Are you looking to get rid of the excess weight around your belly? Then, you will love to learn about the best Ab workouts for after pregnancy so you can regain the best version of yourself.
Abdominal fats are prevalent very common nowadays. In fact, obesity medicine specialist W. Scott Butsch, MD, says the bigger issue is the increased health risks. I am sure we can stop this trend! and I am glad that you are here because it is a matter of taking action at home.
You don’t even need to hit the gym to get rid of these fats, with home workouts you can get the sculpted waist you’ve always wanted.
Before we go deep into the exercises, let’s explore your abdomen.
Knowing Your Abdomen
Love handles are those excess fat deposited at the sides of the waist and hips. It is caused by the retention of fat in the hips. Some common factors that contribute to this retention of fat are age, hormones, diet, and lack of physical activity.
The lower abdominal muscle is the rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle). Sometimes, the fat extends to the lower abdominal region and this gives the impression of a falling tummy. This makes the tummy region all together worse and unattractive with or without clothes.
In general, love handles can be very annoying especially when you are putting on tight-fitting clothes.
Please note that cardio exercise (aerobics) and proper diet are a must to follow for weight loss as well as to achieve meaningful progress to a well-defined abdomen. The good news is that you can mix up your workouts to get even better results.[1]
My favorite cardio workout is rebounding and jogging on a mini-trampoline.
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Best Exercises For a Well Defined Ab
Oblique Crunch
The oblique crunch engages the abdominal wall and the obliques. This exercise strengthens the back, tightens the core, and most importantly tones the abs.
How to do it:
- Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Put your right hand behind your head, elbow flared out, and your left palm down perpendicular to your torso.
- Contract your abs to lift your shoulders off the floor and rotate your body to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
- Slowly lower your body to the starting position.
- Repeat all your reps before swapping sides.
- Perform 10 – 20 reps for each side.
Woodchoppers
This exercise is very good for blasting the obliques. Its secondary targets are the lower abdominal muscles, the shoulder muscles, and the back. You can use an object (or weight) for this exercise, just hold it in your hands. If you don’t have any usable object, clasping your hands would do the trick.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Incline to your left side, pushing your weight to your left leg.
- Raise the clasped hands by your left shoulder.
- Twist to make a chopping motion down towards your right hip.
- Allow your hips and knees to pivot with the twist.
- Raise your still clasped hands back up to your left shoulder.
- Perform 20 repetitions of this motion.
- Perform for the right side.
Russian Twist
The Russian twist targets the obliques, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, hip flexors, erector spinae, scapular muscles, and the latissimus dorsi.
How to do it:
- Start by sitting on your butt with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Your whole upper body should be inclined at any angle of 45 degrees to the ground.
- Hold an object (you can clasp your hands if there is no object available) with both hands.
- Raise your feet from the ground, cross them at the ankle, and balance on your butt.
- Then, twist your torso (upper body) to the right allowing the object to touch the ground before returning to the starting position.
- Now do the same to your left side. That is one rep.
- Perform 20 reps all while balancing yourself on your butt alone.
Sit and Bounce
This exercise strengthens your stomach, lower and upper abs as well as your thighs, pelvic area and shoulders.
How to do it:
- Sit on the rebounder
- Alternate lifting one foot from the ground then the other.
- More advanced users can lift both feet and bounce.
- Bounce in that position for 30 – 60 seconds. Increase time once getting more strength.
Bicycle Crunches
The bicycle crunch primary muscle targets are the obliques, rectus abdoninus, and hip muscles. Keeping your legs off the ground targets your lower abs while the rotation targets the obliques.
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Do not clasp hands.
- Raise your legs off the ground, with knees bent.
- Engage your abs, lifting your shoulder and upper back off the ground.
- At the same time, move your left elbow to your right knee. Let them meet in the middle.
- Repeat for the other side by moving your right elbow to your left knee.
- Continue as quickly as possible.
- Remember to keep your torso raised all through the exercise.
Side-plank
This exercise primarily targets the internal and external obliques, the abductor muscles of the hip, the abdominal muscles, and the glutes. Its secondary targets include the quads and hamstring.
