The most difficult thing: how to “pump up” your lower abs with exercises

Exercises for weight loss at home

The issue of excess weight has always been relevant and has not left a huge number of people alone.

Living in the rhythm of modern man, it is not always possible to visit gyms with a lot of treadmills, exercise bikes and wall bars. This takes away valuable time, which modern successful people already have little of.

But you still want to stay in shape and look your best, and often it’s simply necessary - exercises performed at home will help .

A set of home exercises for weight loss in photos and videos - which are the most effective?

Over the years, various trainers from around the world have developed many different sets of exercises for losing weight and staying in shape at home. Some of them are more effective, some less.

We will look at the most effective ones.

Warm-up

Any workout should begin with a warm-up. Perform simple exercises without much stress - this will allow your muscles to warm up and become more elastic.

To warm up, you can perform exercises several times - bending over, squatting, windmill , tilting the body in different directions.

The main exercises for losing weight at home are abdominal exercises . It is the abdominal muscles that hold its shape and form everyone’s favorite “cubes”.

Exercise Paperclip

Lie on your back, on a hard surface or on a special training mat. Arms and legs should be extended and slightly raised above the floor. This is the starting position.

Then begin to simultaneously lift your body and legs up. Ideally, you should try to touch the tips of your toes with your fingers.

This exercise should be done slowly. It will be enough to repeat the exercise 8-10 times .
It will make your abdominal and abdominal muscles work.

The structure of the abdominal muscles

The abdominal muscles are divided into four main muscles:

rectus abdominis muscle. Attached to the cartilages of the V-VII ribs, the xiphoid process of the sternum and the pubic bone;
external oblique abdominal muscle. Attached to the pubic symphysis, iliac crest and outer surface of the V-XII ribs;
internal oblique abdominal muscle. It is attached to the cartilage of the lower ribs and the iliac crest.
transverse abdominis muscle. In the lower part it is attached to the iliac crest, as well as to the lateral third of the inguinal ligament.

Plank, Brace, Hip Raise - which abdominal exercise is best?

Just recently, 3 of our authors completed a series of popular exercises. You can find them in various weight loss programs and fitness complexes. But few sources share the results of applying their own recommendations. We want to correct this situation and talk about what real effects can be achieved by regularly working on your body.

Victoria, Rada and Ekaterina are the same brave authors who truthfully and without embarrassment described their experience of doing exercises to lose weight. Girls differ from each other in body parameters and lifestyle (there is even a young mother!). But they have one thing in common - the desire for a slim and beautiful body.

Each of them chose an exercise that worked the entire body with an emphasis on the abdominal muscles. A month of regular classes came to an end, and the girls shared the results of the experiment with us.

Victoria's story: balancing on the Plank

It's time to lose weight! It was this motivating motto that pushed me into sports training. I wanted to find something effective, general strengthening, but not time-consuming. Having studied thematic sites on the Internet, the solution came instantly - Plank!

Looking at the process from the outside, it seemed that it could be difficult: you lean on your hands, stand motionless for a few seconds and that’s it. But how wrong I was!

I present to your attention my complete weight loss diary under the simple title “Balancing on the Plank, or how I lost weight in a month.”

1 Week

The most difficult week. During these 7 days I realized:

It is very, very difficult to maintain even 15 seconds in one position.
To really lose weight, you need to stick to proper nutrition.
Combining diet and exercise is not very easy.

After I decided on the exercise, the question of nutrition arose. Starvation diets were discarded immediately, because it is impossible to train and practically not eat. Therefore, I decided to adhere to the basic rules of separate nutrition. In the first week, since I was very fanatical about losing weight, my diet was not varied and consisted of cereals and vegetables:

During the day, snacks were allowed, including fruit, berries or dried fruits. It turned out to be very difficult to maintain such a menu; adjustments had to be made.

As for the exercise, I developed a suitable training regimen for myself so as not to feel fatigue and muscle pain.

