Abs Workout

Women want a flat stomach, a tight midsection. Men want a muscular stomach, a six pack. But most shy away from the work needed to get belly like the top models or professional athletes. And it's true, abdominal training is hard, and most importantly, regular work. But it's worth it!

Our stomach is composed of different abdominal muscles: the straight, the oblique and transverse abdominal muscles. With a good abdominal workout the entire abdomen is involved and invigorated. Our fitness experts have selected for you the most effective exercises - with and without training devices. Ten minutes a day are enough to strengthen the muscles and to tighten the waist and abdomen.

Major advantages of abdominal trainers:

Relief of the cervical spine (by headrest)
Controlled movement execution
Isolated training of the abdominal muscles (effective training)

In our special abdominal workout we refrain from the conventional principle of reps and introduce a new effective training regime.

"Time-Under Tension (TUT)" refers to the practice of the time during which there is a muscle under tension. Short loads of less than 20 seconds to increase the maximum force, 20 to 50 seconds to increase the hypertrophy (muscle fiber cross-section), and 50 to 120 seconds "time-under tension" to increasemuscular endurance. A controlled and smooth motion with steady breathing ensures an effective workout.

To stay motivated in the long term, divide these exercises into stages and change e.g. the time or training frequency, to alleviate boredom.

Exercise 1: abdominal trainer AB Dominox /
AB Sensation

Straight abdominal muscles: Take the AB Dominox. Lie down in the normal sleeping position backwards and position your hands and legs as shown. Now either do 3 times 15 sets with one minutes rest in between or try our proposed TUT method. In short: Do as many reps as you can, and then another 10 more! But please make sure that you do not perform the exercises too quickly. Controlled and smooth motions mean exercises are more effective. (Always keep the muscle under tension and keep breathing).

For the side (oblique) abdominal muscles turn your legs to the right / left side and repeat the exercise as described above. Please make sure that your shoulder-neck area is relaxed throughout the exercise!

Tip: If you do not have an ab trainer, try using a variant of the forearm support, also called "Plank".

Exercise 2: Side (oblique) abs through abdominal workout with the AB & Back Trainer

Assume the position as shown, sideways on the AB & Back Trainer and tilt your upper body only by means of the lateral abdominal muscles in a slow, controlled up and down motion. Work out both sides equally, so no muscle imbalances arise. Combine your abdominal training with exercises like the hyperextension (erector spinae) and thus achieve maximum success.

Exercise 3: Complex and highly effective: The abdominal workout with the multi gym Bio Force Extreme & AB Strap

Sit down on the Bio Force, place the abdominal training AB Strap over your shoulders and take hold of the handles. Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly bend your upper body forward. When going back take care to use a slow and controlled motion.

With the help of the AB Strap you can work-out the straight and lateral abdominal muscles, sitting or standing. Due to the variable weight range, you can modify your workout to suit you perfectly.

The featured Ab trainers and more can be found here.

Conclusion/Tip:

The abdominal muscles only come to light when the flab on the stomach disappears. You can do this with endurance training. In addition to targeted abdominal training our health experts focus on cardio (aerobic exercise), to burn as many calories. Especially if you have a few too many pounds you should, at least, include jogging alongside regular abdominal training several times a week, as well as walking or cycling. Only 30 minutes of light exercise on a cross trainer can burn around 300 calories.

Related products for your endurance training at home can be found here!

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