10 most effective abdominal and side weight loss exercises

The "life buoy" around the waist is a problem that many women are familiar with. You too? Then try these proven abdominal and flanks weight loss exercises.

Lift up a thin belly

How and why does body fat accumulate?

Understanding the mechanism of this process will make it easier for you to establish a weight loss plan and reduce the number of problem areas. "Due to too many calories in the diet, fat will accumulate. This is the extra energy the body reserves, -explainedVictoria KasilovaPersonal trainer and founder of personal fitness laboratory.You can make an analogy: Imagine you took money, bought gold bars, put them in a safe, and locked them with a key. Now imagine that you have decided to get the money back. You need to find the key to the safe first, open it, take out these gold bars, and exchange money. The same is true for lipolysis: in order to start the process of burning fat, you need to activate many factors: a specific hormonal background, a lack of calories. It is necessary to create such a demand for energy that the body itself wants to consume these reserves. "

Removal of the sides and abdomen: where to start?

Understand that the human body cannot lose weight locally, that is, it can only lose weight in a specific area. "According to your physique and genes, you will gain extra weight and lose weight, " saidEkaterina Demidova, head coach of group courses.

In order to get rid of the notorious "side" and make your stomach flatter, you must lose weight overall-readjust your diet and exercise.

However, you need to choose them wisely. "There is a saying that when we train muscles, we burn fat, " said Victoria Kasilova. -This is not true. Because the process of fat burning occurs throughout the body, not locally. But we can work in problem areas. In what way? Exercise muscles there to develop strength or mobility. Specifically, we cannot burn fat in certain places because it will leave in a way calculated by your physical characteristics. Some people lose volume in the leg area easily and quickly, some people-the abdomen, some people first reduce the chest, upper back, and then everything else. The body first discards fat in areas where it considers its storage less important. And from what is most important to him (in women, it is usually just the abdomen, sides and buttocks), he gave up the worse "reserve". "

Therefore, a balanced weight loss plan will include strength exercises, aerobic exercise, and proper nutrition.

Lose belly fat: the main mistake

The most common mistakes the coach thinks are as follows:

Use hot corsets or plastic wrap during training.Victoria Kasilova said: "It is generally believed that where you sweat, you will lose weight. " "But this is not the case. Fat does not disappear with sweat. If everything is that simple, you can go to the sauna to lose weight. In fact, as a result, only the fluid escapes. Sometimes it is good and necessary. Being taken away by the "sweating" device, "dehydrates the body and increases the load on the heart system. ""

And-you are at risk of harming internal organs. Ekaterina Demidova warned: "For example, a corset during training can increase internal organ pressure, impair blood circulation, and does not allow deep muscles to function. "

Reject functional exercise.The idea of losing belly fat quickly is so fascinating for some people that they ignore any exercise and leave only sit-ups for the media in their fitness program. And in vain! "First of all, an untrained, loose body will not have obvious abdominal muscles, " said Victoria Kasilova. "If a person starts training, first his arms, legs, and back will relax significantly, and then-abdominal muscle mass. "

And all this can only be achieved with strength and functional training in your "exercise menu", that is, you must exercise all the muscles of your body again.

Secondly, abdominal exercise itself does not consume energy like many basic exercises such as squats, deadlifts and push-ups. "To produce higher calorie consumption (a key condition for weight loss on the abdomen, side, and whole body), you need to exercise large muscles. This is similar to how a car engine works: a "small car" consumes a little gasoline, and an SUV——Several times more. So SUV is the leg muscles, and "Parkour" is to press the muscles. "

In addition, overworked only in the abdomen area has the risk of injuring the back. "I don't know how to exercise your body and load up your abdominal muscles feverishly. Compared to a beautiful abdomen, you are more likely to get injured, hernia or protrude. Because these exercises have a compressive effect on the spine, " Victoria added.

Perform useless or inappropriate exercise.The former includes side bends with heavy objects. "There is no effect against both sides in this way. So your waist will not become thinner. Strengthen some muscle groups, but you will not achieve the desired effect. If it does not hurt you, if there is no discomfort in the lower back, ifIt’s helpful to you like a placebo, just use dumbbells to bend. But this exercise won’t have much benefit. On the contrary, it’s better to twist diagonally while lying down, which is safer for your lower back. "Victoria KaSilova recalled.

