of you at just below shoulder height. Keeping your arms fixed and straight, with your abs engaged, and rotate your upper body to the left, then back to centre and the same for your right side. That’s one rep. Alternate sides for a total of 10 complete reps. This really targets the obliques and is sports-specific so it’s ideal for baseball players, golfers and tennis players.

Bicycle Crunch

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head, and your legs raised and bent at a 90 degree angle. Alternate sides by bringing your right elbow towards your left knee, then the same for your left elbow and right knee, building up to 60 seconds. Try and hold the crunch for a total of two counts on each side, to force a slower and more concentrated movement.  With this exercise you’re really targeting three areas all at once. It combines a regular crunch but the side to side motion targets the obliques, and the reverse crunch hits the lower abs.

Cross Crunch

Begin by lying on your back with your arms and legs diagonally out so that your entire body forms an X shape. Keeping your arms and legs straight, bring your right hand towards your left foot, then your left hand towards your right foot, lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. This is one rep – you need to aim for one complete set of 10 reps. This is a simple exercise but you’ll feel the results. The legs coming off the floor means you’re hitting the lower abs, and because you’re coming in at an angle, you’re also hitting your obliques and your rectus abdominus as well. It’s a brilliant overall exercise for your whole core, and you’re supported on the ground the whole time so there’s no strain to your back.

Categories: abdominal workout, alternate sides, Core, core strength, exercise, left, left elbow, left knee, rectus abdominus, rep alternate, straight bring, toning

Could Fifty Shades of Grey Help You to Lose Weight?

A fitness expert in Manhattan has recently released an exciting Fifty Shades of Grey-inspired fitness routine, to help those who want to reduce their weight in a fun and sexy way. The fun routine could help to improve your wellness and wellbeing through moves that are based on the bestselling sexy novel.

 

Designed to help women to feel as sexy as Anastasia, the main character in the novel, the workout also targets core strength, giving you a physique that should do wonders for your self-esteem and sex appeal.

 

For most people, the most they probably do to prepare for the physicality of sex is to do a few kegel exercises, which strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These exercises always used to be recommended to help improve your performance in the bedroom as well as to help reduce the strain of childbirth on the pelvic floor.

 

Exercise and a healthy lifestyle are the best ways to make sure that your reproductive system works well as you get older. It also helps to ward off excess fat, and this is important if you want to keep your sexual performance up as you get older.

 

Cardio directly translates into more stamina and better performance in bed (because, if you think about it, sex is just one big cardio workout!) The intense core strength and cardio workout that has been devised by the creator of the Fifty Shades workout could well help to improve your performance between the sheets.

 

Designed specifically with women in mind, the workout focuses on flexibility, cardiovascular endurance (stamina) and toning of all your core muscles. When you are up to speed with the workout, you should be able to try different positions that you have not previously accessed.

 

Every workout that you do will help to tone up your core which will make you look and feel sexier, and this core strength will also make sex better for you.

Categories: cardio workout, Core, core strength, fifty, fifty shades, nbsp, nbsp designed, pelvic floor, performance, Sex, Workout

How a Trampoline Helps you Bounce Your Way to Fitness

For most of us, the last time we were on a trampoline was as a child. But trampolining is one of the most effective ways to build strength and stamina when you’re working out and is particularly effective when you’re training for endurance events such as a triathlon or marathon.

A research study by NASA has shown that exercising on a trampoline is 70% more effective for your fitness training than running on a track for the same amount of time. And bouncing is better for your joints than pounding a track, too, while also building bone and muscle mass.

This is because the body goes from a weightless environment – ie mid-bounce – to extraordinary impact when coming back down on to the trampoline, making every muscle contract to reduce that impact.

Trampolining involves core exercise that increases endurance and stamina. Every part of the body is working while bouncing, particularly the abdomen and lower back, all of which combines to improve strength.

Triathletes benefit most from trampolining. The high-intensity event involves swimming, running and cycling, all disciplines that require different things from the body and joints. The transition between the three disciplines has to happen so quickly that the triathlete’s body has to respond instantly to new demands. Doing specific leg and arm movements on the trampoline will work different muscle groups and build strength where it’s most required.

Even if you’re not training for an endurance event, trampolining can be a highly effective and enjoyable way of building core fitness that will help in all types of athletic activity.

The other great thing about trampolining is that it’s great fun. So if you can get the kids off the trampoline in the back garden, you can start bouncing your way to greater fitness.

How a Trampoline Helps you Bounce Your Way to Fitness

Categories: body, build strength, core strength, effective, fitness, Muscle, trampoline, trampolining