In order to obtain six-pack abs, it is necessary to first shed any superfluous fat and then utilize resistance training to tighten and firm up your stomach. Women can do the most effective abdominal exercises without any special gear, and they target the whole core area.
When starting a workout regimen for your core muscles, it is wise to integrate a range of exercises into your schedule and alter your workouts frequently. Select physical activities that focus on toning your upper abdominal, lower abdominal, and side muscle areas. Do the following abdominal exercises for women in order to get a toned stomach and a set of six pack abs.
Ab Exercises for Women That Work the Core
Plank exercises are terrific for creating a robust core and reducing your waistline. Try the following variations of the plank:
Basic Planks and Forearm Planks
Planking is a straightforward workout, yet each repetition will ensure your midsection feels the intensity. Do a simple plank exercise by getting into a plank position with your arms stretched out in front of you. Place your weight on your hands and toes. Hold the position for 1-2 minutes if you can.
Doing a forearm plank requires your upper body to be propped up by your forearms rather than your palms, with your torso lower to the ground. Maintain the stance for as long as you can manage or switch between forearm planking and regular planking to make it more exciting.
RKC Planks
Once you are proficient in fundamental plank drills, increase the challenge by attempting a RKC plank hold. This plank hold is more demanding, so you could not hold it for as much time as an ordinary or arm-and-forearm plank.
In order to finish the activity, position your body in a forearm plank pose and raise your chest away from the ground, making a slight arch in your spine.
While in the plank position, clench your quadriceps and buttock muscles as tightly as you possibly can. Maintain the form for as long as you are able, which might be no more than 10-20 seconds, take a break and repeat the RKC Plank Hold or start up a distinct core exercise.
Side Planks
An exercise called side planks works the oblique abdominal muscles, creating a tighter and toned midsection.
For side planks, assume a forearm plank position with one side of your body, while the remaining side of your body is pointed up at the ceiling. Maintain a stiff posture so that your whole body, from your toes to your neck, makes a straight line.
If you understand the exercise more, you can bring your upper thigh to your elbow, similar to a side crunch, all the while maintaining the side plank stance. Keep repeating this activity and do the same on the opposite side.
Upper and Lower Ab Exercises for Women
If you wish to put your ab muscles to the test and make them feel the burn, why not check out these specific core exercises for ladies that target both the upper and lower stomach muscles? You will observe a remarkable alteration in your waistline once you incorporate these core exercises into your customary physical activity plan.
Ab Wheel Rollout
For this particular ab rollout exercise, you’ll require an ab wheel. Place something soft beneath your knees and grip the ab wheel with your hands.
Stretch the mat out in front of you as far as possible and make sure to keep your midsection tightly contracted. Maintain the posture for a couple of moments and gradually roll both the wheel and yourself backwards towards your knees.
Do the exercise 10-15 times, pause for a rest, and do 2-3 sets in total.
Jackknife
This exercise targets both the upper and lower abdomen, and is best suited for those with more experience in core workouts. Lay on your back and keep your arms and legs extended as much as possible.
Gently raise your torso (maintaining a rigid posture), and, in conjunction, lift your legs up toward your arms till they almost meet and are approximately perpendicular with the ground. Gradually bring your arms and legs back to the starting position and do the exercise for anywhere between 30-60 seconds, or as long as you can manage.
The Bicycle
This exercise utilizing a bicycle is a great opportunity to make your abdominal muscles work and your heart rate to increase.
Recline on your back and put your hands behind your head. Move your right knee up to meet your left elbow and then switch sides, bringing your left knee to your right elbow. Continue this motion for around 30-60 seconds or as long as you can.
Complete at least three sets of the exercise.
Lower Ab Workouts
When changing up your ab routine regularly, pick a day to focus on your lower abs with the following ab exercises for women:
Leg Lifts
Lie on your back and place your hands beneath your glutes. With your legs fully extended, carry out leg lifts. Lift your legs, keeping them extended, until they form a right angle with the ground.
Gradually decrease your legs until they are almost touching the ground and keep doing this for a duration of 30-60 seconds or even more.
You can make leg lifts harder by squeezing an exercise ball between your knees while doing them.
Scissor Kicks
Lie face up on the floor with your hands placed beneath your buttocks and your legs extended. Complete scissor kicks to target your lower abdominal muscles.
Raise your legs gradually a couple of inches off the ground and do short “scissor-like” kicks moving up and down. Make sure to keep your legs outstretched and a few inches above the ground while doing the physical activity, though don’t let them make contact with the surface.
You can also alternate between opening and closing your legs instead of doing scissor kicks, or do both motion in succession.
Fat-Burning Workouts
The exercises mentioned above for women can help construct their abdominal muscles and help them achieve the six-pack abs they’re working for. However, if there is an excessive amount of body fat present, the abdominal muscles will not be visible. If burning fat is your goal, try these fat-burning workouts that also engage your ab muscles:
High intensity interval training, or alternating periods of high intensity exercise with lower intensity recovery periods
Circuit training with weight lifting plus burpees, rope jumping, high knee twists mountain climbers, jumping jacks, etc.
Continuous cardio that lasts 45 minutes
For the best results, mix these fat burning sessions with different ab strengthening workout moves and switch up your program on a frequent basis.
In addition to working out, you need to eat the right foods in order to achieve 6-pack abs. These are some strategies you can use to carve out your abdominal muscles.