Experts also do not recommend overly complex exercises, only well-trained people can do it: performing athletes, fitness models. "Let's take the hanging leg as an example. It is believed that this is an exercise for the press, -Victoria Kasilova said. -But in reality, if you start dismantling from a biomechanical point of view, The key action inside is hip flexion. The main muscles that flex the joints are the rectus femoris and quadriceps. Therefore, if your leg muscles do not develop well, they will feel tired first, and the press will notStart. If this happens in real drape instead of support, you need to have strong arms and back muscles to support your body. In addition, the body must be slim enough for the arms to support its weight. "

Who should do abdominal and side lying exercises

Experts recommend that only in certain situations focus on exercising the recommended muscles. "For beginners, for those who are completely unprepared-after recovery, after childbirth, it is necessary to pump the area separately. Here, a simple twisting, plank and similar stabilization exercises of lying on the floor will beVery useful, -Victoria Kasilova said. -In order to merge the sternum and pelvis into one unit, it is necessary. The coupling between these areas is soft. In order to make it tough and able to do normal exercisesTo deal with housework without hurting the back, the abdominal muscles need simple exercise. "

The same is true for performing athletes. "For those preparing for competitions, such as fitness bikini athletes, it is also worth including them in the training exercises of the media, " added Victoria Kasilova.

If you have been training for a long time and do not plan to participate in fitness bikini competitions, then the extra pressure is meaningless. "When a person has been practicing for a period of time and has developed coordination, abdominal exercises are excluded from the plan. Because in large exercises, the abdominal muscles are like a stabilizer. When you do weight-bearing squats, pull-ups, It can support your body when doing bench presses, deadlifts, and push-ups. "

The most effective abdominal and side weight-loss exercise

There are many kinds of exercises in this area, but not all exercises can achieve the results you want. In addition, not all movements can be trained at home. "I suggest doing some simple exercises at home. It is recommended to develop various exercise programs: the press is made up of many small fibers located at different angles. By combining different exercises, you can use them, " Victoria KasilovaAdded.

We asked the experts to compile a list of the most effective, easiest and simplest ab exercises. Here they are:

  • plate."This is a multifunctional exercise in which deep muscles including the transversus abdominis and obliques are actively involved. You can perform various types of planks-classic, lateral or dynamic, and most importantlyPerform them skillfully and correctly. Ekaterina Demidova said that a short plank break of a few seconds is more effective than a small plank, the so-called "segmented" plank.
  • Incomplete sit-ups."When performing the torsion, only ascend to the lower edge of the scapula, so you can activate the rectus abdominis and oblique muscles, " commented Ekaterina.
  • "square"."In this position, if you do it right, you can exercise your core muscles alone, " Ekaterina Demidova recalled.

Directly "not suitable" for exercises in this area will also help to effectively exercise the abdomen and sides. This is almost the entire strength basis-squats, deadlifts, etc. "It should be understood that abdominal exercises do not always exercise not only the abdominal muscles, but also the entire core-the muscles located in the middle of the abdomen. The body connects the sternum and pelvis. "-Victoria Kasilova concluded.

We asked Victoria to show us a set of exercises that took all these factors into consideration.

How to build a class

  • Start your workout with some simple joint exercises or 10 minutes of aerobic exercise. This will help your muscles and joints prepare for stress.
  • Perform all exercises in order.
  • Pay attention to your breathing: the main effort should be on exhalation.
  • Participate in the program 4-6 times a week.
  • Gradually increase the load. "Bodily adaptation (and changes in appearance) only happen when we are stressed or overloaded, " says Victoria Kasilova. "Therefore, it is recommended to gradually complicate the course every week: use weight and increase the number of repetitions. "
  • Use aerobic exercise to supplement your exercise. If your schedule does not include regular strength training, be sure to include aerobic exercise in the main complex-40-50 minutes of swimming, cycling and running two to three times a week is sufficient. "Aerobic exercise consumes those very calories, and with its help we can remove some fat, but referral exercise will help make muscles stronger, " Victoria Kasilova concluded.

To complete this complex, you need a carpet and a fitness ball.

