6 Easy Lower Abdominal Exercises

6 Easy Lower Abdominal Exercises

By Sharon Liao

Tone your lower abs with a 15-minute workout, three times a week.

The Routine

Sure, a more toned midsection can ease your bathing-suit anxiety. But it can also protect you from injury:
Research shows that a strong transversus abdominis—the muscle that wraps around the torso—stabilizes your back, which makes it easier to lift anything, whether it’s kids or grocery bags. To work this tricky-to-target area, try these moves created by Melissa Miller, the owner of M2 Personal Training, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Do the series two times through, three times a week.

Next: Move 1: Warm-Up: Ab Prep

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Inhale and tuck your chin to your chest. Exhale and slowly curl just your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor as you lift your arms and reach toward your feet. Pause and breathe in. Slowly return to the starting position, breathing out as you go. Repeat eight times.

 
 Next: Move 2: Roll Up

(A) Lying on your back, stretch your arms and extend your legs so you form a straight line. Inhale, bring your arms overhead, and begin to curl your upper body off the floor. (B) Exhale when halfway up and continue rolling forward to reach your toes. Inhale and reverse the move, exhaling halfway down, to return to start. Repeat 10 times.
 

Next: Move 3: Leg Drop

 (A) Raise both legs toward the ceiling. Breathe in and tighten your abs. (B) Exhale and slowly lower your legs until they’re about four inches above the floor (or as low as you can go without lifting the small of your back). Pause and breathe in. Breathe out as you raise your legs to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
 

Next: Move 4: Scissors

 Raise both legs toward the ceiling. Keeping them straight, lower your left leg until it’s about six inches off thefloor. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor and grasp the back of your right leg, gently pulling it toward you. Switch legs and repeat on other side. Quickly complete 10 reps (no pausing!).
 

Next: Move 5: Hip Lift

 Raise both legs toward the ceiling and extend your arms on the floor at your sides, palms down. Inhale and tighten your core muscles. Curl your hips toward your ribs as you exhale, lifting your hips off the floor and reaching your feet straight up. Breathe in as you slowly lower. Repeat 10 times.

 

Next: Move 6: Torso Twist

 A) Sit cross-legged and stretch your arms out in front of you, with your fingertips touching. Breathe in. (B) With your hips square and abs tight, breathe out as you slowly rotate your upper body about 45 degrees to the right. Return to the center and repeat on your left side. Complete 10 reps. 

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15 Minutes And You're Done

6 Easy Resistance Band Exercises

By Rachel Shelasky

Take a break from your dumbbells and try this resistance-band workout three times a week.

The Routine

Think you need a pile of weights to get in shape? Snap out of it and grab an exercise band instead. This portable piece of equipment may be even more effective than a set of dumbbells, because it improves strength and balance. Plus, “you work in a full range of motion, so it targets muscles that you can miss with weights,” says Lawson Harris, creator of this routine and owner of the Lab, a fitness studio in Brooklyn. Try these moves three times a week.




 Next: Move 1: Lunge With Biceps Curl
behind you. (B) With an underhand grip on the band’s handles, perform a biceps curl while bending your knees to lower into a lunge position. Complete 20 repetitions. Switch legs and repeat.(A) Place the center of the band under the instep of your left foot and position your right foot about two feet

 

Next: Move 2: Hug-the-World Plié(A) Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes out. Wrap the band around your back at bra level. Extend arms to sides, slightly curved, while holding the band just shy of the handles. (B) Bring fingertips together and bend knees until thighs are parallel to the floor. Open arms while returning to start. Repeat 20 times.
 

Next: Move 3: Squat With Overhead Press

 (A) Stand in the middle of the band with feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. Hold handles at shoulder height, with palms facing away from you and elbows bent. (B) Squat deeply while pressing your arms directly over your head. Keep your weight on your heels and resist the band as you return to standing position. Repeat 20 times.
 

Next: Move 4: Crunch With Lat Pull-Down

 oop the band around a stable object, like a doorknob. (A) Lie on your back, gripping the band’s handles with arms extended. Raise your legs and bend your knees so your shins are parallel to the floor. (B) Crunch your upper body forward while drawing your arms toward your knees. Roll back to starting position. Repeat 20 times.  

