When women are trying to improve their fitness and lose weight, one of the areas that many of them specify is that they want to tone up their tummies. Pictures in magazines always show women with perfect, toned tummies in bikinis, leading women to aspire to sculpt a similar body for themselves.
What many of them dread, however, is the endless reps of crunches that they feel they need to perform in order to have a chance of toning up their tummies. The good news is that whilst crunches are useful for the general wellness and wellbeing of your abdominal muscles, they are not the be all and end all when it comes to building a sexy, toned tummy.
First of all, if you want to have an attractive and muscular tummy then you really do need to look at reducing your body fat. There is no point in having a great six pack if it is covered with a layer of fat and nobody can see it!
Secondly, crunches really are a bit overrated, especially when viewed next to another, far more effective exercise – the mighty plank! To get into a plank position, do a push up but with your arms slightly narrower than for a push-up position, and then hold it. Next, do a plank jump. You do this by jumping your feet out as far as you can and then jumping them back into the centre position. This exercise is amazing for the abdominal muscles and will do far more than a humble crunch ever could.
Next, try the plank again but this time lift one foot and one hand off the ground and twist them into the middle to meet (diagonal opposites). Replace these on the ground and then try the opposite pair. This is one of the simplest and yet most effective exercises for those looking to tone up their tummies.
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