Читать книгу Nicki Waterman’s Flat Stomach Plan: The Ultimate Abdominal Workouts and Diet - Nicki Waterman - Страница 5
ОглавлениеFirst, read it. That may sound obvious, but that is exactly what you should do. Too often people just flick straight to the first exercise and get started without understanding what they are doing, or why they are doing it – and if you don’t understand this it’s very easy to do it wrong.
The exercise section of the book is designed in careful stages to take you through an entire abdominal workout programme from being a novice to becoming an expert. The core of the exercise section consists of four stages of development (see chapters 2–5), each of which you should complete and be comfortable with before moving on to the next. For the experienced, I have also included some very challenging curls and a total three-in-one routine (Chapter 6: Fab Abs Challenge).
There is an important chapter on preventing back problems, which includes back-strengthening exercises and specific cool-down techniques for the back. Additional chapters include ab training during and after pregnancy, and belly dancing – which I thoroughly endorse as a good form of aerobics combined with abdominal training. There is also a Curl-Free Workout, which is useful for challenging your ab muscles to do something a bit different.
The diet section of the book looks at healthy eating, and provides practical suggestions for delicious meals that are low in calories and fat. As I pointed out in the introduction, you can work hard to achieve a toned tum, but if it’s hidden under a layer of fat you will not get that flat look you are aiming for. However, short-term, very restrictive diets are not the answer. In order to lose fat and keep it off, you need to adopt a healthy diet – the last two chapters show you how. The recipes are healthy and simple and provide an illustration of how easy it is for a sensible diet to become part of your everyday routine. And, of course, if healthy eating and exercise become second nature, you’ll have that flat stomach for life.
Now before you’re tempted to just dive in and get started, let’s look at some of the practicalities of exercising those abs.
Warming up and cooling down
As always when working out, you should start your session by warming up and finish it by cooling down. Warming up is a kind of rehearsal for the actual exercises you will be doing. It raises your body temperature to ensure good circulation of blood and serves to lightly stretch the muscles you will be working, making them supple enough to prevent injury and minimize soreness. Cooling down eases everything back into place and relaxes you. Sections on warming up and cooling down for general ab training, as well as for back training, are included to teach you the correct techniques for each.
The four main abdominal training plans are as follows:
• Stage 1 is for beginners. It shows you all you will need to know and do to start a basic ab programme.
• Stage 2 is intermediate and focuses on increasing your strength. More areas of your abdominal muscles are brought into play as different and more complex techniques are introduced.
• Stage 3 is for the more experienced and focuses on ‘shocking’ the muscles by introducing more challenges in tempo, endurance and position, all of which encourage progress to new levels of fitness.
• Stage 4 is as demanding as it gets. Not to be undertaken by the inexperienced or unfit, this is your ultimate goal and when you have reached it you will have a truly awesome figure.
When you are ready
Before you begin your first workout, familiarize yourself with Chapter 2, Stage 1: Beginner’s Curls. In this section, you will find advice and directions on how to breathe (it’s not as simple as it sounds) and how to do a basic curl. It also illustrates how to position your body for the best effect and to avoid injury. Read, absorb and understand. When you have absorbed all this on paper, you will be ready to start. But don’t proceed yet. First, comes the warm up. Before you do anything else, you should always warm up. Chapter 1 is devoted to warm-up stretches specifically designed for your abdominal workout, so this is where your routine should always begin.
Now that you are ready to start, take it slowly – don’t try to run before you can walk. Work your way through each stage, never moving on until you are completely confident and strong enough for each new and tougher challenge. If you have moved on too fast, stop, go back to the previous stage and do it all over again. It’s quality not speed that counts in abs training. Your abdominal muscles will still get stronger and your stomach flatter, even if you always stay at Stage 1.
This is a good place to mention that if you have reached Stage 4 and need to stop for any length of time, it is advisable not to just throw yourself back in at the deep end when you start again. I strongly recommend that you start over with Stage 1 and work your way forward as a refresher. In fact, even if you are a Stage 4 super ab demon, it’s good for your muscles to do a variety of exercises, so return to the exercises in the earlier stages now and again.
As you read all the various sections of this book, you will note that many of the warm up and cool-down exercises are similar and are repeated in full. This is to make using this book easier, so you don’t have to keep flicking back and forth between sections.
Questions and answers
How often should I curl?
For maximum benefit, you need to exercise your abs three to four days a week, but not on consecutive days. Leave at least a day between each session (so, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and so on). As I’ve already explained, your muscles need time to recover.