Straight tortuous

Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Press your lower back on the floor. Exercise your abdominal muscles. When you exhale, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, extend your arms forward, and touch your knees with your palms. Don't strain your neck and shoulders. Place your back steadily on the mat. This will be a repetition. implement15-20 of them.

Oblique twists and turns

Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Press your lower back on the floor. When exhaling, exercise your abdominal muscles, lift your shoulder blades off the ground, and twist your body to the right. Stretch your arms in front of you. Don't strain your neck and shoulders. Return to the starting position steadily. implement15-20 repetitionsIn every direction.

Reverse crunches

Lie on your back with your arms stretched along your body. Bend your knees slightly and raise your legs. Press your lower back on the floor. Use your abdominal muscles to exhale, lift your pelvis off the ground, and place your legs behind your head. The abdomen should touch the thighs. Lower yourself to the starting position steadily. implement15-20 repetitionsExercise.

Use the pelvis to lift and twist

Lie on your back with your hands locked behind your head. Relax your neck and shoulders. Press your lower back on the floor. Lift your legs and cross your ankles. As you exhale, exercise your abdominal muscles while lifting your shoulder blades and pelvis above the carpet. Return to the starting position steadily. implement15-20 repetitionsExercise.

Dynamic sidebar

Lie on your right side, bend your right arm at the elbow and lean on your forearm. Stretch your legs, place the sides of your feet on the floor, and place your left hand on your thigh. Don't bend your lower back. Exhale, lift the pelvis off the ground, exercise the abdominal and back muscles. Fix at the highest point for 3-4 seconds and return to the starting position. implement20 repetitionsIn every direction.

Rotate the legs from the prone position

Sit on the carpet with your legs straight. Lean back slightly. Bend your elbows, retract them a little bit back, and lean against your forearms. Bend your legs at the hip joints and stretch them upward. Press the sacrum on the floor. Using the press, core and thigh muscles, smoothly move the toes and straight leg to the left, return to the center and lower to the right. This will be a repetition. implement10-20Such.

Lift the body on the exercise ball

Lie on the exercise ball on your left side, and place your body and pelvis on the ball. Stretch your legs and place the sides of your feet on the floor. Bend your left hand and place your palm behind your head. Lean gently on the ball in front of you with your right hand. When exhaling, use the press and core muscles to gently tear the upper part of the body off the exercise ball. Don't be listless or bend your lower back. Inhale and return to the starting position. This will be a repetition. Operated by20-30 in each direction. . .

Raise the pelvis on the exercise ball

Stand on the plank, support with straight arms, and place your feet on the exercise ball. Don't increase back arching or lethargy. Bend your knees and exercise your abdominal muscles, pushing your pelvis up. Pull your hips towards your abdomen and roll the exercise ball close to your arms. Return to the starting position steadily. This will be a repetition. implement20-30 of them.

Lower leg with exercise ball

Lie on your back, stretch your legs forward, squeeze the exercise ball between your calves. Stretch your arms along the body. Use exercise balls to lift your legs perpendicular to the floor, exercise your abdominal muscles and core muscles as you exhale, and lower them to an angle of 30-40 degrees. This will be a repetition. implement20-30 such. . .

Power board

Focus on the straight arms. Don't increase the arch of your lower back, relax your neck and shoulders. Activate the muscles on the front surface of the body-the muscles of the body, thighs, and arms. Then, alternately bend your elbows and lower yourself onto the forearm plank. Back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise as much as possibleWait a moment. . .

When is the result expected?

Many experts agree: losing weight quickly (for example, within 10 days) will harm your health and cause the same rapid weight gain. In addition, there is a great risk that the returned kilograms will "bring friends"-the body will store fat in case a new hunger strike or a period of exhaustion training.

It makes more sense to lose weight gradually. "Our efforts are always proportional to our results. Adhere to proper nutrition, exercise 4-5 times a week, and you will see the first results after one month. But don’t forget that the process of losing weight is very individualized. Yes, you always need to take into account the characteristics of each person, for example, "initial data. " The most important thing is to focus on what you want to achieve, not the difficulty, and then you will definitely achieve any goal, " YekaterinNa Demidova commented.

Therefore, please pay attention to our exercise plan and do it regularly, and you will be able to notice the first results of weight loss within a month.