How to Do Ab Workouts at Home
When you do ab workouts at home there's a tendency to not do them as often as they should be. Ab muscles respond and do better if we work them more often. This doesn't mean you have to do a killer ab routine every time, but to be consistent. Schedule it and do it is the best plan.
Instructions
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Scheduling ab workouts at home simply means to have a set time and place to do your ab routine. If you have ab equipment store it in the same place along with an exercise mat for convenience. It's hard enough to have discipline to do it let alone have to look for what you need to do it. Half way through looking for ab equipment you may give up and blow it off.
Let everyone in the household know this is your time and you need it to exercise with no interruptions. Scheduling it when no one is at home is even better. The bottom line is be ready to go no excuses.
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Good choices for ab equipment are exercise ball, bands, dumbbells, ab wheel, ab bench, kettle ball or medicine ball. A good variety is best to target muscles at different angles and to avoid boredom. Follow instructions for the equipment, so that you use it properly and avoid injury.
If possible schedule ab workouts at home in the morning, so as to get it done. Later in the day people get tired and don't follow through. You can also break up the routine; 10 minutes in the morning, 10 in the evening.
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If you do not have ab equipment the single best thing you can invest in is an exercise ball. Until then use a bed, chair, couch or whatever is available to elevate legs and feet to do stomach crunches. Modified leg raises can be done from the side of a bed, couch or chair as well. To do this simply bring knees to chest in sitting position.
It's okay to watch TV or listen to music ab exercises don't need to be boring. Just keep track of reps and sets and chart progress by writing them down. In addition, for optimal results in your ab workouts at home alternate ab routines and change it up to maintain a challenge. Youtube is a great place to get ideas.
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Eat at least 2 hours before you work abs or you may get cramps/pain. If you do feel pain lie flat and stretch arms above the head for a nice slow stretch. Then massage the area gently that hurts while taking deep breaths to relax. If pain does not go away STOP and workout another time do not push past the pain and do the no pain, no gain thing.
Lastly, do ab workouts at home a minimum of four days a week for 10-20 minutes. If you need to lose weight, reduce calories to 1500 no less than 1200 this should safely take off two pounds a week.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Flickr.com
