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Monday, January 24, 2011

The Ultimate Abs Exercise to praise a tight stomach

Monday, January 24, 2011
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By Carsten Eisenbarth
If you've struggled with your weight most of your life then here's good news for you. Introducing a new system of abs exercises for the stomach which is unlike any other stomach fat loss programs you've tried before. Traditional fat loss programs do work, but only if you can devote the amount of time required to maintain your

figure. However, if you're a busy person, following a strict long-hour workout schedule will be next to impossibility.

Say goodbye to long hours of cardio exercises. No more boring crunches, sit-ups and other traditional abs exercises for the stomach. Now with this new exercise and fitness program, you can start losing your stomach fat and get a firm, flat pair of great looking abs.

Before you embark on your journey towards getting a fitter, slimmer and healthier body, you need to set your sights on creating a systematic lifestyle employing techniques that you can readily employ without too much hassle. If you use a technique that's too cumbersome for you, then sooner or later you're going to lose interest in your new lifestyle and ultimately go back to your old habits and way of life.

1. Create a new lifestyle conducive to fat loss. You need to evaluate and redesign your life. Make an honest assessment of your current lifestyle and identify things that are not consistent with a fat loss oriented lifestyle. All of this requires careful attention and planning. If you want to live your life in a fit, lean and healthy body, you better be ready to change your lifestyle. A great looking body may be achieved but cannot be maintained by fad diets and crash slimming programs. Without a systematic lifestyle change backing your abs exercises for the stomach, your efforts will only lead to failure.

2. Exercise more intensely but less often. Duration and intensity of exercise are opposed to each other. In other words, if you exercise with low intensity, you will be able to sustain the activity for hours on end. Conversely, if you double the intensity of your abs exercises for the stomach you can only sustain it for short periods of time. The problem with low intensity exercises is your body will eventually get used to the activity. This called a plateau. And when this happens your exercise will lose its effectiveness so no matter how long you exercise you will not obtain the result you once got. On the other hand when you apply the high intensity principle to your usual cardio routine, you immediately increase its effectiveness. And since the sheer intensity of your workout prevents you from doing it for a long duration, your body will not have the chance to experience a plateau.

3. Focus on eating nutrient rich natural foods. When your diet mostly consists of junk food, your body will crave for calorie rich, fat laden foods. The moment you switch from eating junk to eating natural healthy foods, you will stop craving for high calorie foods and begin to lose your fat stomach.

4. An amazing fat loss combination. To really boost the effectiveness of your abdominal exercises, you can combine your high intensity cardio and high intensity weight training in a single workout, doubling the efficacy of your workout.The Ultimate Abs Exercise to praise a tight stomach


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Sunday, January 23, 2011

Principles of Exercise Programming for Continuous Gain

Sunday, January 23, 2011
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By Pas Kabi
Performance based trainers are a minority. These are the people you'll find in grubby little sweat boxes with no frills, no mirrors, no cardiovascular equipment (except maybe a few skipping ropes) and definitely no posers. Alternatively, they'll be in national/state sporting institutes, hooked up to hardware under the guidance of strength and training coaches with more post nominals than war veterans.

This mode of training relates specifically to results in a target area be it a longer hammer throw or an earth shattering deadlift. In general terms, other trainers are concerned with health improvements/maintenance and slaves to the reflection of a mirror.

What delineates the performance athlete to the average punter? Outstanding exercise programming, specifically, a program that addresses a very long term goal by chunking its attainment into staged benchmarks known as peaks and achieved through cycles.

Peaking Cycles

This is the exercise gospel of performance athletes. Peaking cycles are designed to progressively increase the athlete's performance in targeted components of strength (or other components of fitness). The reason it is performed as a cycle as opposed to a continual improvement is because rest is a key component of adaptation. Accordingly, each cycle is ended by a brief rest period to ensure the new foundational strength levels can be used as an enhanced starting point from which the the next peak is determined.

An example of a complex, long term peaking cycle is the Powerlifter's cycle. It takes, on average, 3 years of 12 week peaking cycles for an athlete to begin lifting close to absolute maximal lifts, or the limits of what an individual's body is capable of lifting. This is not applicable to all sports, Powerlfiting has unique central nervous system demands over a series of complex compound movements. Peaking cycles will be extremely varied for different pursuits and at the elite end of competition, individal differences of athletes will have significant impact on their program.

