The "lifebuoy" around the waist is a familiar problem for many women. You too? Then try these proven tummy and flank slimming exercises.
How and why does body fat accumulate?
By understanding the mechanism of this process, it will be easier for you to create a weight loss program and reduce the volume of problem areas. "Fat accumulates due to excess calories in the diet. This is the extra energy that the body reserves, - he explainsVictoria Kasilova,personal trainer and founder of the Personal Fitness Laboratory.You can make the following analogy: imagine that you took money, bought gold bars and put them in a safe, locked them with a key. Now imagine that you have decided to get that money back. You must first find the key to the safe, open it, take out these bars, exchange them for cash. The same happens with lipolysis: to start the fat burning process, it is necessary to activate several factors: a certain hormonal background, a caloric deficit. It is necessary to create such a need for energy that the body itself wants to use up these reserves. "
Remove the sides and belly: where to start?
With the understanding that the human body cannot lose weight locally, that is, only in a specific area. "You gain extra pounds and lose weight according to your constitution and genetics, " he says. Ekaterina Demidova, master trainer in directing group programs.
To get rid of the notorious "sides" and flatter your stomach, you'll have to reduce weight in general - to restructure your diet and exercise.
However, you need to choose them wisely. "There is a myth that where we train a muscle, we burn fat, " says Victoria Kasilova. - This is not true. Because the fat burning process takes place throughout the body, not locally. But we can work on the problem area. In what aspect? Build muscle there, build strength or mobility. Specifically, we cannot burn fat somewhere, as it goes out of shape calculated by your body's characteristics. Someone easily and quickly loses volume in the leg area, someone - in the abdomen, and someone first lowers the chest, upper back and then everything else. The body first of all abandons fat from those places where it considers its storage less priority. And of the most important places for him (in women, most of the time it's just the belly, sides, and hips), he gives much worse "reservations".
Therefore, a balanced weight loss program will include strength exercises, cardiovascular exercises and proper nutrition.
Losing Belly Fat: Serious Mistakes
The most common mistakes coaches consider are the following:
Use of thermal corsets or plastic wrap in training."There is a widespread myth that where we sweat, we lose weight, " says Victoria Kasilova. "But it doesn't. Fat doesn't go away with sweating. If everything were that simple, you could just go slimming down in the sauna. In fact, as a result of that, only liquid leaks out. And sometimes good, necessary. By being carried by "diaphoretic" devices, you dehydrate the body and increase the load on the cardiac system. "
And also - you run the risk of damaging the internal organs. "For example, a corset during training increases the pressure on the internal organs, impairs blood circulation and does not allow the work of the deep muscles", warns Ekaterina Demidova.
Refusal of functional exercise.The idea of losing belly fat quickly is so endearing to some that they skip any exercise, leaving just sit-ups to the press on their exercise schedule. And in vain! "First of all, there are no increased abs in a loose, untrained body, " says Victoria Kasilova. "If a person starts training, they first have noticeable relief in their arms, legs, back and only then - abdominal cubes. "
And all this can only be achieved if you have functional and strength training on your "sports menu", meaning, again, you will have to work with every muscle in your body.
Second, the abdominal exercises themselves aren't as energy intensive as many basic moves like squats, deadlifts, and push-ups. "To generate a higher caloric expenditure (a fundamental condition for losing weight in the abdomen, sides and entire body), you need to work with large muscles. It's similar to how a car engine works: a "small car" consumes a little of gas, an SUV - several times more. So the SUV is the leg muscles, and the runabout is the press muscles. "
Also, overworking just the abdomen area runs the risk of injuring your back. "Not knowing how to work with your body and overloading your abdomen fanatically, you are more likely to have a lower back injury, hernia or protrusion than a pretty belly. Because these movements have a compressive effect on the spine, " adds Victoria .
Execution of useless or inappropriate exercises.The former include side bends with weights. "It's not effective fighting the sides this way. That way you won't thin your waist either. Strengthen some muscle groups, but you won't achieve the expected effect. Bend with dumbbells if it doesn't hurt, if there's no discomfort in the area. lumbar, if it helps like a placebo. But there won't be much benefit from this exercise. Instead, it's better to do a diagonal twist lying down, it's safer for the lower back, " recalls Victoria Kasilova.
