"Today's Motivational quote for Womens Workouts"
I am often asked “What are the best ab workouts for women?”
My answer is always the same.
It really depends on the type of workout you are doing. By that I mean are you doing a traditional weight training workout? Are you using the TRX Suspension trainer? Do you use kettlebells?
Once they tell me what kind of workout routine they are using I try to guide them along using the same type of routine.
Regardless of the workout that you are using we first need to know how to work actually get our abs to work!
So before we jump into specific ab exercises let’s start with the basics.
Here is the problem…
Most people simply do not know the correct way to do any type of ab exercise. They are mostly going through the motions without fully engaging their ab muscles. Doing a crunch or any other ab exercise will not be effective if you do the exercise incorrectly.
That being said we first need to understand how to do a basic ab movement before we get into all kind of fancy pants ab exercises.
Rule #1- Use your abs to do the movement! This sounds simple enough but after years of training people I can tell you that most people still use everything but their abs when they are doing an ab exercise.
In order to use your abs you need to focus on your ab muscles and let them pull your head and shoulders through the movement.
Try this: The next time you do a basic crunch try to exhale all the air from your lungs just prior to doing the crunch. As you go to lift your head and neck to do the crunch try to contract your abs as you are doing it. Try to feel the ab muscles engaging a pulling your body through the movement.
Rule #2- Avoid momentum! Faster is not better so slow down and do the exercise correctly! Doing 1000 crunches as fast as you can is not only ineffective is probably means you are doing them wrong!
Squeeze and contract on every single rep that you do! Focus on quality not quantity!
Rule #3– Don’t use your arms to pull! If you place your heads on or behind your head when you do ab exercises make sure that you aren’t pulling you neck and shoulders through the movement.
You can rest your head in or on your hands but do this only for support. If your abs are doing the work then you should feel them working and you can’t do that if your arms are pulling you up on every rep!
Learning HOW to use your abs in extremely important if you want to get the most out of your ab workout.
This will not come easy for some of you but with a little practice you will get it!
-Amber
Coming next in the Ab workouts for Women series we will get into some specific ab movements that you can do to help you get that nice tight stomach you are striving for!
If your New Years resolution is to get into great shape then I have some great news for you.
I am here to HELP YOU!
I have decided that in 2012 I will HELP as many women as I can get into better shape!
I have several big things planned but for now just know that you can follow along (here on my blog or Youtube) and I guarantee that the information you get here will help you.
I will be posting great diet tips and workout advice.
I will show you what to do and more importantly what you can avoid so you don’t spin your wheels.
And don’t forget that if you need help all you have to is ask me…I will be glad to answer any questions you have.
Until tomorrow…
– Amber
Even though I am in the midst of redesigning my blog I still need to get out some helpful tips to you today.
The holiday madness is in full swing and if you aren’t careful you could really slip up this time of year.
I thought I would share with you the strategies I use with my clients for the holidays.
Workout Tips
- Stay dedicated to your workout routine! – With the hustle and bustle, last minute shopping, and other obligations it is very easy to skip the gym this week. DON’T DO IT! Get in there and get it done. Make it a priority and set aside time to workout. We all need to burn a few extra calories this week so don’t make it worse by skipping the gym.
- Use Full Body Workouts – Get more bang for your buck and use Full Body workouts this week. Train the big muscles first and work your way down to the smaller ones.
- Use circuit training to maximize your effort – I train my clients using “circuits” of exercise. This keeps the heart rate up and keeps you burning far more calories than a traditional slow pace workout.
Eating Tips
- Stay on your nutrition plan – stick as closely as possible to the nutrition plan that you follow everyday. Eat frequently and keep your protein/carb/fat ratios in check. DON’T SKIP MEALS!
- Eat just before attending your holiday events – Just before you attend any holiday event where there will be tempting foods make sure you eat (or drink a protein shake) just before the event. This will keep you full and reduce your hunger level. DON”T GO TO A HOLIDAY PARTY HUNGRY!
- Reduce your carb intake for a few days prior to the holidays – We use this strategy to reduce to damage from the extra calories that WE ALL tend to consume during this week. I tell my clients to reduce CARB calories for a few days prior to the holidays. This way any CARBS (usually cookies, cakes, etc. this week :0) will in essence just replace the calories we have taken out. I understand the calories are not the same quality (simple vs. complex) but it does help!DON’T OVERDUE YOUR CARBS ALL WEEK LONG!
- Reduce your carb intake AFTER your events as well – directly after the holidays I also recommend that my clients keep their CARB calories low for a few days. This helps level them back out and gives them some sort of structure to follow.
- Don’t keep leftovers around the house – Get rid of the leftovers! Don’t keep the leftover cookies, cakes, and holiday treats in the house once you are done. It is way too tempting!
- Get back on your eating plan after the holidays – Once your holiday events are over get right back on your plan. Most people turn the holidays into an all out over eating fest! Make it a point to get right back on your diet after the holiday madness is done!
Enjoy your holidays but don’t let it turn into something you regret next week. The New Year is right around the corner so start off with a good plan and hit the ground running!
Amber
Do you any holiday eating tips that have helped you out in the past?