Example of my activities:

The sensations in the first week were indescribable: my arms, legs, and abs hurt. But the weight moved from a dead point and decreased by 500 g. I was encouraged by the thought that if I could stand it, I would be proud of myself and admire my new figure in the mirror!

2 week

In the second week I decided to make significant changes to my diet:

First, every morning began with a cocktail - crushed flax seeds with kefir. This mixture energizes, nourishes the body and cleanses of waste and toxins.
Secondly, vegetable salads, fish steaks and dietary desserts settled on my menu.

During the training process, I never stopped studying thematic sources and learning up-to-date information about the Planck exercise. In the first week, I experimented with poses, practicing either with outstretched or bent arms. Of all the options I tried, I settled on straight arms.

My fitness routine looked like this:

You know, on day 10 it became easier! My body probably moved to a new stage of endurance, my muscles stopped hurting, and a hint of definition appeared. After 2 weeks, the weight loss was 1.5 kg. We can’t stop there, let’s continue further.

3 week

In the third week, I decided to take a one-day break to relax my muscles a little. By the way, dear girls, the Planck exercise can be done even on “these” days, I personally tested it. It feels like it becomes easier, the muscles are in good shape.

The training scheme looked like this:

At this stage I did not make any changes to my diet. The only thing is that I increased the amount of water I drank. On the 21st day of training, weight loss is 2.3 kg.

4 week

The finish line has arrived. I approached week 4 with pleasant muscle pain and complete confidence in my abilities. The food remained the same, only the portions increased slightly.

Training plan for the last week:

conclusions

It's time to take stock. In 28 days, the weight loss was 3 kg, and the waist decreased from 68 cm to 66 cm. The plank became an impetus for me to reconsider my diet, activity, and lifestyle in general. I am proud that, despite the difficulties, I persevered and became stronger in character and soul!

I want to share secrets that will help in training:

If you find it difficult to suddenly increase the time by 5-10 seconds, do it gradually, 1-2 seconds a day.
It is not necessary to choose a pose with your arms outstretched; try training with your elbows bent.
Don't follow starvation diets. This is the most common mistake girls make. If your body doesn't get enough calories, your workouts will become ineffective.

Be beautiful and don’t forget that your appearance is the result of working on yourself.

Rada's experience: it works!

I’ve been watching my figure for several years now, but all my weight loss was based on experiments with nutrition. During my school years, I couldn’t force myself to study regularly, even at home. The situation is the same now. My motivation charge is enough for a maximum of a week of constant workload. Trying to do the exercise for a whole month was a challenge that I challenged myself.

My choice fell on exercises that work the abs, because a flat and toned tummy is my dream. I think that not only me, but also every other girl wants this. So, what I intended to get from the classes:

slim stomach;
strong abdominal muscles;
tightened skin without a hint of fat.

Exercise selection

Of course, I understood that one exercise would not help me with this, but I had to start somewhere in order to accustom myself to regular exercise.

The choice fell on the Brace exercise, which came to the world of weight loss from yoga. It is also found under other names, for example, Navasana (boat pose).

You can perform the exercise in several variations, it all depends on what kind of training you have.

Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward.
Push your body back so that only your lower back touches the ground, your shoulder blades and shoulders are torn off. Place your elbows on the floor.
Place your legs together and try to slowly lift them, straightening your knees. The height should be low, but if it’s too heavy or your lower back comes off the floor, raise your legs to a comfortable level.
Stretch your arms forward “at the seams” without touching your legs.

This is the "correct" option. However, I haven’t worked out for several months, so I had to choose a lighter look. The exercise is performed in the same way, only your legs do not need to be completely straightened, you can bend them at the knees.

Nutrition

At the start of the experiment, with a height of 160 cm, I weighed 48 kg. Waist circumference 60 cm.

I would like to note that I did not pursue the goal of losing weight, because I am satisfied with my weight. Therefore, during the training I did not introduce strict restrictions into my diet, since I always try to eat right. There are no fatty or fried foods on my menu; I prefer to stew or boil everything.

