The "life preserver" around the waist is a familiar problem for many women. You too? Then try these proven exercises to slim your belly and flanks.
How and why does body fat accumulate?
By understanding the mechanism of this process, it will be easier for you to create a weight loss program and reduce the volume of problem areas. "Fat accumulates from excess calories in the diet. This is the extra energy that the body reserves, - explainsVictoria Kasilova,personal trainer and founder of the personal fitness laboratory.You can draw the following analogy: imagine that she took money, bought gold bars and put them in a safe, locked them. Now imagine that you have decided to get this money back. First you have to find the key to the safe, open it, take out these bars, go exchange them for money. The same thing happens with lipolysis: to start the process of burning fat, it is necessary to activate many factors: a certain hormonal background, a calorie deficit. It is necessary to create such a need for energy that the body itself wants to use up these reserves. "
Remove the sides and belly: where to start?
With the understanding of the fact that the human body cannot lose weight locally, that is, only in a specific area. "You gain extra pounds and lose weight according to your constitution and genetics, " he says. Ekaterina Demidova, Master Trainer in Group Program Management.
To get rid of the notorious "sides", and the stomach became flatter, you will have to reduce weight in general, to restructure the diet and exercise.
However, you must choose them wisely. "There is a myth that where we train a muscle, we burn fat, " says Victoria Kasilova. - This is not true. Because the fat burning process occurs throughout the body and not locally. But we can work on the problem area. In what sense? Build muscles there, build strength or mobility. Specifically, we cannot burn fat somewhere, because it comes out of the way calculated by the characteristics of your body. Someone easily and quickly loses volume in the leg area, someone - in the abdomen, and someone first lowers the chest, upper back, and only then everything else. First, the body abandons fat from those places where it considers its storage to be the least priority. And from the places most important to him (in women, most of the time it's just the belly, sides and hips), he gives away "much worse" reserves.
Therefore, a balanced weight loss program will include strength exercises, cardiovascular exercises, and proper nutrition.
Losing belly fat: major mistakes
The most common mistakes that coaches take into account are the following:
Use of thermo-corsets or transparent film in training."There is a widespread myth that where we sweat, we lose weight, " says Victoria Kasilova. "But it's not like that. Fat doesn't disappear with sweat. If everything were so simple, you could go to lose weight in the sauna. In fact, as a result of this, only liquid leaks out. And sometimes well, necessary. Al getting carried away by "diaphoretic" devices, "you dehydrate the body and increase the load on the cardiac system. "
And also, you risk damaging internal organs. "For example, a corset during training increases pressure on internal organs, impairs blood circulation and does not allow deep muscles to work, " warns Ekaterina Demidova.
Refusal of functional exercise.The idea of losing belly fat fast is so captivating to some that they ignore any exercise, leaving only abs for the press in their exercise program. And in vain! "First of all, there are no intense abs in a loose, untrained body, " says Victoria Kasilova. "If a person starts training, he first has noticeable relief in his arms, legs, back, and only then - abdominal buckets. "
And all this can only be achieved if you have strength and functional training in your "sports menu", that is, again, you will have to work with all the muscles of the body.
Second, the ab exercises themselves don't consume as much energy as many basic movements like squats, deadlifts, and push-ups. "To generate a greater expenditure of calories (a key condition for losing weight in the abdomen, sides and the whole body), it is necessary to work with large muscles. This is similar to how the engine of a car works: a" small car "It consumes a little gasoline, an SUV, several times more. So the SUV is the muscles of the legs and the" runaway "are the muscles of the press. "
Also, working too much only in the abdomen area runs the risk of hurting your back. "Without knowing how to work with your body and fanatically loading your abs, you are more likely to suffer a lower back injury, a hernia or a bulge than a beautiful belly. Because these movements have a compressive effect on the spine, " adds Victoria .
Performing useless or inappropriate exercise.The former include lateral bends with weights. "It is not effective to fight the sides in this way. This way you will not lose weight either. Strengthen some muscle groups, but you will not achieve the expected effect. Double with dumbbells if it does not hurt, if there is no discomfort in the lower back, if it helps you like a placebo. But there won't be many benefits from this exercise. Instead, it's better to do a diagonal twist while lying down, it's safer for the lower back, "recalls Victoria Kasilova.
