Toning Stomach Muscles
Toning stomach muscles is a pastime pursued by many a man and woman. The stomach muscle gird our waist and support our posture. They are also the most unsightly muscles when they sag increasing the waist size and even causing back pain. Shaping and strengthening the abdomen muscles is the goal of toning stomach muscles. The benefits of pursuing such a program are many.
- Develop a flat stomach with firm muscle tone
- Improves posture
- Pulls in waist making it smaller and more defined
- Improves upright torso support
- Strengthens back muscles
- Increases overall strength
- Increases overall conditioning
Many people still believe in doing sit-ups for toning stomach muscles, but they are very inefficient. In fact, sit-ups do not use the abdominal muscles very much in conjunction with the other muscles in the back and hips, unlike a crunch. In a sit-up the stomach muscles quit working after reaching a 45 degree lift and then the hip flexors take over. They pull on the hip flexors that extend to the lower back muscles and can actually cause injury and pain.
The crunch, on the other hand, has proven to be a powerhouse move for toning stomach muscles without the threat of injury to the lower back. The crunch is performed by rounding the spine and crunching the rib cage and the pelvis towards each other. The abdomen muscles work the whole time. There are many variations of the crunch and each variation targets a different abdomen muscle group. The crunch is an exercise for toning stomach muscles that anyone can do - men and women at all ages.
There are other exercises for toning stomach muscles that can be done with the highly effective crunches. They include curl-ups, side bends and hip raises. In fact, you can achieve tighter abs within 4 weeks and firm abs within 12 weeks. Tips for maximizing your results include the following:
- Do exercises that work all the abdomen muscles including the obliques
- Flex your knees to force your abdomen muscles to work
- Start slowly and add repetitions as your muscles grow stronger
- Watch your form
- Keep the back flat against the floor to prevent lower back injury
- Combine toning exercises with a healthy diet
When toning stomach muscles, begin with the most basic levels of the exercises. Once the exercise gets too easy, begin to add moves that make it harder. Each step that makes an exercise tougher corresponds to a strengthening of your abdomen muscles. Don't ever try to rush a program. When you rush exercises, you are more prone to lose form and give up technique.
Toning stomach muscles can become an exercise program challenge. When you avoid toning stomach muscles, you set yourself up for conditioning failure. Science has discovered that the condition of the abdomen area directly corresponds to the odds of developing cardiovascular system problems. There cannot be a stronger motivation offered for strengthening the stomach muscles. Toning muscles is not something only bikini-clad women and bodybuilders should be interested in doing. Everyone needs strong core muscles. Core muscles that are in good condition positively affect overall health. Everyone needs to take care of their body and that includes toning stomach muscles.
You can begin with four repetitions of each toning exercise, including crunches, and progress from that point. It won't take long before you notice and appreciable increase in firmness and strength in the abdomen area. One word of caution though. When you do crunches with your hands behind your head, don't pull on your neck. Use your abdomen muscles to pull you up. You will know when you are doing it right - the neck won't hurt and the abs are working!
