Tired of the jiggly bits of your body, especially the roll of wobbly tummies? Don’t fret. Focus on your core, adopt the correct regimen and firm up, tone and tame your abdomen with exercises from celeb fitness trainer Namita Jain
Train consistently and intelligently. Unfortunately, there is no one best exercise for training the abs. Perform a variety of exercises—include exercises from past and current trends. Also, include traditional crunches as well as effective movements from Pilates, yoga, sports and fitness ball training. Focus on doing the movement right so that the exercise works for you. This means no sloppy or half-hearted movements. Imagine gymnasts, acrobats, or dancers performing their skills without control and focus. The result would be disastrous! Lack of control and concentration is the primary reason why results are hard to get. Motivation, at its highest level, is action. So get set and ready to go.
The ab routine
- Keep varying your ab workouts. Use this recommendation as a guideline to plan your own routine.
- Aim to perform the ab exercise routine thrice a week. Never repeat the same workout within a 48-hour period. Like any other muscle in your body, the abs also need a day’s rest in-between sessions to recuperate.
Fit ball
Fitness balls are sometimes called Swiss balls or stability balls. They stabilise and strengthen core muscles, protect the spine and increase the intensity of most exercises. Ball exercises improve posture, body mechanics and flexibility. Balance is the key to building strength, mobility and stability on the ball.
Ball sit-ups
Lie on the ball with your shoulders off the ball and your feet on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head to support your neck. Tighten your abs and bring your chest and shoulders forwards towards your hips. Slowly, return to the starting position.
Do 2 sets of 16 reps.
Reverse curl with ball
Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Rest your heels and calves about knee-width apart on the ball. Tense your abs and, holding the ball between your heels and thighs, raise it off the floor. Slowly, return to starting position.
Do 2 sets of 16 reps.
Pilates and yoga
Pilates and yoga ab exercises are centred around the core. Core movements use the central nervous system in conjunction with the deep stabilising muscles of the abdomen, back, pelvic floor and gluteus (backside). Most forms of exercises do not emphasise on training these muscles. You will be surprised how challenging it is to perform exercises using these postural and stabilising muscles.
Mermaid side bends
Sit on the side with your knees slightly bent and together. Place your right hand palm down, directly below your shoulder. Now, extend your arm and lift your body up from the waist so that the body is straight and aligned and is balanced on your hand and the side of the foot. Hold for 30-60 seconds and then switch sides.
Traditional ab exercises
Concentrate on performing high-quality reps, rather than doing mechanical movements.
Abdominal crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent, and your hands behind your head. Lift your shoulders off the floor and curl your legs towards your ribcage simultaneously. Slowly, return to the starting position.
Do 2 sets of 12 reps.
Reverse curl
Lie on your back and lift and bend your knees at 90°. Contract your abs to stabilise your torso, and bring your hips and knees towards your chest. Slowly return to starting position.
Do 2 sets of 12 reps.