The theory behind programing a peaking cycle can be considered standard. Essentially, the peaking cycle is designed to achieve higher performance in the desired area by incorporating the fundamentals of exercise programming. These same fundamentals are overlooked all too often resulting in performance stagnation or worse yet, decline in performance.

Principles of Exercise Programming

Progression: Each peak should start at an easily achievable level. This is almost a continuation of the rest period prior to a cycle. An example would be to set 40% 1RM weights at 10 to 12 reps, as mentioned, very easily achievable. This is an outstanding opportunity to hone in technical aspects of lifts and movements. Progression of load, complexity, repetitions etc. increases as the cycle moves on to target the desired gains.

Overload: A key component of adaptation is exposing the body (or targeted muscle groups) to loads exceeding its "normal" capacity. This is specific to the completion or final stages of a cycle where your sets of triples, doubles or singles may start resembling your old 1RM. Consider, you've lifted your old 1RM twice or even three times, theoretically (if the principles of exercise programming are adhered to) the new 1RM should be significantly increased. It is important to note that as strength nears the body's limitations, overload will be harder to achieve making any further strength gains harder.

Specificity: Here's where the average punter gets left far, far behind. Practice certainly does make perfect (especially if practice involves good technique coaching) this axiom is quite relative to the principle of specificity. Will you ever catch a competition weightlifter performing bench press? More likely than not, the answer is no! Besides jeopardising shoulder mobility for snatch performance, it is simply a move that is not specific or even auxiliary to weightlifting. Why the bicep curl remains to be common practice for anyone but rehab patients and body builders is beyond comprehension. Ensuring that your movements are specific to your goals is a good step towards performance gains.

Variation: Destruction of plateaus is generally done by looking at variation. Simply, this means getting out of the habit of three sets of 12 reps at 80%, or whatever it is you've been doing for the past 24 months. Variation can take on several forms, from the Powerlifting perspective, variation comes into play with repetitions. Each Powerlifitng cycle (generally) commences at higher than usual strength reps with maybe tens or twelves and will end on triples, doubles or singles. This then allows for far more play in overload.

Individual Differences: An extremely important component of the principles of exercise programming, individual differences take into account the unique attributes of each athlete. Whether this is technique adjustment to cater for differences in flexibility, physical ability, limb length differences or any number of variables, programing with your attributes (or your athlete's attributes for coaches) in mind is paramount to performance success.

Adaptation: This is the body's response to training. What you may have found difficult at one stage may well become an easy task given that the adaptation is resultant from sound exercise programming. There are numerous reasons for our ability to achieve adaptation; our central nervous system becomes accustomed to a compound movement, our cardiovascular capability (essentially your heart improves as a muscle) increases and we can run, ride, swim, etc further and faster.

Reversibility: Here's the bad news ladies and gentlemen, the human body is master of self regulation and muscle is extremely costly for your body to produce and maintain. If you fail to continually expose your body to exercise stimulation, expect to lose your gains. In short, use it or lose it.

Conclusion

The divide between the average gym junkie and the performance athlete is as simple as a soundly written program. By following the scientific principles of training, one can take the steps to training for tangible and ever increasing goals.

In the contemporary fitness environment where the industry is flooded with 6 week certificate III & IV in Fitness graduates (Australia's minimum requirements to be recognised as a personal trainer) programs are tending away from these principles to cater for the market desire to achieve an image. Peaking cycles will not achieve this goal, but remembering the body to be the keen self regulating genius, bear in mind any frivolous gains made quickly are likely to be lost even faster if you don't keep up the stimulus.

Perhaps some meaningful reflection is in order before embarking on an exercise journey. Are you committed to continual and gradual gains in performance, or are you just after the keen attention of members of the opposite sex at the beach? Chose wisely and remember the final principle of exercise programming, use it or lose it.
Principles of Exercise Programming for Continuous Gain



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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Fitness training tips for planning the perfect workout Sunday

Saturday, January 22, 2011
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By David L Mills
Many institutes and fitness training tips will promise you exercises that will help you lose weight from specific regions of a body. Though exercises and weight training plans can help you tone areas, there is no magic exercise that will help you lose your belly fat or those hips. To lose weight, you have to get going with cardio exercises and burn fat throughout.