Diet Tips And Sample Diet Chart For Six-Pack Abs
1. Sample Diet Chart For Six Pack Abs
MEALS
WHAT TO EAT
Early Morning (7:00 – 7:45 am)
1 cup lemon water with honey and cinnamon
Breakfast (8:15 – 9:00 am)
Quinoa/oatmeal/eggs + 1 multigrain bread + 1 cup milk and 4-6 almonds
Lunch (12:30 – 1:00 pm)
Lettuce boats or chicken/veggie salad
Evening Snack (4:00 pm)
Green tea/fresh fruit juice + unsalted popcorn
Dinner (7:00 – 7:30 pm)
Chicken/mushroom clear soup with lots of fiber-rich veggies/
boiled black beans and blanched veggies
Here are some more diet tips.
2. Load Up On Lean Protein
Protein is food for muscles. Eat lean proteins to help rebuild and repair your muscles due to the physical exertion that takes place during exercise. Make sure to eat foods such as chicken, mushroom, lentils, fish, beans, and soy to make sure your muscles get all the necessary nutrients.
3. Do Not Avoid Healthy Fats
Healthy fats do not make you gain weight. Consuming healthy fats can decrease inflammation and stop the onset of weight gain caused by inflammation. Include almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, avocados, fatty fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, cheese, dark chocolate, and eggs in your diet.
4. You Need Dietary Fiber
It is generally believed that reducing carbs is essential for weight loss. But that’s not true. You need the right type of carbs. Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our digestion cannot break down, but it can still help with weight loss by making us feel full for a longer time period and stopping the body from taking in too much fat. Eat broccoli, flaxseeds, prunes, peaches, pears, apples, lima beans, black beans, figs, berries, oats bran, barley, green peas, guava, peaches, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, pomegranates, kiwi, brown rice, beetroots, quinoa, and acorn squash.
5. Drink Up
Generally, if you are in need of a drink but opt not to consume water, you may mistakenly assume that you are in fact hungry and consume plenty of calories. In addition, if you do not consume enough water, it can stop your cells from carrying out their duties, resulting in sluggish metabolic rate, lack of water, difficulty in eliminating waste, and swelling. Drink at least 2-3 liters of water per day. You could also try some flavoured water, freshly pressed fruits or veg juices, blended smoothies, coconut water, or buttermilk.
6. No Starving
If you believe you can shed pounds by denying yourself food, you are wrong. Going without food for an extended amount of time could provoke the body to enter starvation mode, whereby it ceases to convert any dietary energy into something useful. The extra calories will be turned into fat, resulting in a gain in weight. Consuming food every two to four hours helps to ensure your metabolism is up and running, and all of the cells in your body are working in an optimal way.
7. Consume Fat Burners
Certain foods can assist with weight loss while providing nutrition. Incorporate fat-burning foods into your eating plan in order to assist in burning fat. Include some of these items in your food intake: grapefruit, green tea, brown rice, quinoa, cayenne pepper, black pepper, celery, cinnamon, yogurt, low-fat milk, nuts, turmeric, dark chocolate, apple cider vinegar, spinach, cauliflower, garlic, and peanut butter. Below is a compilation of foods that will assist you in achieving six-pack abs.
Brooke Cavalla, who is a trained specialist in Prenatal and Postnatal exercise, argues that drinking coffee has no direct effect on one’s ability to achieve a set of 6-pack abs. Drinking caffeine can increase your energy level and increase your performance during exercise, which in turn helps you to burn fat and obtain 6-pack abs. Consuming coffee in combination with frequent physical activity and nutritious meals can provide an additional advantage to your exercise regimen.
She asserts that studies have revealed caffeine, the key component in coffee, might raise your resting metabolic rate and diminish appetite signals. The rate at which your body consumes energy is referred to as your Resting Metabolic Rate.
Now you are informed about which foods are suitable to assist you in achieving a six pack. The most significant element is the ability to keep the weight loss and your six-pack abs. Here’s how you can maintain your hard-earned six-pack abs.
Lifestyle Changes To Maintain Six Pack Abs
Lifestyle changes help you beyond maintaining your six-pack abs. They give you an inner makeover. Once you get accustomed to living a healthier existence, you will find enjoyment in the beneficial modifications and will not desire to maintain the old methods. Here’s what you should do:
1. Stop Hitting Snooze
We all succumb to the temptation of repeatedly pressing the snooze alarm until it’s too late to get ready in time. In order to maintain your incredible abdominal muscles, you will have to make yourself get up out of bed. If you get up in time, or at least two hours before the time you have to go out, you can fit in a yoga session or an ab workout, make breakfast and lunch and will not appear hurried and unkempt when you go to work or school.
2. Reduce Stress
Stress is harmful in many ways. When you are under pressure, the hormone cortisol is secreted, resulting in heightened blood sugar levels and creating a more voracious appetite. This can result in the storage of fat in the stomach region, as well as possible insulin resistance and diabetes in certain instances. Yoga, deep breathing, aerobic exercise, strength building, team sports, swimming, art, novels, exploring new places, enjoying music, and even experimenting with makeup can all help alleviate stress.
3. Don’t Skip Breakfast
If you fail to eat breakfast, you will have a gnawing sensation of hunger for the remainder of the day. You must consume a large breakfast in order to facilitate your body’s normal operations. Make sure to have a comprehensive and healthy breakfast that contains dietary fiber, protein, and healthy fat to begin your day right.
4. Avoid Junk
Wondering what to eat to get a six-pack? Avoid junk food. Foods that lack nutritional value and are high in both carbohydrates and calories are referred to as junk foods. They do nothing but harm your health. Steer clear of unhealthy snacks, like potato chips, french fries, fried chicken, Indian fried foods, and the like. Also, abstain from having a midnight snack.
5. Weekly Workout
Exercising is vital if you wish to keep your abdominal muscles in shape. Exercise for a minimum of 4 hours a week to stay in good condition. Perform a combination of cardio, weight training, and strength conditioning to reduce fat and acquire lean muscle.
