Lifetime Fitness 4 Men

Best Stomach Exercises For Men

Do you look in the mirror sigh and think, “I need to flatten my stomach, lose belly fat and those love handles have to come off. What are the best stomach exercises to achieve this?”

There is something about having a nice tight and flat stomach with chiselled six pack abs that just simply fires the imagination. There is no doubt that apart from improving the look of your upper body, strengthening these core muscles gives other positive health benfits.

Probably the most popular reasons for performing stomach exercises are cosmetic ones – we want to look good. Whilst these are understandable, there is a far more important reason to strengthen and flatten your stomach – the protection of the vital organs that lie behind your stomach wall.

Without losing belly fat, that lean abs pack will not be visible however hard you exercise. So, you must include changes to your diet otherwise a layer of belly fat will cover what you have achieved. There are numerous healthy diet plans available in magazines and online.

So, what are the best stomach exercises for men?

As well as a healthy diet, there are two types of exercise workouts necessary to achieve your aims. They are regular cardio and abs workouts.

To help burn belly fat, the cardio workout that I favour and probably the most accepted strategy is interval training. Whether using gym equipment like an exercise bike or running, swimming or cycling, interval training techniques are the most efficient use of time.

An example of interval training consisting of a thirty minute running workout would be a warm-up of five minutes, then two minute intermittent sessions of sprinting and jogging, finishing with a cool down session.

The second type of workout concentrates on building muscle. Exercises that concentrate on your obliques, the upper, middle and lower sections of your abs, are the ones to practice. Example exercises are: crunches, the plank, squats and sit-ups.

The bicycle exercise has been identified in recent studies to have a beneficial impact on your abs. which is ideal for men. Position your body on a flat surface so that your lower back is pressed to the ground and your hands behind your ears. With your knees positioned at a forty five degree angle, move your legs as if pedalling a bicycle. Alternate touching your left elbow with your right knee and your right elbow with your left knee whilst keeping your breathing relaxed.

A superb Pilates stomach exercise that is ideal for men is the Plank. Position yourself face down on the floor and using your elbows, push up your body and remain on your elbows and fingertips for a count of thirty to sixty seconds. Repeat the movement three times.

There is a breathing exercise that I like for which you slowly inhale filling your lungs to capacity. Then as you slowly exhale, pull your belly button towards your spine. Immediately you feel your sides tighten, hold your breath and position for a count of ten seconds, and then exhale completely. Repeat this exercise ten times.

These are some of the best stomach exercises for men, and combined with a good cardio workout and a healthy diet, will reward you with that chiselled six pack look of your dreams.

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