Exercises For Abs

Exercises for abs is not easy.  I have tried just about every ab exercise you can think of in my quest to rid myself of the remaining 5 pounds of fat on my midsection. They say the last 5 pounds is always the hardest, and this has proven to be true. For 2 years I woke up every morning to see

My Take on Exercises for Abs

My stubborn belly fat staring me in the face. I ate as healthy as anyone possibly could, exercised regularly, mostly focusing on exercises for abs. By the end of the second year I have become pretty discouraged. Exercises for abs just don't cut it, pun intended.

Finally, a light bulb lit up. Cardio.

Losing the last 5 pounds, no matter where the fat is located on your body, is all about cardio. Doing exercises for abs doesn't necessarily burn the fat directly on top of your abs. Cardio burns fat pretty evenly, anywhere it is on your body. Muscles burn fat all the time, even while you are sleeping. Exercises for abs will make your ab muscles stronger and bigger, causing them to burn more fat as part of your metabolism, but the larger muscles won't be selective and burn fat specifically from your midsection.

Because of this, if you are looking to burn fat, you might as well exercise a larger muscle group, rather than doing exercises for abs. It is easier to build larger muscles in your chest or thighs than it is to build your ab muscles, and your large chest muscles will burn just as much fat from your midsection as large ab muscles would.

Combining muscle building workouts that focus on larger muscle groups with cardio is by far the best way I have found to cut the really stubborn fat. Once you are boosted your metabolism with larger muscles and burned off a good amount of fat, NOW it is time to start doing exercises for your abs. Your increased strength and stamina will not only make the ab exercises easier, you will quickly be able to see the results because they are not hidden under a layer of flab.

Really, you don't want to build your abs into large, fat burning muscles. You want your other, larger muscle groups to handle the fat burning, you just want your abs to look good. This is accomplished by doing higher repetition, lower weight exercises for abs.

Here are some exercises for abs that have worked well for me, that I also enjoy doing. I am not a big fan of sit ups, they are boring and not all that effective.

The Bicycle Exercise

Lay flat on your back with your hands behind your head.
Lift your knees toward your chest and lift your shoulders slightly off the ground without giving your head too much support from your hands.
Rotate right, moving your left elbow toward your right knee as you straighten out your left leg.
Switch sides, rinse and repeat. The motion should be similar to that of pedaling a bicycle.

The Chair Leg Raise Exercise

One of my personal favorite exercises for abs. Find a strong chair that has arm rests. Place your arms on the chair's arm rests, your elbows in line with your torso. Slowly lift your legs toward your chest, hold the position for a couple seconds then unclench your abs and slowly put your legs back down. Try not to swing your legs, all movements should be slow and fluid. Do 3 sets of 10 reps, as you get stronger, increase your reps.

Vertical Leg Crunch

Lay on your back with your feet straight up in the air, crossing your legs at the ankle. Place your hands behind your head and contract your abs to lift your head slightly off the ground, trying to use as little assistance from your hands as possible. Hold the crunch for a few seconds then slowly release and repeat. 3 sets of 10-12 reps should do it.

So, that is what worked for me on exercise for abs. It has been hard work, but I think the results are worth it. Good luck to you!