There is a very wrong notion amongst people that treadmill is a leg workout, recumbent bikes for thighs and rowing for hands/back. Yes, these machines do make you move those areas of your body but they all help you lose weight all over. If you do want to make a certain area stronger or develop muscles in one particular zone, these machines won't help you; your fitness training tips should include weight training and toning exercises for specific zones. Here's how a good workout should look like. Three days of intense cardio with light toning

Three days of light cardio (warm up) with weight training for different zones on different days. For example, if you chose to weight train on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, work your chest and arms on Monday, your abs on Wednesday and Legs on Friday. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays do intense cardio- running, cycling, aerobics, anything that will make you sweat. You can then play around with light weights or resistance tubes for some stretching. On Sundays, you can go in for a hot sauna or steam bath with some good old massage for relaxation.

Few important fitness training tips to remember: It is quite useless to weight train every day of the week. It won't help your muscles since they need a day of rest in between to recover from the wear and tear- that's how they grow and develop.

Intense cardio doesn't mean you can feel your heart jumping out from your throat. Even while doing an intense cardio workout, make sure you can speak one entire sentence in one breath while you flush and sweat- that' the sign of a healthy heart rate for a great cardio workout.

If you don't like running or cycling, you could spice up your workout by adding dance on one day, swimming on the other and maybe add martial arts for the last day of the week- you basically need cardio, that will help you with your stamina and pulse, not something you won't enjoy doing.

Always eat at least two hours before your workout and keep sipping water throughout. Have a high protein bite within half an hour of your workout- especially on weight training days. And the most important fitness training tips are to understand your body and its limitations before you push it too hard and the fact that fitness routines differ from person to person.


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Friday, January 21, 2011

The 3 Secret Exercises for the abs that you've never heard of

Friday, January 21, 2011
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By Hamish Shephard
Rather than sling you a rehash of the same old exercises for abs like sit-ups and crunches, leg lifts and what not... I've discovered three kick butt movements for a sexy midsection that deliver an awesome full body workout at the same time as toning your abs.

Below I've detailed an easy outline of my secret ab workout (it's secret because people at the gym won't know you're working your abs). I've laid it out in what's called a "mini-circuit". Simply put, a mini-circuit is when you perform three or more exercises in a row with no rest - when you complete all the exercises you have completed one circuit... Simple enough? Cool!

Your secret ab workout:

1st exercise: Renegade Row with dumbbell

2nd exercise: Barbell Front Squat

3rd exercise: Mountain Climber

I'd aim for about 3 to 4 sets of around 8 reps per exercise. You could do fewer reps for more sets, like 5 sets of 5 reps if you wanted to. You can do your Mountain climbers for a time (30 seconds for example) rather than reps.

To perform the Renegade row, get into the pushup position with your hands tightly gripping 2 dumbbells. Stabilize your body on one dumbbell while you row the other dumbbell back to your hip. Continue to hold the pushup position while you alternate arms - rowing each dumbbell back to your hip. You'll notice straight away how keeping your body stable while you row requires your abs to work super hard - it's a killer!

A front squat is similar to the trusty ol' back squat with the slight difference of having the bar rest on the front of your shoulders. The best way to keep the bar in position is to cross your arms, lift your elbows to shoulder height and push your hands against the bat to stop it slipping forward. This exercise definitely takes a bit of getting used to so get a trainer at your local gym to help you get the movement right. Keeping the upper body stable with the bar resting on your shoulders during the front squat is an awesome challenge for your core (and therefore your abs) even though it's often classed as a leg movement. Don't worry you'll feel it in the abdominals the next day!

The Mountain Climber sees you once again in the pushup position. To start, shuffle your feet back and forth so your alternate tucking each knee, one at a time, under your chest and then extending the opposite leg back behind you. Imagine you're shooting up a mountainside with each step. To kick up the intensity a notch, alternate hand position 8 to 10 inches forward and back in time with your legs. Switching your hands gets the whole body moving and makes the mountain climber one of the best exercises for abs.

Give yourself around 30 seconds between exercises and around 1-2 minutes after each mini-circuit then hit it again for the prescribed rounds.

So there you go 3 secret exercises for abs that you've never heard of that will give you the hard, toned midsection you're looking for. Now get to work!


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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Want to know the best Ab exercise for belly fat weight?

Thursday, January 20, 2011
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By Hamish Shephard
It's a common request: "Hamish, tell me the best ab workout for belly fat loss".
Well, guess what I tell them?

There isn't one! There is no ab workout that can burn enough calories alone to create a sufficient calorie deficit for noticeable belly fat loss.