Experts also do not recommend performing very complex exercises, available only to highly trained people: performing athletes, fitness models. "Take, for example, dangling legs. It is believed that this is an exercise for the press, - says Victoria Kasilova. - But actually, if you start taking it apart from a biomechanical point of view, the fundamental action in it is the hip flexion. The main muscle that flexes the joint is the rectus femoris, quadriceps. So if your leg muscles are underdeveloped, they'll be the first to tire, the press just won't work. If this happens in a hangar real and not supportive, you need to have strong arms and back muscles to support your body. Also, your body should be thin enough for your arms to support your weight. "
Who Should Do Abdominal and Side Exercises
Experts advise focusing on working the press muscles only in a few cases. "It's necessary to pump this area separately for beginners, for those who are unprepared - after rehabilitation, after childbirth. Here, an easy type of twist lying on the floor, a board and similar exercises on stable supports will be useful, - says Victoria Kasilova: - This is necessary to combine the sternum and pelvis in a single unit. The coupling between these zones is smooth. To make it difficult and to be able to do the usual exercises, to handle household chores without back injuries and you need simple exercises for your abdominal muscles. "
The same goes for high performance athletes. "It's also worth including in press training for those preparing for competitions - fitness bikinisers for example, " adds Victoria Kasilova.
If you've been training for a long time and aren't going to participate in bikini fitness competitions, it doesn't make sense to increase the pressure even further. "When the person has been practicing for some time, develops motor coordination, abdominal exercises are excluded from the program as a lower priority. As the abdomen in large exercises works as a stabilizer, it supports your body when you do weight squats, pull-ups , bench presses, deadlifts, push-ups. "
The most effective exercises to slim the abdomen and sides
There are many types of exercises for this area, but not all of them are able to give you the desired effect. Also, not all moves are available for home training. "I would recommend doing simple exercises at home in terms of technique. It is advisable to do a program of several movements: the press consists of many small fibers located at different angles. By combining different exercises, you can use them all, " adds Victoria Kasilova.
We asked the experts to compile a list of the most effective, easy, and simple ab exercises. Here they are:
- Board."It's a versatile exercise in which the deep muscles, including the transverse abdominis and obliques, are actively engaged. You can perform many types of boards - classic, lateral or dynamic, the most important thing is to execute them skillfully and correctly. Instead of short boards, it will be more effective to run several short boards with a break of a few seconds, the so-called "fractional" board", says Ekaterina Demidova.
- Incomplete push-ups."When twisting, only go up to the lower edge of the shoulder blades, so you activate the rectus abdominis and obliques, " comments Ekaterina.
- "Square"."In this position, if done correctly, you can work the central muscles in isolation, " recalls Ekaterina Demidova.
Directly "unplanned" exercises for this zone will also help to work the abdomen and sides effectively. This is almost the entire base of strength - squats, deadlifts, etc. "It must be understood that abdominal exercises do not always work not only the abdominal muscles, we have the entire core involved in them - the muscles that are in the middle of the body, connect the sternum and pelvis. ", - concludes Victoria Kasilova.
We asked Victoria to show us a set of exercises that took all of these factors into account.
How to build a lesson
- Start your workout with some simple joint exercises or a 10-minute cardiovascular workout. This will help prepare your muscles and joints for stress.
- Perform all exercises in sequence.
- Watch your breathing: the main effort should be on exhaling.
- Participate in this program 4-6 times a week.
- Increase load gradually. "The body's adaptation (and consequently the change in appearance) only occurs when we create stress, overload, " says Victoria Kasilova. "That's why it's advisable to gradually complicate classes every week: use weights, increase the number of repetitions".
- Complement your workout with cardiovascular exercises. If your schedule doesn't include regular strength training, be sure to add cardio to the main complex - 40-50 minutes of swimming, cycling and jogging two or three times a week will do. "The cardio will generate the expenditure of those same calories, with its help we can get rid of some of the fat, but the exercises for the press will help to strengthen the muscles", summarizes Victoria Kasilova.
