Everyone wants that washboard flat tummy or chiseled abs to complete the perfect summer body. However, building your abs takes dedication and patience, not to mention that abdominal workouts can place a fair bit of strain on your neck and back.
Let’s take a look at an easy Pamela Reif-inspired 10-minute ab workout that’s easy on the neck and back while we also offer you dietary tips on how to craft six-packs in the kitchen and answer your pressing questions on how to take your abdominal workout routine for the next level.
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15 mins Total Abs/Core Workout
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How To Protect Your Back and Neck While Working Out
Back and neck pain is a common complaint after a workout, especially after abdominal exercises. Here are a few useful tips to avoid aches after working out.
1. Warm-up properly. Warming up before you exercise prevents soreness and injury. Some great warm-up techniques include stretching routines, swimming, light jogging, cycling, and light repetitions. Remember to save your energy for the main workout, so don’t overdo it.
2. Stretch the right way. Stretching before and after you exercise helps reduce post-workout soreness. A useful rule of thumb is to perform static stretches before your workout and cool down with dynamic stretching after you’re done. Static stretching involves holding a pose for about 30 seconds, while in dynamic stretching there is constant movement throughout the range of motion exercise.
3. Focus on proper form and technique. Most times, pain is due to poor form or technique. This can be avoided with a few simple tricks.
- Don’t pull on your neck while performing crunches, focus on lifting your shoulder blades off the floor.
- Maintain a neutral spine by placing the back of your head, between your shoulder blades and lower back in a straight line.
- Practice proper breathing (exhale when the muscle contracts and inhale when the muscle relaxes)
- Practice in front of a mirror or camera to observe your form.
4. Give your body time to heal. Muscles grow while you rest, not when you exercise. Not giving your muscles enough time to recover between workouts can lead to muscle strain and sprain, a common cause of post-workout soreness. Structure your routine to allow each major muscle group at least 1-2 days of rest between each workout.
5. Improve your posture. Poor posture while carrying out daily activities like sitting and lifting can lead to chronic neck and back pain. This often makes exercising difficult. One way to combat this is to consciously improve your posture. You can also use posture correctors like back braces and taping.
6. See a doctor. See a doctor if you notice discomfort that seems to be worsening or is more than normal post-workout soreness.
10 Minutes Neck & Back Friendly No-Equipment Ab Workout
Building abs does not have to involve toiling away for hours in the gym. With the right technique, a healthy diet, and a few basic equipment like a good exercise mat and comfortable activewear, you can strengthen your core in no time.
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1. Bicycle Straight Legs – 30 seconds
- Start on your back on a comfortable fitness mat and lift both legs off the ground.
- Clasp your hands behind your head.
- Alternate bringing your elbow and opposite knee together while keeping the other leg straight.
- Keep your core engaged and alternate between both sides.
- Perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
2. Russian Twist – 30 seconds
- Sit with your knees bent and lean back slightly.
- Hold a free weight or place your hands together.
- Engage your core for balance.
- Twist your torso to touch your hands beside you on each side.
- Perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
3. Toe Reach Crunch – 30 seconds
- Lie on your back with both legs extended about 2 feet off the ground. A thick mat will add comfort to this workout
- Lift your upper body but keep your lower back on the floor.
- Engage your core.
- Repeatedly reach towards your toes while keeping your legs straight.
- Perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
4. Lower Ab Lift – 30 seconds
- While still on your back with your legs held out straight, place your back firmly on the fitness mat with your arms by your side.
- Engage your core.
- Repeatedly lift your hips off the ground using your abdominal muscles. If you have an arch back, we recommend placing a yoga pillow on your back.
- Perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
5. Sitting Crunch – 30 seconds
- Sit with your legs stretched out and your hands placed behind you for balance.
- Engage your abs.
- Repeatedly bring your legs in and out by alternating between extending and flexing your knees.
- Perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
6. Straight Leg Crunch – 30 seconds
- While in the same position stretch both legs fully in front of you.
- Engage your core.
- Repeatedly lift both legs while lifting your torso off the floor. To add some challenge you can try this with your arms straight out or while holding a free weight.
- Perform this exercise for 30 seconds.