As a self-proclaimed fitness fanatic and avid researcher of the best ways to flatten your stomach, people constantly grill me for info on the best exercises and workouts to shed stubborn stomach flab and unveil a trim and sexy waistline. While the questions aren't exactly "wrong", the issue is that most folks with unwanted belly fat think there's some kind of "magical ab workout" that will whittle their waistline down to visible abs while still eating hamburgers and guarding the couch (by sitting on it for extended periods).

Sorry people... You need to look at the problem from a different angle. See, ab workouts alone just won't cut it.

And while you folks keep spending your time and energy purely on ab workouts to get your excess love handles handled, you're missing out on the easiest and quickest way to strip stomach fat - through correct full body workout routines that will do the job safely and effectively.

Simply put: the best ab workout is actually a full body workout and would include the following multi-joint exercises:

Different types of squat, the lunge, the dead lift, the clean and press, the snatch, the kettlebell swing, different types press and pull exercises, the mountain climber, the semi-occasional sprint, and more.

Personally, I'd use this list to make up the majority of each workout and then chuck in some direct ab workout stuff for fun. See, a workout made up of exercises from the list above massively increases the calories burned during, and long after, each session. And the more calories you burn the more belly fat you're likely to lose. Sound fair enough? Great!

Please understand... I don't have anything against direct ab / core work, but I wouldn't base a whole workout on it because there are better options available to get better results faster. Whole body exercises elicit greater changes to your metabolism and hormone profile to create the best environment for fat loss. Plus, most whole body exercises greatly tax the midsection anyway - so you get your ab workout without having to do a single crunch!

Now you're clear about exercise there's another thing to consider, nutrition is probably the most crucial part of belly fat loss. In fact several scientific studies have proven, no matter how many crunches you do, if you're eating sucks you will never get a flat stomach - simple as that. Strangely, I think almost everyone knows this but some choose to ignore it. The availability of sugar laden / fat filled processed food makes healthy eating a lot harder (and maybe even a lot less enticing) than it used to be. However, if your diet isn't right the belly flab will not budge.

Summing this all up:

Crunches, leg raises and all that direct ab stuff is great as part of a whole body workout program. But steer away from ab workout routines where you're only doing abs and nothing else. Go for intense full body workouts made up of compound (multi-joint) exercises combined with a sound diet. Stay away from processed foods and drink plenty of water rather than sodas. Do all the things above and you'll be on the path a flat stomach and visible abs in no time.


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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

5 Secrets to flat tummy flab Ultimate and get Six Pack Abs

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
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By Hamish Shephard
OK guys, here are 5 quick and dirty tips as to why you could be going nowhere trying to flatten stomach fat and reveal your abs. I'm going to outline the main setbacks people seem to face and point out some possible solutions to get your waistline looking fit and lean.

Read this post carefully guys because I found some killer info that, if followed, will flatten stomach fat and have you turning heads at the beach in no time.

Stop and think... How amazing would it feel to be noticed and even complimented on your ripped midsection?

Cool! Let's rip it up (pun totally intended)

1. You're focusing too much on direct ab excises

I know, I know, it's weird but doing ab exercises alone just isn't enough to flatten stomach fat and get ripped abs. To cut straight to the chase:

Direct ab work doesn't burn fat from your stomach! To have a trim waistline and visible abs, you need to focus on training the whole body to massively ramp up your metabolism and set a good hormonal profile for fat loss. Think squats, lunges, dead lift, pulls and presses - exercises that work across multiple muscles and joints. Two to three sessions a week of those kinds of workouts would be a great start.

2. You're bored with the monotony of standard cardio routines.

Based on everything I've read I wouldn't recommend typical cardio to lose belly fat. Truth is I'm dead against it.

"Huh?" you say. Well, let me explain. Most of the belly fat loss programs out there demand you do ridiculous amounts of steady state cardio - sometimes up to 60 minutes 3 to 4 days a week.

This style of training can harm your results dramatically. Endurance style cardio forces the body to produce a stress hormone cortisol. This hormone causes the body to eat muscle and store fat -bad news if you're trying to flatten stomach fat.

Short, intense cardio is the key. Use intervals of 30 seconds hard then 60 seconds easy for 12-15 minutes to cause a greater metabolic disturbance than traditional cardio while keeping cortisol at bay. In fact research shows interval training is equally effective in strengthening the heart and better at reducing belly fat than traditional treadmill grinding.

