Hey everyone,  Happy Workout Wednesday  & welcome to the official JUNGLE FITNESS Orange County Personal Trainer Blog! Today we’re going to go over top exercises for getting 6 pack abs and a flat stomach.

Exercising can be described in many ways.  Although gaining a point in STR can be described as becoming stronger, if you attack exercising in the way you can it essentially doesn’t matter.  Whether you are a geek, athlete, or just an anybody, we all have our way of attacking things.

Bicycle Exercise

Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring knees up to about 45- degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Keep even, relaxed breathing throughout.

1. Lie on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck.
3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, taking the left elbow towards the right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a ‘pedaling’ motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Plank on Elbows and Toes

The plank exercise ranked number 10 in the ACE study and is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as the stabilizer muscles.

1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominal to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.
5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

Captain’s Chair Leg Raise

The captain’s chair leg raise is the second most effective move for the rectus abdominis as well as the obliques. You can do a variety of exercises on the captain’s chair, which is a rack with padded arms that allows your legs to hang free and can be found in most health clubs and gyms. The key to keeping this move safe and effective is, first, to avoid swinging the legs or using momentum to bring the legs up. Second, keeping the knees bent will help you focus more on the abdominal and less on the hip flexing.

1. Stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
2. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
3. Don’t arch the back or swing the legs up.
4. Slowly lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Full Vertical Ab Core Exercise

In a full vertical crunch, you really work the abs by involving both the upper and lower body, making this the 8th most effective exercise for the rectus abdominis.

1. Lie on a bench that slightly slanted (15° ) and extend the legs up towards the ceiling.
2. Place hands behind bench to grab a hold of any handles (lightly cupping it) and push your legs up towards the ceiling creating a small space between the shoulder blade and the bench.
   
3. At the same time, point your toes towards the ceiling, creating somewhat of a 90° degree angle.
   
4. Lower down and repeat for 12-16 reps.

Exercise Ball Crunch

The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and is the third most effective move for targeting the rectus abdominis. What makes this move a bit more effective than crunches on the floor is that the legs are often involved in floor crunches. On the ball, the abs do more work.

1. Lie on the ball, positioning it under the lower back.
2. Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
3. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
4. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., the ball shouldn’t roll).
5. Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

(quoted from: exercise.about.com)




I hope these exercises will help tone those abs to a 6 pack for men or a flat and tone stomach for women.  Your core is the root of all balance, stability, and locomotion.  It can help prevent back pain and make it easier to do physical activities.  A weak core leaves you susceptible to poor posture and other muscle injuries.

This is Jon Jung and… I’m out.

For more info check out below:

(949) 302-4939

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON HOW TO GET THE BODY YOU ALWAYS DREAMED OF HAVING

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BLOGS FROM OUT JUNGLE FITNESS ORANGE COUNTY PERSONAL TRAINER BLOG

INFO@JungleFitnessOC.com

Jungle Fitness Orange County Personal Training is Orange County’s Best Personal Fitness Trainers for Fat Loss & Lean Muscle Building. Our Jungle Fitness Orange County Personal Trainers have helped our clients achieve significant fat loss and lean muscle building and are considered the top Fitness Experts in Orange County. Our training philosophy is one that is results-oriented, goal-oriented, and success driven. Jungle Fitness Orange County Personal Trainers:  Aliso Viejo | Anaheim | Brea | Costa Mesa | Corona Del Mar | Dana Point | Foothill Ranch | Fountain Valley | Huntington Beach | Irvine | Ladera Ranch | Laguna Niguel | Laguna Beach | Long Beach | Mission Viejo | Newport Beach | Orange| Orange County | OC | Placentia | Santa Ana | San Clemente | San Juan Capistrano | Seal Beach | South Coast Metro | Tustin | Westminster | Yorba Linda