Let's face it, the older we get the more difficult it is to maintain tone and reduce body fat.
Working out hard and frequently and doing so with a sound plan is always a key for success, but unless you target every area of your body you risk being disappointed with the results.
If you're like many of our regular readers you focus on strength training and cross train by running, playing sports, biking, etc.
Unfortunately the one part of our bodies that we seem to lose focus on as we age is our stomach, and in particular our abdominals (abs) and obliques.
Working out the abs on a consistent basis not only improves your looks and self confidence, but it gives a significant boost to your core strength, allowing you to participate in many more activities at a much more advanced level of success.
Recently a trainer suggested that you start the day, every day, with crunches and leg lifts.
Then, at least 3x per week, you should do a full abdominal workout at the gym.
There are a number of abdominal exercises, and often you can find a class focused on working out your abs for 45 minutes or an hour.
Below are some popular and effective abs exercises: · Sit-ups · Crunches · Leg lifts · Captain's chair leg raises · Bicycle crunches · Oblique crunches Now there are lots of variations of each these exercises, and executing properly is critical to protect from injury, so be sure to do some research and talk to your trainer and physician before engaging in any physical fitness regimen.
Exercising your abdominals and obliques is critical to achieving overall fitness.
So get focused on training every major part of your body and don't forget those abs!!