3. You're basing your success on a supplement or "fat-loss" pill.

Believe me, around 96 per cent of supplements utter rubbish and do nothing to flatten stomach flab.

This took me years and thousands of dollars to realize. Most supplement companies are in the magic pill business but there just is no magic pill for reducing belly flat. Sorry guys.

That being said, there's the remaining 4 per cent of supplements like fish oil, protein powder and creatine that can work well and don't have to cost the earth. But wholesome, healthy, real food is always the best option.

4. You're basing your success on "ab machine" or "ab gadget".

If you own one of these things I have bad news: you were taken to the cleaners! These machines and gadgets do absolutely nothing to flatten stomach flab. Think about it this way, if they work well then why doesn't everybody have one - why doesn't the local gym have one?

5. You're trying to follow some kind of weird diet.

There are a million (a conservative estimate) different diet methods out there. There's low-carb, no-carb, no-fat, low-fat, Mediterranean, Paleo, The Zone and more. There's a dizzying array of methods because it's easier to sell a diet book if it appears different to other diet books. Nobody wants to buy more of the same so book publishers find zany new diets and publish them - brilliant money maker but a crummy way to eat.

I say keep it simple, quick and easy wherever possible. If you want to flatten stomach fat you need to eat less energy than you're expending, have an appropriate mix of protein, carbs and fat that supports your health and your training. Drink plenty of water. Repeat daily. And don't forget to occasionally treat yourself but not to overindulge.

There you go, 5 killer tips to flatten stomach flab and get your abs showing fast. Hope you liked them.


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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

There is no better time to lose belly fat - health risks

Tuesday, January 18, 2011
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By Hamish Shephard
Fact: a great percentage of the western population need to lose abdominal fat. Most folks see their spare tire as simply unsightly, a heavy and uncomfortable veil over their midsection that offers nothing more than embarrassment at the thought of others seeing it.

But there's more to it; that spare tire is not just ugly it's downright dangerous to your health. While the health risks of obesity have been widely publicized, several studies reveal extra abdominal fat adds an even greater risk and may decrease life expectancy.

The abdomen stores two varieties of fat. Subcutaneous fat is the jelly wobble between your skin and your six pack. Visceral fat is the stuff the causes your gut to stick out and is actually held in the muscles around your organs - it's less wobbly.

The two types offer major health risks, with visceral fat being the most dangerous. Both of them greatly increase the your risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type I and type II diabetes, sleep apnea, cancer, stroke, and other degenerative illnesses. Visceral fat is also a recognized as a major contributor of inflammation - which is linked to a variety of diseases.

You have to make the decision to lose abdominal fat now if you care for your family and want to maintain quality of life. Besides, if you do lose that unhealthy abdominal fat you could end up with an incredible midsection and even "ripped" abs.

"How do I do it Hamish, how do I lose abdominal fat" I hear you ask. Well, first thing you need to do is get real. There's no magical pill or powder or gimmick or gadget to take the place of a smart exercise program and good nutrition.

That means a whole body workout made up of multi-joint "compound" movements several times a week. Think squat, lunge, dead lift and different types press and pull exercises. Add some interval cardio training on off days and you have the beginnings of a great program that will kick your metabolism into gear and create the best hormonal environment for fat loss.

As far as diet goes, avoid processed food and refined sugars, eat a good mix of protein, carbs and fats, ensure plenty of water and stay away from high calorie soda, chocolate and so on. You need to get food intake and training program right to lose abdominal fat quickly and safely.

In fact research shows people who exercise this way and have a healthy diet lose abdominal fat musch faster than people who simply eat right or who only exercise regularly. It's the smart combination of both that can skyrocket your fat loss.

Remember, not just any old routine will get the job done. Every time I hit the gym I see people grinding away on hours of useless cardio and choosing the worst exercise to achieve their goals. All I can do is shake my head. I know there's a better way but some people just want keep doing what they're doing and get nowhere fast - crazy but true.

As I said, there's a better way. Fitness professionals all over the world have been researching the topic for decades. And a special few have cracked the code (some of which I shared with you earlier) by testing it with their clients day-in day-out for months and even years just to get the formula right - to help you lose abdominal fat that is not only unsightly and uncomfortable but DANGEROUS.

There really has been no better time to lose abdominal fat - the time to take action is now. Don't wait until it's too late.


