The Active Woman

Abs are your body’s center of power and provide core strength. Strong abs aid balance, help prevent lower back injuries and promote good posture. Consistent abdominal workouts (10-15 min, 4-5x per week) performed correctly are not just for physical well being, but for aesthetics too. The secret to developing great abs lies in treating your body as a complete unit. Don’t make the mistake doing hundreds of repetitions of abdominal exercises in the hope of getting a flat abdominal region. The fact is that abdominal muscles are NOT the largest muscles in the body. This means that your body does not burn too many calories during abdominal exercises. The secret is exercises that burn extra calories to lower body fat, allowing the abdominal muscles to be visibly toned and sculpted. Walking, cycling, swimming and jogging are effective. These exercises involve the lower body, specifically the gluteals (the muscles in the hip and buttock region burn a lot of calories, the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body) and the quadriceps and calves. Translation - you burn more calories, which means more body fat. Strength training for the back and shoulders also helps boost metabolism, which is critical to low body fat. Only when your body fat is low enough, can your abdominal muscles become tight and visible. This is where you need a routine consisting of exercise for lower abdominal muscles. Such a routine helps you define and sculpt the lower abdominals, giving you that ‘chiselled’ look.

A recent study showed that the classic sit-up is not the best exercise for stronger, flatter abdominals. This exercise generally involves the hip muscles instead of the abdominals, and in most cases, places an unnecessary amount of strain on the lower back. Instead, the ‘crunch’ is the best option. The top three abdominal exercises are:

• Bicycle maneuver.
• Captain’s chair.
• Crunch on exercise ball.

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