Remember that staying hydrated is an important part of your workout, so take regular sips of water or a healthy sports drink throughout your workout.
For more insight, you can check out the video below.
Dietary Tips For Building a Six-Pack
A common cliché in the fitness world says that abs are built in the kitchen, not the gym. No matter how often you exercise your abs, they won’t be visible if they are covered by a thick layer of fat. Here are some tips on how changing your diet can improve your abdominal workout.
- Achieve a calorie deficit. The principle behind weight loss involves burning more calories than you consume. This means taking in fewer calories by cutting down on the total calories you consume while maintaining a healthy diet and burning more calories by increasing your level of physical activity through regular exercise.
- Eat enough protein. Protein is essential for muscle growth and repair. Healthy sources of protein for muscle growth include chicken breast, salmon, Greek yogurt, eggs, lean beef, quinoa, lentils, protein bars, and protein shakes.
- Get your energy from healthy carbs and fats. Despite what a lot of fad diets would tell you, carbs and fats are an essential part of your diet. The key to losing belly fat and growing muscle is consuming healthy carbs like brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, oats, whole grain bread, beans and legumes, and fruits and healthy oils like avocados, olive oil, nuts (almonds and walnuts), seeds (chia seeds and flaxseeds), fatty fish (salmon and sardines), coconut oil, and natural nut butter.
- Your pre and post-workout meal is important. Your pre-workout meal should consist of a healthy mix of carbs and protein taken about 45-60 minutes before your routine. This meal can consist of Greek yogurt, fruits, and vegetables, protein bars, oatmeal, chicken salad, brown rice, tofu, and lentils.
Your post-workout meal should be taken within 2 hours of your workout and helps replenish your depleted energy stores while providing the nutrients required for growth. It should contain a mix of healthy carbs and protein. Some post-workout meal options include yogurt, fruit, peanut butter sandwiches, low-fat milk, healthy smoothies, turkey, whole-grain bread, and vegetables.
- Add fiber to your diet. Vegetables and fruits contain loads of fiber which gives you the feeling of fullness without having to worry about adding too many calories to your diet.
- Foods to steer clear of. To achieve your goals of a flat stomach and chiseled abs, we recommend avoiding the listed food below.
- Empty calories like sugary drinks, candy, alcohol, salty snacks, and foods high in saturated fat
- Hyper-processed carbs like white bread, instant ramen, burgers, pastries, and chips.
- Fried food and processed meat like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, cold cuts, and pepperoni.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ab Workouts
How important are abdominal workouts?
Your abdominal muscles make up an important part of your core. A strong core stabilizes the spine, improves posture and balance, prevents back injury, and helps carry out daily activities like lifting, bending, and standing.
How many ab exercises should I do a week?
This depends on the intensity and workout schedule. Adding at least 2-3 abdominal exercises per workout is advisable. Also, remember the best way to build your abs is by regularly increasing the intensity of your workouts using free weights, resistance bands, medicine balls, or by adding more reps.
How long does it take to strengthen your core?
Core training can take 4 to 8 weeks to see visible results. This also depends on your body fat percentage. Some ways to quicken this process include losing weight and training your core at least 2 to 3 times per week with enough time to recover.
Why is it hard to loose belly fats?
Losing belly fat can be difficult for several reasons. These include genetics, poor dietary choices, hormonal factors, aiming for spot reduction (which is a myth), age, lack of sleep and not getting enough physical exercise. Losing belly fat can be done by achieving a calorie deficit. This means losing weight all over your body, not just in one spot.
Do I need to take protein to gain muscles?
Yes, protein is essential for muscle growth and repair. Not taking enough protein while exercising will lead to poor results. Great sources of healthy protein for building muscle include chicken breast, salmon, Greek yogurt, eggs, lean beef, quinoa, lentils, protein bars, and protein shakes.
Conclusion
Building strong abs is possible with the right exercises, technique, and diet. Remember that consistency is key – commit to regular workouts and make smart food choices to support your fitness goals.
Proper form during exercises can help prevent injury, and prioritizing your post-workout meals helps with recovery. With dedication and a balanced approach to fitness and nutrition, you can attain the abs you’ve always wanted.