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Sunday, January 16, 2011

4 awesome explosion Lower ab exercises for stomach flab

Sunday, January 16, 2011
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By Hamish Shephard Platinum Quality Aut
Lower ab exercises appear to be the holy grail of ab fanatics everywhere. Everyone with excess stomach fat is searching for a way to tone their midsection and shape their lower abs. Fitness professionals have pioneered and refined several approaches to maximize bang for buck when attempting to strip belly fat with lower ab exercises - some of which I'll share with you below...

But before I outline those approaches I just want to take a moment to establish some of the important facts you need to consider in pursuit of sexy, ripped abs.

FYI: The key to revealing our abs is in decreasing the belly fat that covers our midsection - the spare tire. Shrinking your spare tire through the manipulation of 3 key elements will make any lower ab exercises you do so much more effective.

Use these 3 key elements to flatten your stomach

* Get your diet right: This is the most crucial step in the war against your spare tire. Choose whole foods over processed foods, eat a healthy ratio of proteins, carbs, and fats, and drink water instead of sodas. You'll never see your abs if you can't get this part right.
* Train your body effectively: Skip the grinding cardio sessions on the treadmill and opt instead for several full body workouts using compound (multi-joint) exercises. Add some intense interval training and your lower ab exercises of course and you're well on your way
* Nothing but H2O Water is so important because it moves toxins through the body and keeps us hydrated. Sufficient hydration is an important factor in getting your waistline trim.

Make sure you have these key elements as the foundation to any lower ab exercises routine you perform and you'll see incredible results. Stay consistent and measure your progress; if you've been eating crummy food and drinking sodas on the couch it may take a while to burn of that slab of gut flab hiding your six pack.

To have visible abs you need to have a low body fat percentage (8-10 for guys and a little bit higher for girls). But don't let that discourage you because, with the right information and guidance (some of which I've shared with you now) you could flatten your stomach and have a sexy, toned midsection faster than you ever thought possible.

Now, back to the 4 lower ab exercises I was talking about...

Your lower abs don't get a lot of love as far as normal exercises are concerned - they're mainly used as stabilizer muscles. However, these 4 lower ab exercises are virtually guaranteed to work your lower abs in ways that will have you toned up in no time:

* Floorwipers: Lie down flat on the floor with feet together and legs outstretched. Hold a barbell (add weight plates if you're more advanced) over your chest like the beginning of a bench press. Use the barbell to stabilize as you lift both legs to one side of the body at a slight angle. Return to the start position and lift again to the other side of the body. Repeat for 8-10 reps each side.

* Leg raises: This is one of the more advanced lower ab exercises and requires great lower ab strength. Simply get into a position where your legs are hanging and your upper body is stabilized by your arms. Now raise your outstretched legs to waist height and return them slowly to the starting position (that's one rep). Complete 8-12 reps.

- You can also hang from a chin-up bar or use a dipping station depending on your fitness level. If you find the leg raises too difficult try repeating the same movement with knees bent.

* Russian twist: Sit on the floor with legs bent and feet flat. Take a weight plate in both hands like a steering wheel. Lean back slightly to engage the abs. Now simply twist to one side of the body and tap the weight plate on the ground beside you then repeat the movement again for the other side (that's one rep). Do 8-15 reps.

- You can make the exercise less difficult by bring the weight plate closer to your body.

* Mountain Climbers: Get in a pushup position. Switch your feet back and forward so you're tucking one knee under your chest while pushing your other leg out behind. It's probably easiest to perform this movement for time instead of reps. Try 30 - 40 seconds rounds.

NOTE: Make sure you have a trained fitness professional help you with correct performance of these exercises.

Remember to mix up your lower ab exercises to give your body the variety in needs to keep improving. Try adding one or two of these exercises to the full body programs I outlined earlier. Add more reps or try a more difficult progression once the movement becomes easy. Also make sure to have the 3 key elements in place to maximize your results. I'd go as far to say if you don't have the 3 key elements rocking then your lower ab exercises will be just about pointless.

So remember:

* Good diet
* Good training program
* Plenty of water
* Then add your lower ab exercises

Consider visiting a personal trainer to help you build a sound strategy to reach your goal of a toned and sexy midsection. Of course, there are plenty of fantastic resources online that offer the knowledge of a fitness professional for a fraction of the cost you would pay with a face-to-face trainer. They're definitely worth a look too.

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