To complete the complex you will need a mat and fitball.
straight twists
Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Press your lower back into the floor. Working with your abdominal muscles, as you exhale, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, stretch your arms forward, and touch your knees with the palms of your hands. Don't strain your neck and shoulders. Gently lower your back onto the mat. This will be a repeat. Run15-20 of them.
oblique twists
Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Press your lower back into the floor. Working with your abdominal muscles, as you exhale, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and rotate your body to the right. Extend your arms in front of you. Don't strain your neck and shoulders. Gently return to starting position. Run15-20 repsin every direction.
reverse crunches
Lie on your back with your arms extended at your sides. Bend your knees slightly and lift your legs. Press your lower back into the floor. Using your abdominal muscles, as you exhale, lift your pelvis off the floor and place your legs behind your head. The belly should touch the thighs. Gently lower yourself to the starting position. Run15-20 repsExercises.
Cheering with a Pelvic Lift
Lie on your back, place your hands in a lock at the back of your head. Relax your neck and shoulders. Press your lower back into the floor. Pull your legs up, crossing your ankles. As you exhale, working your abdominal muscles, simultaneously lift your shoulder blades and pelvis onto the mat. Gently return to starting position. Run15-20 repsExercises.
Dynamic sidebar
Lie on your right side, bend your right arm at the elbow and rest on your forearm. Stretch your legs and rest on the floor with the sides of your feet, place your left hand on your thigh. Do not bend your lower back. With an exhalation, lift your pelvis off the floor, work your abdominal and back muscles. Fix at the top point for 3-4 seconds and return to starting position. Run20 repsin every direction.
Rotating the legs from a lying position
Sit on a mat with your legs straight. Lean back slightly. Bend your elbows, bring them back a little, and lean on your forearms. Bend your legs at the hip joint and straighten them. Press the sacrum into the ground. Working with the pressure muscles, center and thighs, gently move your toes and straight legs to the left, return to the center and lower them to the right. This will be a repeat. Run10-20such.
Fitball body lifts
Lie on the fitball with your left side, positioning your body and pelvis on the ball. Stretch your legs and rest on the floor with the side surfaces of your feet. Bend your left hand and place your palm on the back of your head. With your right hand, lean lightly on the ball in front of you. Working with the pressure and core muscles, as you exhale, gently withdraw your upper body from the fitball. Do not bend or bend your lower back. With an inhale, return to the starting position. This will be a repeat. Run by20-30 of these in each direction. . .
Lifting the Pelvis on a Fitball
Stand up straight on a plank with outstretched arms, placing your feet on the fitball. Don't add bow to the back or sloppiness. Bending your knees and working your abdominal muscles, push your pelvis up. Pull your hips toward your stomach, rolling the fitball closer to your arms. Gently return to starting position. This will be a repeat. Run20-30 of these.
Lowering legs with fitball
Lie on your back, stretch your legs forward and squeeze the fitball between your shins. Stretch your arms at your sides. Raise your legs with a fitball perpendicular to the floor and, working your abdominal and core muscles as you exhale, lower them to a 30-40 degree angle. This will be a repeat. Run20-30 such. . .
dynamic board
Emphasize the straight-arm posture. Do not increase the arch in the lower back, relax the neck and shoulders. Activate the muscles on the front surface of the body - the muscles of the body, thighs, arms. Then alternately bend your elbows and lower yourself onto the forearm plank. Return to starting position. Do as many repetitions of the exercise as possible inOne minute. . .
When to expect results?
Many experts agree: losing weight quickly (in 10 days, for example) will harm your health and lead to the same rapid weight gain. Furthermore, there is a great risk that the returned pounds will "bring friends" - the body will store fat in the event of another hunger strike or a period of exhausting training.
It makes more sense to lose weight gradually. "Our efforts are always directly proportional to our results. By following a proper diet and exercising 4-5 times a week, after a month you will certainly see the first results. But don't forget that the weight loss process is very individual, it is always necessary to take into account the characteristics of each one and, say, "initial data". The most important thing is to focus on what you want to achieve and not on the difficulties, and you will certainly reach any objective", comments Ekaterina Demidova.
So, make a note of our exercise regimen, do it regularly and you can see the first weight loss results in a month.