Everyone wants the tight ab look that we see on movie stars and athletes. When people think of how to get tight abs they almost always think of sit ups or crunches. That is only half of the equation though.
The truth is that no matter how strong your abdominal muscles are, if they're covered by a layer of fat no one will see them. To get great abs you need to combine exercises that will tone your abdominal muscles as well as help you increase your heart rate and lose fat. If your are obese you will have added challenges, but there are some abdominal exercises for obese people that can help.
It's important to keep in mind that your abdominal area consists of several different muscle groups. You have lower muscles, upper muscles, and oblique (side) muscles. To get a really hot midsection you'll need to do different exercises so that you are targeting all these areas.
If you are really overweight it may be difficult to get down on the floor and work your abs. Not to worry, though, there are easy ab workouts that you can do standing up, you won't lose any effectiveness but you will save a lot of wear and tear on your back and knees.
Here are some ideas of standing ab exercises that you can try today, just make sure you talk to your doctor first to make sure it's ok:
1. The first standing ab exercise you can try is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart, raise your arms straight above your head, slowly lower your arms while simultaneously raising one of your knees, keep your leg and arms at a 90 degree angle, put that leg down while raising your arms back up and alternate the same thing with the other leg. Do at least 30 sets on each side.
2. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, take a step forward with one leg, carefully lift the leg that is forward a few inches off the floor, slowly make circles using just your foot - try to keep the leg still and straight, make 20 circles in one direction then (using the same foot) circle 20 times in the other direction, than alternate with the other leg.
3. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, hold a 10 to 20 pound dumbbell in each hand, slowly lean to one side keeping your legs straight - this move should only involve your obliques (side abdominal) muscles, after you've completed 20 reps on one side, do the other side.
It's not that easy to learn how to do an exercise just by reading an article, but these standing abdominal exercises I've listed above will give you an idea of where to start. Just remember that even if you are very overweight, there are still abdominal exercises for obese people that can help you tone those all important ab muscles.
Talk to your doctor before you start any exercise plan and if possible find yourself a personal trainer so that they can watch you and make sure you are using the proper form, otherwise you may injure yourself and that will only slow down your weight loss efforts.
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