Also, during the experiment, I observed Lent, which is why I gave up all food of animal origin and those dishes that could contain it.

Week 1

My rhythm of life allows me to do exercises only in the first half of the day, so I started doing the exercise in the morning before breakfast. First, I did a light warm-up: I worked out my neck, arms, and did body bends. It helped me prepare my body for work, as well as wake me up and energize me.

I have determined the following norm for myself: do the Brace 3 times. Since I had never done the exercise, I decided to start with 40 seconds. So, the first approach was quite easy to hold, but the next 2 times I had to reduce the time to 35 seconds.

When you take the correct position, the exercise does not seem difficult, but after a while the body begins to tremble, the muscles ache, and you can barely stand it.

I didn’t study every day - in the first week I took 1 day off. In terms of time, I advanced to 50 seconds, but I couldn’t maintain this result 3 times in a row.

At the initial stage, I couldn’t notice any changes other than aching muscles. Basically, I didn’t expect anything during the first week.

Week 2

The second week was no different and was similar to the first. I began to gradually increase the time, adding 10 seconds to 1 approach and 5 to 2 and 3. I was not always able to maintain the increase in pace, so on some days I did not add additional seconds.

By the end of the week, I was consistently performing 90 seconds per set.

Week 3

At this time, I began to lead a more active lifestyle and started going to the pool 2 times a week. I also decided to improve my exercise and now raised my legs, straightening them at the knees.

However, it was difficult for me to hold a full 3 approaches in this position; for 3 times I had to return to the lighter version.

So, over 3 weeks I began to pay more attention to the load on the body, complicated the exercise and increased the time to 100-110 seconds.

Week 4: Conclusions

In the final week, I consolidated the results for the previous time and increased it to 2 minutes.

To summarize, I can say that the result from the Bracket really is:

The abdominal muscles have strengthened, tensing the stomach, you can feel that it has become harder.
If we talk about the visible result, then there is no obvious relief. I’ll say right away that I didn’t expect this, because initially the abdominal muscles were weak, and in order to see the effect, you need to work hard and hard.
My parameters remained unchanged. For myself, I can note that my stomach has retracted a little, this makes me happy.

I will not abandon the exercise, I will add other elements and continue to work on myself further.

Thus, I can confidently say that the exercise works! I see and feel changes. I also managed to introduce a useful habit - starting my day with exercise.

What mommies dream about: Ekaterina’s opinion

Some mothers sometimes find it very difficult to set aside half an hour for themselves. Especially when there are two little jumpers, runners and jumpers, who don’t even allow you to sit down once and rest. But when it comes to a summer wardrobe or a beautiful curve of the waist, the motivation comes on its own.

I am 32 years old. Weight at first weigh-in: 74.5 kg. Height is 175 cm. Figure parameters at this height, unfortunately, are not model: 93/80/102.

After two births, my stomach looks “not very good.” What can I say, see for yourself. Poor skin turgor also adds an unaesthetic appearance, and stretch marks are a big cherry on top of all this “beauty.” Well, the struggle for a flat tummy will be long!

The first thing I did was find the treasured half hour. Believe me, when the whole day goes according to schedule, this is one of the most important decisions! Half an hour of peace and quiet for new mothers is much more beneficial, especially if you spend it in a good workout. So, the youngest is sleeping, the eldest is at school, and I get down to business!

The month has passed!

For my training, I prepared a small mat and decided which type of exercise would be more suitable at the moment. If you're a beginner like me, choose simple but effective crunches and raises for your torso and legs. My choice fell on the latter. We will work with them for a whole month. There would be a desire, as they say!

Let me clarify right away that comfortable and supportive clothing is the key to an enjoyable workout. Therefore, dress according to the rules and move forward to the ideal figure! And for advanced activities that include planks, push-ups, lunges and jumping, wear shoes such as sneakers. This way you will protect your joints from stress. And it will be easier to do the exercises.