Experts also do not recommend overly complex exercises, available only to highly trained people - active athletes, fitness models. "Take, for example, dangling legs. It is believed that this is an exercise for the press, - says Victoria Kasilova. - But in fact, if you start to disassemble it from a biomechanical point of view, the key action in it is the bending of hip. The main muscle that flexes the joint is the rectus femoris, the quadriceps. Therefore, if your leg muscles are underdeveloped, they will be the first to tire, the press will simply not activate. If this happens in a fall For real and not supportive, you should have strong arms and back muscles to support your body. Also, your body should be lean enough for your arms to support your weight. "
Who should do abdominal and lateral exercises.
Experts advise concentrating on exercising the muscles of the press in only a few cases. "It is necessary to pump this zone separately for beginners, for those who have no preparation, after rehabilitation, after childbirth. Here, an easy type of twist lying on the floor, a plank and similar exercises on supports will be useful. stable, says Victoria Kasilova. - This is necessary to combine the sternum and pelvis in a single unit. The coupling between these areas is smooth. To make it harder and to be able to do the usual exercises, to cope with household chores without back injuries, and you need simple exercises for your abdominal muscles. "
The same goes for high-performance athletes. "It is also worth including in press training exercises for those who are preparing for competitions, for example fitness cyclists, " adds Victoria Kasilova.
If you have been training for a long time and are not going to participate in bikini fitness competitions, there is no point in pumping the press additionally. "When a person has already practiced for some time, the coordination developed, the abdominal exercises are excluded from the program because they are less of a priority. Because the abdominals in the large exercises function as a stabilizer, they support your body when you squat with weight, pull-ups, bench press, deadlift, push-ups. "
The most effective exercises to slim the abdomen and sides.
There are many types of exercises for this area, but not all of them can give you the desired effect. Also, not all movements are available for training at home. "I would recommend doing exercises at home that are simple in terms of technique. It is advisable to do a program of various movements: the press is made up of many small fibers located at different angles. By combining different exercises, you can use them all, " adds Victoria Kasilova.
We asked the experts to compile a list of the most effective, easy and simple abdominal exercises. Are here:
- Plank."This is a versatile exercise in which the deep muscles, including the transversus abdominis and obliques, are actively involved. You can perform various types of planks - classic, lateral or dynamic, the most important thing is to perform them skillfully and correctly. Instead of tiny plates, it will be more efficient to do several short plates with a pause of a couple of seconds, the so-called 'fractional' plate, "says Ekaterina Demidova.
- Incomplete abs."When twisting, go up only to the lower edge of the shoulder blades, so that you activate the rectus abdominis and obliques, " says Ekaterina.
- "Square"."In this position, if done correctly, you can work the core muscles in isolation, " recalls Ekaterina Demidova.
Exercises directly "not intended" for this area will also help to effectively target the abdomen and sides. This is almost the entire base of strength: squats, deadlifts, etc. "It should be understood that abdominal exercises do not always work not only the abdominal muscles, we have the entire core involved in them, the muscles that are in the middle of the body, connect the sternum and pelvis. ", - concludes Victoria Kasilova.
We asked Victoria to show us a series of exercises that took all of these factors into account.
How to build a lesson
- Start your workout with some simple joint exercises or a 10-minute cardio workout. This will help prepare your muscles and joints for stress.
- Do all the exercises in sequence.
- Take care of your breathing: the main effort should be made on the exhale.
- Participate in this program 4-6 times a week.
- Increase the load gradually. "The adaptation of the body (and therefore the change of appearance) occurs only when we create stress, overload, " says Victoria Kasilova. For this reason, it is advisable to gradually complicate the lessons each week: use weights, increase the number of repetitions ".
- Complement your training with cardiovascular exercises. If your schedule doesn't include regular strength training, be sure to add cardio to the main complex - 40-50 minutes of swimming, cycling, and running two to three times a week will suffice. "The cardio will generate the expenditure of those same calories, with its help we can get rid of part of the fat, but the exercises for the press will help to strengthen the muscles", summarizes Victoria Kasilova.
To complete the complex, you will need a mat and a fitball.
