How to Get Ripped Abs
Posted in Fitness by inMotion Life
Do you dream about having ripped abs? Do you wish you had a flat firm stomach, with washboard abs that make the opposite sex stare, and everyone else insanely jealous? Well keep reading, because we are going to show you how to lose your belly fat and tone your abs.
Unfortunately your stomach is the first part of your body where fat accumulates and it is also the last place you lose it. That’s why you will sometimes see otherwise fit people, with a little bit of a pouch. Even people who go to the gym regularly and mostly eat correctly are often concerned with their stomachs, because every mistake gets recorded there. As you learn how to lose your belly fat, you will realise that it helps to be in pretty good shape to start with.
If you are 50 pounds overweight, you shouldn’t be concerned with how to lose your belly fat right now. Your first concern is losing the extra weight. A combination of dieting, and cardio and strength training exercises is what you should be focusing on.
If you are at your ideal weight or you weigh 5 pounds more, then you can start worrying about how to lose your belly fat. At this point, you have a good chance of getting great results.
Most people advocate sit ups or crunches to take off this last little bit. Indeed, sometimes “belly fat” isn’t fat at all but untoned muscles.
If you do have belly fat, a step up from sit ups and crunches is using a stability ball. Scientists at Sacramento State University in California took muscle fibre samples from people who regularly did crunches and people who regularly used a stability ball and found that the ball users had twice as much muscle fibre. This $30 piece of equipment that you can buy at any sporting goods store, is well worth the investment.
Next, consider exercises that bring your legs level to or above your waist. Kickboxing is an excellent activity for achieving a flat stomach. Not only are you getting a great cardio workout with kickboxing, but you are also repeatedly moving your legs above your waist line. This is good, because it works the muscles in your lower stomach.
Dancing is also an activity that can help you get the perfect stomach. All kinds of dancing are good, but (and this one is mostly for the ladies), belly dancing specifically targets the muscles in that region. Join a belly dancing class at your local community centre or buy a video that shows you how to do it.
If you are a little more adventurous, you could also try kitesurfing. Kitesurfing works almost every muscle group in your body, but in particular your stomach muscles, and it’s great for building your core strength.
Don’t rely solely on cardio type activities though. You need to be building your muscle mass. Remember that muscle burns fat and when you have more muscle, you will be burning more fat all day long, not just when you work out.
Many people focus on their stomachs as a sore point when they are really overweight all over. To them, we say “get in shape”. Only then will you lose the belly fat.
But, if you are fit, losing the tummy can be the result of doing specific exercises that target the problem area.
We hope you will find these tips helpful, and that this article inspires you to start working towards getting ripped abs right away! If you have any questions, or tips of your own, please post them in the comments below.