Lifting your legs from a lying position shapes your lower abs. The one that is always difficult to “pump up”. This applies to moms like me who have a little “apron” (stretched skin) after giving birth. Yes, the task is not easy, given the weak tone of this skin and muscles.

The classes were scheduled for six days plus 1 day of rest. So, my month of “training” has begun!

We begin pumping the press 10-20 times:

I lie down comfortably on my mat, fix my arms along my body and raise my legs perpendicular to the floor.
The main thing is to do everything smoothly, you can slightly bend your knees - this will ease the load on the lumbar spine.

I advise beginners to start this way.

The next day I added a set of 10 times. And by the end of the week I tried to do lifts with straight legs.

In fact, everything turned out to be not so difficult, and in some cases even pleasant. For example, you work hard all day or run “half-bent” after the children, and then - once you relax your back, strengthen your tummy! Don't look for excuses if you really want to achieve something. And this fairly simple exercise can give good results.

Something about nutrition

An important part of training (any) is the accompanying conditions for the disappearance of fat, not muscle. No, I don’t go on diets, I just follow some nutritional rules. For beginners, it will be interesting to know that if you limit yourself in food, it is often muscle tissue that loses weight, not fat.

To successfully “reduce” subcutaneous fat, you need to eat protein and fiber, thereby creating a calorie deficiency. BUT! You definitely need to eat! This way we speed up our metabolism, and with physical activity we lose weight better. Therefore, I tried to exclude flour and sweets from my diet. How difficult it is to suppress sugar addiction for those with a sweet tooth!

I ate small portions, but often. In the evening, a light dinner is required (vegetables with chicken), you can also drink kefir. The main thing is three hours before bedtime - no later.

Surprisingly, broccoli came into play. What a delicious product, though! And casseroles with it are simply magical!

And again about water

Don't forget to drink fluids - before and after exercise. Water will help drive away the hated sides and allow the intestines to unload. And the press really needs its good work, since a slagged organ will not allow you to complete the exercise.

It is enough to drink as desired, do not dull your thirst with a cup of coffee or tea. Pure water satiates better than other liquids. In the summer, you can make yourself cocktails with lemon or lime. Just squeeze half a citrus fruit into a liter of water and drink with pleasure. And with good nutrition and drinking regime, some summer yummy, for example, ice cream, will absolutely not harm your figure!

So, I'm waiting for the results

I must say that I didn’t really expect to lose weight and tighten my stomach with one simple exercise. There was no limit to my joy when I compared my before and after pictures - it works!

From the photo you can see how the waist and hated sides have shrunk. Apparently, a top came to me! As a result, minus 1.5 kilograms and 3 centimeters in the waist. A woman's happiness is in such little things!

Never stop there! Love yourself and your body! Take care of him and keep him in good shape. My example showed how easy it is to achieve results, even if not so big and striking at first glance. But sometimes you enjoy the work itself rather than the final goal.

About future

First of all, this is not the end. I'm thinking about diversifying my exercises. Maybe I’ll add some video course on home fitness... And most importantly, I began to enjoy physical activity. Probably everything is based on a multi-level approach to it. I chose a very simple and easy level for beginners.
Secondly, with stretched skin like mine, it’s worth considering certain cosmetic procedures, such as body wraps. Naturally, I don’t have enough time to visit salons, but I can allocate an extra five minutes in the bathroom for a massage. The most important thing is to want to change for the better!

Our authors show by their example that by working on yourself you can achieve what you strive for. To do this, you just need to devote time to yourself and take care of your health.

#2. Raising legs (from a lying position)

You can consider this exercise for the lower abs

as a lighter version of the previous one, nevertheless it works great, causing the lower abdominal muscles to tense up greatly.

Performance:

Lie on the floor with your arms along your body, but under no circumstances put them under you. Raise your straightened legs, bringing them together, and then slowly lower them almost to the floor, but without touching it.

Advice:

To make the exercise easier, alternate between lifting your legs and pulling your bent knees toward your chest.