Straight turns
Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Press your lower back against the floor. Working with the abdominal muscles, as you exhale, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, stretch your arms forward, touch your knees with your palms. Don't strain your neck and shoulders. Gently lower your back onto the mat. This will be a repeat. Run15-20 of them.
Oblique twists
Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Press your lower back against the floor. Working with your abdominal muscles, as you exhale, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and turn your body to the right. Stretch your arms out in front of you. Don't strain your neck and shoulders. Gently return to the starting position. Run15-20 repsin every direction.
Reverse crunches
Lie on your back with your arms extended along your body. Slightly bend your knees and lift your legs. Press your lower back against the floor. Using your abdominal muscles, as you exhale, lift your pelvis off the floor and bring your legs further behind your head. The belly should touch the thighs. Lower yourself gently to the starting position. Run15-20 repsexercises.
Turning with a pelvic lift
Lie on your back, place your hands on a lock at the back of your head. Relax your neck and shoulders. Press your lower back against the floor. Raise your legs crossing your ankles. As you exhale, exercising your abdominal muscles, simultaneously lift your shoulder blades and pelvis off the mat. Gently return to the starting position. Run15-20 repsexercises.
Sidebar in dynamics
Lie on your right side, bend your right arm at the elbow, and rest on your forearm. Straighten your legs and rest on the floor with the lateral surfaces of your feet, place your left hand on your thigh. Don't bend your lower back. With an exhale, lift your pelvis off the floor, work your abdominal and back muscles. Fix at the top point for 3-4 seconds, return to the starting position. Run20 repsin every direction.
Rotate your legs from a prone position
Sit on a rug with your legs straight. Lean back a bit. Bend your elbows, withdraw them slightly, and prop yourself up on your forearms. Bend your legs at the hip joint and stretch them up. Press the sacrum against the floor. Working with the muscles of the press, core, and thighs, gently move your toes and legs straight to the left, return to the center, and lower them to the right. This will be a repeat. Run10-20similar.
Body lifts in fitball
Lie down on the fitball with your left side, placing your body and pelvis on the ball. Straighten your legs and rest on the floor with the side surfaces of your feet. Bend your left hand and place your palm on the back of your head. With your right hand, lean lightly on the ball in front of you. Working with your press and core muscles, as you exhale, gently separate your upper body from the fit ball. Don't hunch or bend your lower back. With an inhale, return to the starting position. This will be a repeat. Contain20-30 of these in each direction. . .
Raising the pelvis on a fitball
Stand on a board with support on your arms straight, placing your feet on the adjustment ball. Don't add back arch or hunched over. Bending your knees and exercising your abdominal muscles, push your pelvis up. Pull your hips toward your stomach, rolling the fit ball closer to your arms. Gently return to the starting position. This will be a repeat. Run20-30 of these.
Lower your legs with fitball
Lie on your back, stretch your legs forward, squeeze the fitball between your shins. Stretch your arms across your body. Raise your legs with a fitball perpendicular to the floor and, working your abs and core muscles, while exhaling, lower them to a 30-40 degree angle. This will be a repeat. Run20-30 such. . .
Dynamic plank
Emphasize lying on your outstretched arms. Do not increase the arch in the lower back, relax the neck and shoulders. Activate the muscles of the front surface of the body: the muscles of the body, the thighs, the arms. Then alternately bend your elbows and lower yourself onto the forearm board. Go back to the starting position. Do as many repetitions of the exercise as possible inOne minute. . .
When to expect results?
Many experts agree: losing weight quickly (in 10 days, for example) will harm your health and lead to the same rapid weight gain. In addition, there is a great risk that the returned kilograms "bring friends with them": the body will store fat in the event of a new hunger strike or a strenuous training period.
It makes more sense to lose weight gradually. "Our efforts are always directly proportional to our results. Following proper nutrition and exercising 4-5 times a week, after a month you will definitely see the first results. But let's not forget that the weight loss process is very individual, it is always necessary take into account the characteristics of each one and, let's say, "initial data. " The most important thing is to focus on what you want to achieve and not on the difficulties, and then you will surely achieve any objective ", says Ekaterina Demidova.
So take note of our exercise scheme, do it regularly and you will be able to notice the first results of losing weight in a month.