3 Effective Ab Workouts You Should Try

There are many opinions about ab workouts -which ones are best, how often to do them, whether it's better to use a machine or old fashioned exercises, etc. Whatever approach you take, it's important to take a holistic view of fitness and exercise your entire body. This will actually help your abdominal area as well, because you'll be burning calories and toning all your muscle groups. The following are some ab workouts that many fitness experts recommend.

One of the best ab workouts you can do, especially for the lower abdominal area, are reverse crunches. Many people do regular crunches, and these can be good, but by themselves they won't necessarily get you the kind of toned look you want. Reverse crunches can be a helpful addition to any routine you're already doing. Whereas with a normal crunch, your knees are on the floor, with the reverse crunch you keep them off the ground, in a bent position, while holding your hands behind your head. The idea is to bring your head and knees as close together as you can without straining with each crunch. You should feel the pressure in the abdominal region.

Dancing is one of the best ab workouts you can do, and different types of dance will work different muscle groups. Many gyms now offer dance classes, and these can be fun, as they're done to lively music in a group setting. However, you can also dance at home, perhaps with the help of an exercise video. You can even find some on YouTube. Another option is to take dance classes such as Latin dance, belly dance or ballroom dance and practice as often as you can. The advantage to this form of exercise is that it can be fun, so you'll be motivated to do it often and it won't feel like a chore. This will give your abs and whole body a great workout.

Pilates exercises are very good for the core, including your abdominal muscles, making this a good option for ab workouts. Pilates has become quite popular in recent years, and you may be able to find classes in your area. Yet you can also do these exercises at home on a mat, with the help of an instructional video. While some Pilates exercises require special machines, many can be done with no equipment at all. Many of the exercises are similar to yoga, and involve stretching and strengthening the middle part of your body, or core. Many people who do Pilates find that, in addition to giving them toned abdominal muscles, it's also relaxing and makes them more flexible and fit in general. The ab workouts discussed above are only a few of the many choices you have. It can be good to change your workout routine every so often, both to work different muscle groups and to keep your workouts interesting. Anyone can get bored doing the exact same exercises day after day, week after week. The important principle is to consistently do some kind of effective exercise at least a few times per week. This information was brought to you by http://www.eoptics.com/rec-specs.html, your source for all things related on rec specs.