Fat-burning abdominal exercises are important because all movement begins with the core. It’s important to stabilize and strengthen your core area if you want to avoid painful trunk and trunk-related injuries.
One of the critical measurements is your waist-to-hip ratio (waist measurement divided by hip measurement). This measurement is important because there is a correlation between chronic diseases and abdominal fat. A ratio above .80 for females and above .95 for males could put you at risk for a number of diseases, including cancer. For example, if your waist is 31 inches and your hips are 41 inches, your waist-to-hip ratio would be .76. A "skinny-fat" person could have an unfavorable waist-to-hip ratio.
Abdominal exercises get huge amounts of attention because everyone wants toned, sculpted abs! Concentrate on full body strength training and not just “spot reduction” ab exercises. Spot reduction won’t work if that’s all you are doing for exercise. You need to build muscle on your total body to speed up your metabolism and improve the calorie-burning and fat-burning process around-the-clock. If you want to do some extra work on your abs, that’s okay.
One more thing---if you don’t eat a healthy, nutritious diet, those sculpted abs you’re working so hard to get will be covered by a layer or layers of fat! Limit sugars, processed foods, fast foods and food in a bag or box.
Trouble spots for many women are low ab fat and low back fat. Train your total core area with these exercises:
1. Prone Plank – This is a “must-do” foundational exercise that works the entire core area. The deep core stabilizer muscles are also worked with this exercise. Other related exercises are plank on swiss ball, side plank, plank with knee tuck, plank with leg lift and plank with lateral leg movement.
2. Supine Bridge – Another foundational core exercise that is also a great strengthener for your low back area.
3. Hanging Leg Raises – This tough exercise will help you with your low ab fat problem. Hanging knee ups also work well.
4. Mountain Climbers – Do this exercise to tone your low abs. To challenge yourself further, do this exercise full speed!
5. Ab Ball Rollout – This exercise will stretch and strengthen your front abs.
6. Ab Ball Jackknife – Do this exercise as a superset (immediately following) the Ab Ball Rollout.
7. Standing Medicine Ball Diagonal Chop – This exercise will target your front ab and oblique muscles. Do this exercise full speed to further challenge yourself.
8. Standing Medicine Ball Front Chop – Do this exercise as a superset with the Medicine Ball Diagonal Chop. Do this exercise full speed to further challenge yourself.
9. Back Extensions – A “must-do” exercise for your lower back. You can also do this exercise on the swiss ball or with weights to increase difficulty.
10. Opposite Leg Opposite Arm Raise – This is also called the “bird dog” exercise. This is a great low back and balance exercise.
It’s difficult to limit a list like this to 10 exercises! Other great core exercises are cobras, superwomans, standing medicine ball side rotations, V-Ups, dumbbell oblique crunches, kneeling cable crunches, Russian medicine ball twists and ab curl ups.
Have a great full body workout today!
Mark Dilworth, Certified Personal Trainer
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com