Healthy B.P.M.

Are you wondering why after thousands of crunches you still seem to have trouble tightening your midsection? Doing hundreds of crunches won’t give you the abs you want, but a proper diet and challenging ab moves over a sustained period of time will. To achieve the tight midsection you are looking for, you must aggressively make your abs stronger, burn the fat covering them up and clean up your diet.

Once you have begun following a healthy diet that includes lean proteins, high fiber/complex carbohydrates, plenty of water, vitamins/minerals, and fruits and vegetables; now we can talk about some ways to ignite your core!

Your core is the power center of your body. If you have a weak core, you are vulnerable to injury. One way to strengthen your core is to work out on the stability ball. Working out on the ball creates an unstable environment similar to athletic circumstances and builds your core to allow for more powerful, whole body moves. Trainer Gunnar Peterson couldn’t agree more. As creator of the popular DVD’s Core Secrets and author of G-Force: The Ultimate Guide to Your Best Body Ever (Regan Books, 2005), Peterson is known for whipping celebrities (Brooke Burke), professional athletes and regular folk into shape. “The stability ball challenges your balance skills and your abdominals in every direction,” he says. “The key is to fire up your muscles in ways they haven’t worked before, so they’ll have to adapt and change.” Well, if it works for Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Madonna, why not give it a try?

Lets look at just three very challenging moves on the exercise ball that will lead to stronger, leaner, sexier abs!

PENDULUM WITH BALL

Start by sitting on a mat and place a stability ball between your legs (at your calves/ankles). Squeezing the ball in place, lie back onto the floor, and extend legs straight up into the air. Keep knees slightly bent and arms out to the sides for support.

Keeping upper body and glutes stationary, lower your legs down to the right, as close to the ground as possible. Return to start and repeat to the left side to complete one repetition. Depending on your fitness level, perform 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions. Feel the burn!

Special Instructions: Make sure your back stays firmly planted and that your legs swing in line with your hips (not above or below them).

BALL CRUNCH

Here is the remix on your tired old crunches! Start by lying face up on a large exercise ball with your lower and middle back supported, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest. To pump this move up a bit, place your hands lightly behind your neck as shown, or make it even harder by extending your arms overhead.

Raise only your head and shoulders as you contract your abs to move your upper body towards your pelvis. Slowly return to the starting position. Depending on your fitness level, try to knock out 2-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

CRUNCH WITH MEDICINE BALL

Start out lying face up on a large exercise ball with your lower and middle back supported, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a medicine ball securely overhead at arm’s length.

Raise your head and shoulders as you crunch your ribcage toward your pelvis. Keep your arms straight so that the medicine ball is overhead. Contract your abs at the top of the movement for a one-count. If this is difficult for any reason, variate the move by keeping your head and shoulders on ball like in a normal crunch and hold the medicine ball at your chest and just roll up with the ball. Perform this exercise for 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Now, remember that the diet plays a CRITICAL part in getting your abs in shape. Clean eating, and consistent cardio coupled with core training (added to every strength training workout) should yield visible results in 4-6 weeks!

Stay tuned for more ways to pimp your abs!

Abs, Medicine Ball, Weighted Ball, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Madonna, Pimp, Stability Ball, Brooke Burke