Abdomens are one of those top three areas that people focus on when determining the success of their workout routine. Although men work extremely hard to get the chiseled abdominal look, women tend to focus almost all of their workouts on this particular zone. The midsection is a defining area of the female body. Simple weight gain or loss in this area changes everything from body silhouette to clothing sizes. Everything looks different as your torso changes. Ab workouts for women should focus on the entire midsection.
The idea that doing hundreds of crunches will improve your look is overrated and inaccurate. A good combination of abdominal exercises will not only improve your workout results, it will add variety to your routine that leaves you wanting to come back for more. It is important to remember that your abdomen is more than just the front of your stomach. In order to achieve results, you want to work the entire area of your midsection, from front to back. This will result with a uniformed toned look that will improve your posture, health and overall look. Ab workouts for women are designed to achieve this, with the female structure specifically in mind.
Core exercises are one of the most important, yet overlooked exercises. A good combination of core exercises will work your transverse and internal abdominal area. Ab workouts for women that contain core exercises will strengthen their midsection. A stronger midsection results with better posture and better personal control with other exercises. If you have poor control, the wrong muscles are used and injury is eminent. Some of the important exercises include
The Plank – Lie flat on an exercise mat with your arms bent at the elbows, your palms and toes on the floor. Slowly raise your body up until you are parallel to the ground and your upper body is supported on your elbows. Your hands should be directly in line with your shoulders. Take extra caution to ensure that your body is straight and not bent at your waist. Hold this position without moving for 60 seconds. Slowly lower your body and repeat three times.
V-Sit – Sit on the floor in an upright position. Straighten your arms and raise them straight above your head, straighten your legs and raise them as close to your arms as possible. Slowly move your arms and legs away from each other until your body is at a 45 degree angle. You will be balancing on your bottom at this point. Hold this pose for 60 seconds. Rest and repeat 3 times.
Side Plank – Lay on your side with your arm under your head. As one of the best ab workouts for women, this will work your entire core midsection. Your entire body should be a straight line on the floor. Using the side on the floor only, move your hand on the exercise mat to your shoulder area, now slowly push your palm into the mat to raise your entire upper body off of the ground, keeping it firm the entire time. Keep pushing until the only part of your lower body on the mat is the side of your ankles and feet. Hold this position for 30 seconds, lower and rest and repeat three times.
Ab workouts for women should include these three core moves. There are many others that can be added to routines to improve overall health and strength. These exercises are an understatement to how very little movement can do so much.
Ab workouts for women need to include the oblique muscle group. This is imperative for that hour glass look. Oblique and bicycle crunches are both fantastic exercises for directly targeting this area. Changing your routine by adding in medicine balls and light weights will also add to the dynamics of your ab workout routine.
It is important to remember that the majority of women gain weight in the abdominal area before any other area. If you are working your abdominals properly and regularly and are not seeing results, it does not mean that they are not there. It is impossible to see the muscle tone in your body if there is a layer of fat over top of them. Do not stop your workout, as you lose the extra weight, your body will reveal the hard work underneath. Your efforts will pay off. There is no such thing as a failed workout. Ab workouts for women are designed to give you the look they are trying to achieve. With diet and a regular routine, you will be able to show off the abs you dream of.