What Works Best for My Abs
I love my butt -- and my tummy's not too shabby either. I know
it sounds crazy, but hear me out. I'm 42, I had a baby this year, and my lower
half is basically cellulite free. No, it's not just good genes: I've been a
fitness editor and exercise physiologist for 17 years, and I just wrote my
34th get-a-better-butt story. I've also written 29 features on getting fab abs.
I've gotten some great advice, and I took it to heart; now I want to share it
with you. Here are my favorite strategies, culled from interviews with top
trainers, instructors, and sports-medicine doctors.
1. Choose Variety Over Reps
I try to mix up my ab-toning moves each workout, and I change my
routine every three to four weeks. "Alternating your workout is more
important than cranking out 100 crunches every day," says Michele
Olson, PhD, professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery.
"Perform 15 to 20 reps of each exercise, then move on."
2. Forget the "Upper Vs. Lower
Abs" Idea
It's all one sheath of muscle: the rectus abdominus. "If you feel
the upper abs working, it doesn't mean the lower abs aren't engaged," says
Alycea Ungaro, owner of Real Pilates in New York City and author
of The Pilates Promise. Where you feel it depends on the move's anchor
point. For example, leg lifts engage more of the lower section since your upper
body is against the floor. To truly tone, try a mix of ab-sculpting moves that
vary positions.
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3. Engage Your Pelvic Floor
To target your abs more effectively, strengthen your pelvic-floor
muscles. "These muscles assist your deepest abs in doing exercises
correctly," says Olson. Actively engage them by gently pulling your belly
button toward your back. Place one hand on your abdomen; if you feel your
stomach pushing out while you do sit-ups, you're pushing the pelvis down rather
than pulling muscles up and in, cheating your abs of the full workout. Keep
muscles contracted when working abs. Strong pelvic-floor muscles also help tone
your abs post-pregnancy (it helped me after my son was born).
4. Work Your Abs, Not Your Neck
I can do 50 crunches without my abs aching, but if my neck starts
killing me after 10, I'm done. I often pretend I have an orange tucked under my
chin to release the tension. Or I press my fingertips into the base of my neck
and give myself a nice neck massage while curling up. Another strategy: To stop
neck muscles from tensing, place your tongue firmly on the roof of your mouth
as you crunch.
5. Fight Flab with Cardio
One thing I've learned for sure: All the exercises for abs in the world mean
nothing if there's a layer of fat over my abs. So I do about 45 minutes of
calorie-blasting cardio, three to five times a week. "You need to burn
body fat through regular aerobic exercise to see strong abs," says Olson.
6. Make Abs Your Transition Workout
On those rare occasions when I have time to do strength training and
cardio in one workout, I sandwich 10 minutes of ab work in between. After I
cool down from cardio, I hit the mat for stretches, reverse curls, and
crunches. This is a great way to shift my focus from cardio to strength
training; it helps me zero in on my abs and core strength as I lift.
7. Know When to Rest
I can tell I've worked my abs well when they're sore the next day. Like
other muscles, the abs respond best to intense training every two days. Work
them too hard, too often, and you'll see minimal progress, says Holland.
8. Plank Pull-In
My no-fail stability-ball exercise targets the deep (transverse) and
"six-pack" (rectus abdominus) abs as well as the obliques. Begin
in a full push-up position, with shins pressing into the ball. Pull knees
into chest, then roll back to start; repeat for 1 minute. Pull both knees up to
right elbow, back to center and to left elbow. Continue for 1 minute.
9. External Oblique Crunch
My must-do move for slimmer sides? The external oblique crunch: Lie face
up on the floor, knees bent, abs engaged, fingertips behind your head and
elbows out to sides. Walk legs out a few inches. Curl torso up, bringing right
elbow toward right toes, then cross over toward left knee. Slowly return to
start. Do 20 reps on one side, then switch.
10. Pilates Corkscrew
Pilates is one of the best methods for all-around toning. My favorite
move is the modified Corkscrew, which zeroes in on the abs, obliques, thighs,
and hips. Lie back with arms at sides and straight legs perpendicular to floor,
with either a Pilates Flex Circle or a stability ball (anything that adds
resistance will work) between your ankles. Without lifting your hips, bring
both legs to the right, turning your head to the left. Take a breath, then
return to start; switch sides. Do 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps, squeezing the ring
with your thighs.