How to quickly pump up your abs? —Muscleoriginal

Everyone knows: when we eat a lot, the body converts calories into fat. We eat little - it’s no secret that the body thinks that difficult times are coming, and still begins to accumulate fat deposits. Whoever invented our body probably deliberately decided not to leave us a single chance to get beautiful abs on our stomach.

It's sad if that's the case...

But today we will explain how to quickly pump up your abs, using the example of a complex tested through personal experience. Try it and you will see how fun and effective abdominal training can be. So, here are the secrets of the best abdominal exercises, which the muscleoriginal.com team selected for you.

How to quickly pump up your abs?

So, if you decide to become the owner of an ideal belly in the shortest possible time, you need to do a few things:

A clear plan on how to achieve your goal - quickly pump up your abs. Make a calendar and plan your workouts. We advise you to do abdominal exercises in the morning, every day. No more than 15 minutes + 5 minutes for static exercises. The most important thing is regularity!

Nutrition. In fact, we already have abs from birth, but in most people they are either poorly developed or hidden under a layer of fat - these are calories that the body has set aside for “hard times.” In order to pump up your abs as quickly as possible, you definitely need to create the right diet. Your diet should include a maximum of proteins, a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, and a minimum amount of fat.

Abdominal workout and exercises. Don't think that dieting will give you abs quickly. The abs are the same muscle, for example, as the biceps. If it is not developed in you, the maximum you will achieve is a flat stomach. On the other hand, if you have a high percentage of body fat, even if you do 200 repetitions, 30 times a week, you will not achieve a six-pack until you reduce your total body fat percentage to 10-12%. How to determine your body fat percentage?

Ab workout: the best exercises for the abs

We offer you our exercise plan, you need to perform 15-20 repetitions for 3 rounds. No pause between exercises and rounds. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t matter, do fewer repetitions. In our opinion, these are the best exercises for the abs. As we said earlier, the main thing in abdominal training is regularity!

Twisting on the floor. Can you imagine a snail? How does it curl into a house? You need to do the same thing, only from a lying position, legs bent at the knees, hands clasped behind your head. Important! Don't try to help yourself with your hands. This will ruin the entire mechanics of this exercise. Don't forget to breathe.

Twisting legs on the floor. The IP is the same as for a regular twist, only now stretch your arms along the body. Do you remember the “Birch Tree” exercise from school? Here we do the same thing, but we don’t help ourselves with our hands. We raise our legs, try to reach them as high as possible, and then smoothly return to the starting position. Important! Try to work smoothly, using your abs, and not by sharply jerking your legs up.

"Clip". Hard, but the best exercise for the abs if you master it. The IP is the same as in the twisting exercise. We do the same thing, only now we connect the legs. Raise your upper body and legs, which are bent at 45* at the same time, towards each other, while trying to touch your forehead with your knees. Lower your body, but your legs remain bent at the knees at 45*, take them back, do not lower them to the floor, as if you were sitting on a stool.

Raising legs alternately, twisting in 4 stages. Hands along the body. Legs straight. Raise, alternately, without bending your knees, one leg at once, then the other so that they are 90* with your torso. Afterwards, lock in this position for a moment, then lower your legs one by one and smoothly.

"Tweezers". Stretch your arms lengthwise behind your head. Legs straight. Now lift your body and straight legs at the same time, trying to reach your knees with your forehead. Important! Legs should be straight and brought together.

After this ab workout, if you try hard, your abs will simply “glow.” Now let’s immediately move on to the static “Plank” exercise. This exercise is necessary to create toned and elastic abdominal muscles. We take the emphasis while lying down. We bend our elbows and stand on our forearms, not our palms. Forearms are parallel. Elbows are level with shoulders. We keep the pelvis as low to the ground as possible. If you look from the side, your body should present an ideal line, without deflections, from head to toes. Try standing like this for 30 seconds. Then rest for 30 seconds. Your ultimate goal is to stand for 5 minutes without breaks.