Next: Move 5: Side Lunge With Side Raise

 Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, one end of the band under left foot. Grip other handle with left hand. (A) Step into a lunge with right foot; sweep left hand down toward right foot. (B) Push off with right foot to return to standing; raise right leg as you perform a lateral raise with left arm. Repeat 20 times; switch sides.
 

Next: Move 6: Monkey

(A) Stand on the center of the band with your feet parallel and wider than shoulder-width apart, knees soft, and handles in hands. (B) Bend your torso to the right while drawing your left elbow upward. Alternate sides briskly. Repeat 20 times. (And no cheating: Two sides equal one repetition!) 

 

Resistance Bands Exercises - 3 Amazing Exercises For Quick Muscle Growth

Are you looking for the best 3 resistance bands exercises? The ones that will give you the fastest results?
If the answer is yes... then listen up cause I'm going to reveal to you the best resistance bands exercises that almost any one can do. These 3 resistance exercises are designed to build the muscles of your upper body.
I do recommend that before you begin to exercise that you do a quick 5 minutes of cardio to get your muscles warmed up properly.
Resistance bands exercises will give you all the benefits of working out with free weights.. How? The weak point of weights is that the bulk of the work is performed when you first move the weight.
When the motion is complete the momentum of the weight has taken over for the most part. In exercising with resistance bands this is not true. The resistance of the bands increases with it's length.
What that means is that as you push through the motion the exercises becomes more difficult. Pushing your muscles to work even harder.
These are the best resistance bands exercises -
# 1 - Resistance Biceps Curl
The biceps curl is a great arm builder exercise. You perform it the same way as you would do a biceps curl with dumbbells, but instead you will be using resistance bands. Perform this exercise as follows:
Position your feet on top of the bands with the handles in your hands palm up buy your side. Create a slight bend in your knees and curl the handles upwards towards your shoulders-- of course only allowing your elbow to bend up. Perform this exercise slowly for 8 to 12 repetitions and perform 3 to 4 sets.
#2 Bent Over Row
Place the bands under your feet and lean forward at the waist. Pull the bands until your elbows bend and repeat. Perform 8 to 12 reps in 3 to 4 sets.
#3 Triceps Extension with Resistance Band
Start by holding the bands in one hand and place that hand behind your back. Grab the other end of the band with the arm that is over your head. Then extend the top elbow until your arm is fully extended.out your back as well as your abs. Perform 8 to 12 reps for 3 to 4 sets.
There you have the best 3 resistance bands exercises for your arms and back. Perform these exercises slowly and strive to use more resistance with every workout. When purchasing resistance bands make sure you use a good quality band. Don't try to save a few dollars here. A good set of resistance bands will last longer and provide you with a safe workout.

Resistance Band Exercise For Beginners

Many people are choosing resistance band exercise as an
easy way to tone up the muscles and to exercise without
putting any undue stress on the body. This is because by
using a resistance band, there is little or no impact
on the joints of the body. That's why it also makes a perfect
way to exercise for people who have disabilities and
have problems with their mobility.

It also makes a great exercise for people who are overweight
or even obese. Sadly, the number of people who are medically
obese rises each and every year and is even the second biggest
killer in the USA behind smoking. The problems associated
with being obese are obviously many health wise but not being
very mobile restricts an obese person from exercising
easily. By using a resistance band exercise program, this
problem can be removed.

This is the same for older people also, who may have problems
with their movement. Using a resistance band exercise regime
regularly can really help them to tone their muscles and
to keep agile. Due to it's low impact, it is a very safe
way to remain as fit and active as you can in the later
stages of your life.

The use of a resistance band exercise is also commonly used
for helping people recover from accidents or major surgery.
It helps to strengthen the muscles and to return any
movement back to certain joints if surgery has had to be
carried out.

Using resistance band exercises is just one way to help you
stay fit and healthy. You should always have a healthy diet
as much as you can and stay away from fatty or fried foods.
Fast food restaurants should also be avoided too unless
you stick to the healthy menu and salad options. Having
at least 30 minutes of exercise each day is also vital to
ensure you are using the muscles in your body effectively.