How to do it:
- Start by lying on your side.
- Place only your right palm flat on the ground.
- Prop yourself up only on your right arm by engaging your core.
- Stack your left foot over your right ensuring that your body is straight from your head to the toe.
- Squeeze your glutes and hold the position for 30 – 60 seconds.
- Keep your abs tight to help support your body.
- Switch sides and repeat.
Spiderman Crunch
This exercise specifically engages the ab muscles and strengthens the entire core. The obliques, triceps, shoulder, and glutes are some parts of the muscles it engages.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours in a push-up position with your shoulders directly over your palms.
- Raise your right foot and bend your right knee towards your right elbow as you lower your body into a push-up.
- Don’t arch your back while trying to do that.
- Return your right leg to the starting position as you push yourself back up.
- Repeat for the left side. That is one rep.
- Perform 3 – 5 of 20 reps.
Mountain Climber
The mountain climbers are sometimes classified as a full-body workout because they engage a range of body muscles. But the exercise is the real deal when it comes to working and strengthening the core. The primary target of the exercise is the core, it then engages the glutes, legs, triceps, and shoulder.
How to do it:
- Start on all fours in a plank position. Arms straight out in front of you and palms on the ground. Legs should be extended in a straight line as well.
- Keep your back flat and arms in the same position throughout the exercise.
- Engage your core and move your knee to your chest.
- Return to the starting position and quickly move your left knee to your chest.
- Continue to alternate quickly.
Leg Raises
Performing the leg raise requires stability which requires the use of the abdominal muscles, this activity strengthens the rectus abdominis muscle and the internal and external oblique muscles.
How to do it:
- Lie face-up with your hands underneath your glutes, palms down, and legs extended straight out in front of you.
- Lift your legs slowly off the floor until they are perpendicular to the floor.
- Hold for a second or two then bring your legs back to the ground. That is one rep.
- Perform 20 reps.
- To make this exercise more challenging, try not to let your legs touch the grounds during reps.
Jackknife
Jackknife is meant to strengthen the upper and lower abdominal muscles, particularly the transversus abdominis muscle.
How to do it:
- Lie face-up with your arms and legs extended.
- Contract your abs to press your low back into the ground (this is the starting position).
- Point your toes, squeeze your thighs together, engage your glutes, and simultaneously lift your legs and upper back off ground, reaching your hands forward to meet your feet so that your body forms a V.
- Keeping your core engaged, slowly lower to return to a starting position.
Reverse Crunch
The reverse crunch is more effective at targeting the abs (especially the lower part) than the normal crunch. It exercises the full length of the rectus abdominis muscle, getting to the deep lower abs.
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your arms on the floor at your sides (for balance), palms facing down.
- Bend your knees and bring them towards your chest by engaging your abs.
- When the knees are close to the chest, keep raising till your hips are off the floor.
- Squeeze at the top then slowly lower until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.
- Perform 20 reps of the motion.
NOTE: This type of training is just one part of the equation. Strength exercise would make sure the abdominal and oblique muscles are toned, but cardio exercises and changes in diet would burn the fat and make you see the changes you want in your muscles and your belly at large.
Cardio Workout You can do:
- Walking
- Running
- Jogging
- Zumba Dance
- Boxing
You can also do Cardio Training With:
- Mini Trampoline => See how to Workout with a rebounder HERE…
- Elliptical Trainer
- Rowing
- Treadmill
Consequences of excess belly fat According to Science
Researchers have shown that love handles or visceral fat increases a person’s risk of multiple health problems, including:
Misconceptions
Since the crunch is the dominating exercise for the abdomen, people generally assume that doing the crunch or other exercises meant for the abdominal muscles would take care of love handles.
This is wrong on many levels because the muscles responsible in the area where love handles tend to appear are the obliques, found beside the torso. The obliques have to be worked out specifically to see the wanted reduction in love handles.
Although the muscles in the region of love handles are different from that of the abdominal region, when targeted specifically, the muscles can be toned to give the stomach a healthy good-looking shape.
As you can see, with some basic exercises at home, you can get rid of love handles and get that sculpted belly you’ve always wanted.
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