Fitness Freaks

Fortunately for the human race, we are a very adaptable species. We are able to adjust to new circumstances without many major lasting implications; we are able to condition our bodies to acclimatize to a variety of challenging and adverse conditions. It is what allows us to run marathons, and climb mountains; our adaptability is what has enabled us to continue to persevere and overcome adversity. These are miraculous feats that have resulted in our ultimate evolutionary success as a species. But when we are talking about modern day fitness goals, this amazing adaptability can be a major problem to overcome in order to continue making physical progress and achieving new results.  Growing research indicates that the key to achieving fitness goals is through a variety of fitness strategies. It is important to mix up exercise routines regularly in order to keep making progress, surprising our muscles, pushing our limits, and avoiding a discouraging fitness plateau. Many fitness industry professionals recommend changing up a fitness routine every 5-7 weeks, though it can be different for each individual as there can be numerous attributing factors to a perceived fitness plateau. It is for this reason that we recommend a variety of fitness and exercise options in order to keep things fresh and mix it up. This can be especially true when looking for targeted fitness and cardio goals for ladies, particularly ab workouts for women. Perhaps the old saying still rings true — After all is said and done variety is still the spice of life.

In this case, here is a collection of a few excellent ab workouts for women taken from a variety of tried and true workout regimes and fitness disciplines.

Pilates:

While many people have tried are aware of the fitness system known as Pilates (named after its German-born developer Joseph Pilates), fewer people understand how it works or what makes it such a great ab workout for women and men. Pilates puts the focus on building flexibility and muscle endurance as well as emphasizing the importance of developing a strong core. In addition to being an excellent way to tone muscles including the abdominals, Pilates can also be helpful in balancing musculature, improving balance and alleviating back pain. While there are Pilates studios that use machines, there are also many isolated Pilates exercises that require no equipment at all. In fact, Pilates is an excellent fitness system to be used in tandem with and individual’s yoga practice. Another reason to add Pilates or some Pilates exercises to your fitness regimen is because it’s designed with all fitness levels in mind. This also means that it is a great strategy for continually challenging yourself with more difficult exercises as core strength is improved. Ab tip:  when performing an exercise, focus on pulling your bellybutton inward towards to the spine. This will ensure that your core is as engaged as possible and is a secret to eventually achieving flatter looking abs.

Swimming:

We can all recognize and appreciate the notion of swimmer’s abs. The reality is they aren’t necessarily as unattainable as they initially may look. Swimming continues to be one of the most highly recommended forms of physical exercise by physicians and physiotherapists. It is a no-impact, aerobic workout that tones muscles while shredding calories and can be a great addition to any ab workout for women or men. To maximize the ab working benefits, try a combination of the freestyle swim (front breaststroke) and the butterfly swim. Just 10 minutes of freestyle swimming burns 100 calories. Ab Tip: Be sure to be consciously engaging your core in order to stabilize your body, keeping it as straight as possible and maximizing your speed.

Exercise/Fitness Ball

While it can be difficult to accommodate for gym equipment, a fitness ball can be a very worthwhile investment. Unlike expensive machinery and many other home-gym accessories, a fitness ball is an inexpensive alternative that delivers a big bang for small bucks. Fitness balls work by forcing the muscles of the body to work harder than they normally do during a typical flat-mat or floor exercise regimen. This is because the muscles have to respond to the instability of the ball.  Exercise ball workouts deliver great ab workouts for women and men especially as many of the core-building exercises focus on working the especially tricky lower abdominal region.  Ab tip: consider replacing your desk chair or office chair with an exercise ball to engage your core muscles all day long and improve overall posture and balance.

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.