ROSIE - Ultimate Abs!

1) Top 5 Ab exercises to see results!

Following on from my piece on the ultimate six pack, here are my top five ab exercises! In all my years of training I have gone into the depths of research to find the ultimate tummy workouts as, surprise, surprise, it's what most people want.

One note... working your tummy also works your back. I often get people complaining that their backs hurt whilst performing ab exercises... a common mistake as people focus on their tummy and forget to work on their back. The result - a weak and painful back. It's so important to work opposing muscle groups otherwise you come up against all sorts of problems.

Anyway, let's get on with the business in hand! These are what I call combination sequences... i.e. you must perform all five ab exercises twice in a row to get all muscles working. Don't panic if you don't feel them to start with, by the end of two sets of the five exercises I can guarantee you will, no matter how strong your abs are!

1) The classic crunch... with a twist.

Lie on your back with your legs straight in the air. Working from the abs, with your hands beside your thighs, lift the upper body as high as possible, pointing the chin to the ceiling. By putting your legs in the air you're also working the lower abs. These are quite quick exercises. Repeat 2 x 20.

2) Sit up with medicine ball

Despite the media hype about these being bad from your back, these old school sit ups are great for ab and back strength. DON'T fix your feet, as that is what is bad for your back. You will only be able to get as high as your tummy strength allows. If you can't make it all the way up, just go as high as youcan, you will be able to get up in the end. Hold a medicine ball (or any weight) on your chest (and don't use the weight to throw yourself up - that's cheating!).
Repeat 2 x 15

3) Medicine ball twist.

Sit up straight (like your granny used to say) on the floor. Take a medicine ball weight in your hand (the heavier, the harder). It's imperative to keep your abs in. Lean as far back as you can holding your form (don't slouch, this puts pressure on your back). Take your feet off the ground, and still leaning back as far as you can, touch the ball to each side of the ground next to your bottom. Don't cheat, hold the weight with both hands at all times and make sure you touch the ground. Repeat 2 x 20.

4) Ball hands to feet.

This is best with a fit ball (one of those big blow up balls you see in gyms) but if you don't have one just do without. Lie flat on the ground, with the ball between your feet. Lift the ball with your feet and meet in the middle (above your body in the air) with your hands. Take the ball with your hands and lower the ball and your feet AT THE SAME TIME to the ground. This is a slow exercise, again, important to keep the abs in. The straighter your legs the harder it is. If you find it hard to start with just go down part way. Repeat backwards, i.e. meet your hands with your feet and take the ball with your feet. Repeat 2 x x 10 (this is mega tough!).

5) Bicycle crunch

This is my all time favourite, it works ALL the tummy muscles in one go. Lying on your back, take your knees in the air, then meet your elbow (upper body twisting crunch), to meet the opposite knee. With the legs, perform "bicycle legs", extending alternate legs to meet your alternate elbow. The ideal is to have your legs as long and low to the ground as possible at the outward point. Repeat 2 x 20

Enjoy!!

ROSIE - THAT ELUSIVE 6 PACK!

Yes... whether you're male or female, we're all after it, those rippling abs. Hmmm - the difficulty is that they're incredibly difficult to get! Chances are people who have a 6 pack have an incredibly low body fat (about 15% or less!).

Despite this, as a personal trainer, I find that one of the most popular ideals for my clients is, if not a rippling six pack, then certainly a flat tummy! The trouble is that be it abs, thighs, shoulders or bottoms, you can't spot reduce any area of your body. Depressing, I know. Chances are those abs are there, they may just be hiding under a layer or two of fat... you need to find them!

There are three ways to "bring them to the surface" and show them to the world...

1) Cardio, cardio, cardio: the only way of burning fat, per se. As I blogged last week, high intensive cardio is best as it burns loads of calories... and builds muscle. Go for the burn, the more knackered and sweaty you are after a session the better! Burn the fat OFF those abs and you have a better chance of seeing them! High impact activity is best as it works you more efficiently for the amount of time you have.

2) Diet: eat well! It's as simple as that! Your poor abs won't have a chance of showing themselves off in their best light if they're hiding under layers of fat. It's the simplest sum in the world; calories in must equal calories out. If you want to lose weight then it MUST be a negative equation!

3) Strengthening: Only NOW is it time for those ab exercises! Be they core exercises on the ball, crunches, sit ups... go for them. In the coming weeks I'll do a blog on my top 5 ab exercises.

So, on paper, simple! In reality... the first two steps are the basic way of reducing body fat and, if that's what you want to do, getting the body you want - six pack or no!