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4 New And Improved Ways To Flatten Your Tummy

By: Sylvia Camarillo

A flat stomach is one sign that everyone recognizes as a signal of a toned body. How do you get there? Sit-up sit-up sit-up.. STOP! You say. Its too much and too boring and besides, Im getting a callous on my tailbone! There are better methods to getting a flat stomach than hundreds of sit-ups every night. You need to lose weight, because no matter how much of a six-pack you have, you bury it in rolls of bulging fat, no one can see it. You also need to vary your exercises to flatten it fast.

You can start slowly and then work your way up to the real belly buster, the abdominal crunch. Begin first with a head lift, move on to the shoulder lift once youre able to do 10 head lifts comfortably and then move to curl-ups, again once youre comfortable. Finally, youll hit a point when you can do 25 repetitions of curl ups easily and youre ready for the abdominal crunch.

Start with the head lift. The starting position for the head lift is flat on your back with your arms to your sides. Put your feet flat on the floor and bend the knees, forming an inverted V with your legs. Blow out as you slowly lift your head. When you lower your head back to the floor, inhale. When you do 10 of these easily, move on to the shoulder lift.

Begin the shoulder lift in the same position as the head lift. The back should be flat on the floor with the legs in an inverted V. This time you bring both the head and shoulders up from the floor. Dont forget to exhale as you lift and inhale as you go back down to the floor. Once again, you move to the next level when you feel comfortable.

The curl-up is even more difficult and again, begins in the same position as the previous two exercises. When you lift your body, once you raise the shoulders keep raising the body until your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor and halfway between the floor and your knees. There are three variations to the arm positions. The first is to lead with the arms and raise them in front of the body. The second position is to put the arms crossed on the chest. This is perhaps the most difficult. The third is to put the hands to the side of the neck and elbows straight to the side. The tendency to lift the neck with the hands creates the potential to injure the neck, so avoid pulling up with the hands. Once you easily do these move to the abdominal crunch.

The abdominal crunch is the best exercise for strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and flattening the tummy. Start with the feet flat on the floor and the thighs at a right angle to the floor. Your upper body is in the same position as the previous exercises. Bring your knees toward your chest as you exhale and lift the upper body off the floor. When the elbows touch the knees, maintain the position for a few seconds and then slowly go back to the original position as you inhale. The arms can be behind the neck or crossed over the chest. Dont let your chin drop to the chest.
Work your way up to twenty-five crunches at a time and it wont take long until you have a flat tummy that makes you look great and everything look better on you.

Article Source: http://www.bluearticles.com


Sylvia Camarillo is the founder of My Pilates Studio in Irvine, Ca. We specialize in using our exclusive Innovative Pilates System to get sexy sleek healthy toned bodies.
Pilates Studio Instructors Orange County, Irvine Ca - My Pilates Studio

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