You only need 20 minutes to do these abdominal exercises at home
How to get rid of lower abdominal fat according to an expert Table of exercises to reduce abdomen and waist according to experts How to reduce abdominal fat in a short time according to nutritionists The abdomen is a complex muscular area, it is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. We tend to visualize it as a "whole", but in reality it is divided into zones. Specifically into four. And from the lack of knowledge of this division comes the main inconvenience that no matter how much you work the abdomen, you may not be achieving the intended objectives. What is the problem? We do not work these areas individually: most of the time we dedicate ourselves to doing simple abdominal exercises, lying on our backs and bending the torso, the classic 'crunches'. And yes, with this we work the area, but at a superficial level. If you do not incorporate different exercises and vary your routines, it will be very difficult for you to get a defined abdomen. Furthermore, emphasizing strength exercises is essential if what we really want is to lose fat and be able to define the muscle. In this sense, the doctor in Sports Medicine Mario Muñoz, specialist in exercise physiology and personal training and teacher at Fit Generation, a training academy for trainers and dieticians, adds: "To gain muscle mass in any muscle group, it is not enough to activate the muscles, but you also have to fatigue them so that the greatest possible amount of muscle fibers are recruited." That is, we must emphasize fatiguing the muscles that make up our abdomen to define them, but let's start by knowing the area well. The muscles that make up the abdomen To give you an idea, the abdominal muscles are divided into four: The rectus abdominis (the central part) The transverse abdominis (deeper) Internal obliques External obliques There are specific exercises for each of these areas, and there are even some that are more 'grateful' than others. Performing classic abdominal exercises is fine, but they won't help you work them all. That's why you have to change the exercises, choosing those that are more focused. That's why pilates has become an excellent discipline to strengthen the abdomen, because it has exercises like "the cobra" or "the dead bug", which give very good results. But they are not the only ones: the variations of planks (Copenhagen plank, commando planks, shoulder tap, scorpion plank...) are also excellent, especially if we combine them with strength training. Benefits of working the abdomen In addition to burning fat and getting a flat stomach, doing abdominal exercises provides a multitude of benefits, which we reveal to you below, and which will convince you to work the muscles of your abdomen daily: Improves your body posture. Improves your intestinal transit. Improves your balance. Avoids back pain. Abdominal routine in 20 minutes The possibilities of abdominal exercises are endless. You can do this standing up, statically, while working other parts of your body such as your arms, back or legs, and include accessories such as the Ab-Whell, the bosu or the weighted vest. But to see results, it is best to do exercises adapted to both our level and our goals. That is why this abdominal exercise routine is just what you were looking for. In it, we are going to work with dumbbells, to add a point of intensity to our work. Time: 20 minutes. Equipment: two 5 to 10 kilo dumbbells, a bench. Good for: abs. Instructions: start with the first exercise and complete as many repetitions as possible in 50 seconds, maintaining the correct posture. Rest for 10 seconds, while you prepare for the next exercise. Repeat the pattern with all six exercises and then rest for one minute. Complete three sets in total. If you don't have dumbbells and a bench, don't worry. You can replace the first ones with a carton of milk or a 1.5 litre bottle of water. And as for the bench, you can support your back on surfaces like a bed or a chair. 1. One-arm knee press (right) How to do it: Start with your right knee on the floor, your left foot also placed in front of you, and your right hand holding a dumbbell at shoulder height. Keep your body balanced, chest up, and raise the dumbbell. Return to the starting point. Complete as many reps as you can in 50 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Move on to the next exercise. 2. One-arm knee press (left) How to do it: Start with your left knee on the floor, your right foot placed on the floor in front of you, and your left hand holding a dumbbell. 3. Plunk Walkup How to do it: Place your forearms flat on the floor, elbows just below your shoulders, and extend your legs straight out behind you. Keeping your back straight and hips parallel to the floor, place your right hand on the floor, then your left hand, keeping your arms straight so that your body is positioned as if you were at the top of a push-up. Reverse the exercise, lowering first your right forearm, then your left, and return to start. Repeat the exercise, alternating arms, for 50 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Move on to the next exercise. 4. Plunk Walkup How to do it: Grab a pair of dumbbells and get into position as if you were going to do a push-up. Without twisting your torso, bend your elbow and bring the dumbbell you're holding in your right hand back up to chest height. Lower the dumbbell to the floor and repeat with your left arm. Complete as many reps as you can in 50 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Move on to the next exercise. 5. Double Dumbbell Drag How to do it: Place two dumbbells on the floor and get into a push-up position, with your legs slightly apart and the dumbbells to your left. Keeping your body balanced and your hips parallel to the floor, reach under your body with your right hand, grab one dumbbell and bring it to the right and set it down on the floor. Grab the remaining dumbbell and repeat. Then reach under your left arm and repeat on the opposite side. Continue alternating arms for 50 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then move on to the next exercise. 6. Plank with hand touches How to do it: Get into a push-up position, with your hands aligned with your shoulders and your legs extended so that your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Keeping your hips parallel to the floor, raise your right hand and touch your left hand. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other arm. Continue alternating arms as quickly as possible for 50 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. Return to the first position and complete three sets. As you can see, there are six fairly complete abdominal exercises that, if you do them consistently, on alternate days for example, can help you achieve the flat stomach we all strive for. Looking for more ideas? Working with sliding discs is also a good option, and if you prefer to increase the intensity, then take a look at Tabata for the abdomen with Sabrine Toumi and the TST method.