A few more tips for fat burning and abdominal training:

Drink plenty of water. Water will help your body get rid of fat deposits and speed up your metabolism. Drink approximately 1 liter for every 25 kg of your weight. Also, water is not a bad way to satisfy hunger, and people often confuse thirst and hunger.
Add grapefruit to your diet! Believe it or not, it is an excellent fat burner. Inositol, which is abundant in grapefruit, is a natural fat burner. Naringin - prevents the absorption of fats, improves the digestion process.
Only squirrels at night! No matter how you want to eat, know that carbohydrates at night are evil. It’s better to eat low-fat cottage cheese, or the same grapefruit. Try to plan your diet so that 60-70% of carbohydrates are consumed in the first half of the day.
Limit yourself to flour and sweets. You can sometimes treat yourself to bread, cookies, chocolate early in the morning, when the whole day is still ahead, or immediately after training, provided that it is not immediately before bed.
Be sure to include running in your training program. At least once a week, 2 km. We also advise you to look towards interval exercises, or those where you need to do the maximum number of repetitions.

Spend 15-20 minutes every day on your abs. Remember! Good abs are not only beauty, but also the health of internal organs.

Transverse abdominis muscle

This muscle forms the third and deepest layer of the abdominal wall muscles. It is important to note that the bundles of the transverse abdominal muscle pass from back to front and are located horizontally, going around the waist. At the moment of contraction, the transverse muscle reduces the size of the abdominal cavity, at the same time tightens the abdomen, and also pulls the ribs towards the midline.

This group of muscles forms the abdominal press. By working together, the abdominal muscles help bend the torso forward and to the sides. In addition, they are responsible for rotating the body to the sides around the longitudinal axis.

Every person should know where certain muscles are located. This is especially true for athletes. If you know the location, types, and functions of muscles, you can achieve more effective results during training. To date, the abdominal muscles, like other muscles of the human body, have been 100% studied and described by specialists. Therefore, each person will be able to find out both the name and location of a certain muscle.

Lower abs: general recommendations for training

On the day you plan to train your lower abs, be sure to start your training with cardio. The exercises themselves are best performed in the final phase of strength training, when the muscles are sufficiently warmed up. There are two options for training the lower abdomen: perform exercises for 3-4 approaches each, or include them in a single superset and work in circles without rest. In any case, training for this part of the abs requires the number of repetitions “to failure” in each of the approaches.

Don't forget: no matter how hard you work to get those perfect abs in the gym, most of the work on yourself still happens in the kitchen. Limit your intake of simple carbohydrates, replacing them with complex ones, include more protein in your diet and drink at least 2 liters of water per day. This approach, combined with a training base, will allow you to see the first results after 3-4 months of regular training.

Don't miss interesting news and events in the telegram channel: https://tlgg.ru/fitbarnews

Side plank

A much more difficult exercise. Suitable for increasing the load on the oblique muscles and making the stomach visually smaller. This is done as follows:

lie on your side, put your hand under your head;
the opposite arm is pressed tightly to the body;
slowly lifting the arm that was under the head until it forms an even angle at the elbow joint;
legs lie one on top.

You need to stand in this position for 20 seconds, then change sides. The most effective set consists of three approaches, but for an unprepared athlete this will be difficult; it is better to do two. Ideal as the most challenging abdominal exercise at home, you can perform this plank anywhere.

Plank

The most common plank is almost always the ideal option for a quick but at the same time intense workout. You need to take a lying position, then bend your arms at the elbows, stretching your clenched wrists forward. You can rest your head on your fists. You need to stand in this position for at least 40 seconds, then take a short break. The best option is a set of 3 times 40 seconds. It should be combined with crunches, Roman chairs, or exercises with dumbbells.

Among the accompanying things, you will need a sports uniform and reliable shoes, if they slip, there is a risk of falling and painfully hitting your head. Among the most difficult abdominal exercises for girls, the regular plank is almost always the best choice.