How to Properly Shape Your Abs

Feb 2
18:02

2009

Matt Helphrey

Matt Helphrey

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Here are a few tips so you'll know just what it takes to turn your fat belly into a sexy flat washboard of a stomach and shape your abs.

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It is wise to learn how to correctly shape your abs before you begin to do any ab workouts or exercises. Knowing what you are doing will help you achieve results much faster and will make sure you don't hurt yourself in the process. Here are a few tips you should follow before you begin.

Doing sit ups and crunches alone will not turn your belly into a six pack. Only because these ab exercises don't focus entirely on your abs and will work the hip flexors once your abs are exhausted.

Working the hip flexors too much can actually make your belly look fatter so you'll want to learn some proper exercises to strengthen and shape your abs. The only real results you'll get from doing sit ups or crunches is a real sore neck!

Proper crunches WILL help shape your abs but you have to do them right. Crunch your abs only one-third of the way while keeping your head up and your eyes looking at the ceiling. Contract your abs while breathing out and repeat until you can't do anymore.

Some of the best ways to shape your abs will require you to use weights,How to Properly Shape Your Abs Articles and you don't even need to focus specifically on the ab region. The two best ways to really shape your abs are using weight lifting exercises like dead lifts and squats. Your abs are going to naturally contract to stabilize your body when doing these exercises. Since you are using weight resistance, your abs will most certainly get more ripped than by doing your normal sit-ups or crunches.

The food that you eat is the one determinant that you will have to control if you want nice abs. If your diet is no good, it doesn't matter how hard you work in the gym, you'll never develop or shape your abs the way you want to. Dieting is the most important aspect when working to develop your abs.

Using dead lifts and squats as a part of your work out regimen along with a healthy diet will bring the results you are looking for, even without using any ab specific workouts. Of course finding a few ab exercises to include in your workout will only speed up the process. Just remember that sit-ups and crunches are not the answer. Dieting and using squats and dead lifts in your workout routine are!