How long should I work my abs?
Not less than 10 minutes. If that is all the time you can spare, it’s still worth it. Beginners should train until they feel tired and then stop. Each exercise gives guidelines as to how many repetitions (reps) you should do, starting with about four and gradually increasing as you get stronger. Fifteen minutes overall is about right, especially if you are going to include abs training in with a workout plan that works all the muscles in your body. The main thing is never to strain or to keep on going if you are in pain.
What is the best time to do the curl?
Any time that you can set aside to exercise will do. However, I always suggest that early morning, as soon as you rise, is best because the rest of the day can get very crowded, especially if you lead a busy life. It’s all too easy to tell yourself, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ and often tomorrow ends up stretching into a week or a month of tomorrows and you just give up. If you really have no time, get up half an hour earlier. Exercise should be a regular part of your day.
How long will it take to get a flat stomach?
Provided that you’re not huge to start with, you should see good results in as little as a week. In a month you will see a big improvement and in three months you should look and feel magnificent. If you’re eating sensibly and doing aerobic exercise as well, you’ll see results faster. Really, it’s up to you and your determination.
Remember, you are in control of your body – not anyone else.
Do I need to warm up for abs training if I have already warmed up for my other exercises?
Ideally, yes – because all warm-up stretches are designed for particular muscle groups. It is advisable to start every complete workout session with five or ten minutes of light aerobics – such as a brisk walk, dancing or running on the spot.
What about cooling down?
The same applies as above. Cooling down eases and relaxes those hard-worked and stretched muscles and helps prevent cramp.
You mention the back often. What’s my back got to do with it – I thought ab training was for my abdominals?
Your back and abdominal muscles work together to give your torso a full range of movement. Weak stomach muscles often lead to back problems. Equally, there’s no point in over-training your front if you ignore your back. A strong, healthy body should have muscles that are worked equally all over as part of a total workout programme. I always suggest some back-strengthening exercises immediately after your abs cool down to keep the back muscles strong and supple (see Chapter 8). Remember to finish off with your back cool-down stretches.
You also mention good posture – why is this important?
Good posture not only looks good, it also means you’re less likely to get back problems, your neck won’t ache, you won’t tire so easily and you will ease or even cure digestion and breathing problems. If you stand and sit correctly all your organs will be in their correct place, your muscles properly aligned and working correctly and, in turn, there won’t be any strain on your joints. Good posture depends on having strong back and abdominal muscles. Together, they keep you upright and nicely in balance.
Do I really need to learn how to stand, sit and walk?
You shouldn’t – after all, have you ever seen a young child with bad posture? However, as we get older many of us develop terrible posture. We stand for long hours with our weight balanced on one hip and knee, our spine twisted. We sit slumped in a chair, back curved, watching TV. We sit in car seats that are badly designed and put a huge strain on our middle and lower back. We sit at our desks all day, shoulders slumped forward, spine curved and stomach sagging. We even sleep on sagging mattresses with our backs bent and our necks twisted upwards on piles of pillows.
Well, how should I stand or sit then?
Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, your weight equally distributed, knees slightly relaxed and not pushed back and stiff. Your lower back should not be excessively arched in either a backward or forward direction. Try not to stand for long periods wearing high heels. Your shoulders should be back and down (not rounded forward or pulled back hard as if you’ve just joined the army). Your head, which is heavy, should be in the centre of your shoulders, not jutting forward. Your chin should be level, not up in the air. (Try it up – and feel the strain on the bones at the back of your neck. Now pull it far down and feel the strain on the muscles at the back of your neck.) Your neck has a natural curve that is designed to hold your head in the correct position. This is the basic position referred to throughout the curl exercises in this book.
Sit upright, back supported where possible, feet either flat on the floor in front of you or tucked back and balanced on the balls. Your stomach should be tucked in, buttocks against the back of the chair or a wall, hands resting lightly on thighs. If you have no back support, remember the Victorians. They used their muscles to hold them in an upright position – one thing they didn’t do was slump or slouch.
So many people today shuffle around as if they are worn out, their head, belly and shoulders all aiming towards the ground, their backs rounded. They look as if they lack energy and drive – and it’s not surprising.
Learn to stand and sit correctly and you will be amazed at the change, not only in your appearance but also in your attitude and motivation. You will discover energy you never knew you had. And ab training really helps by first of all strengthening all the muscles that help keep your body upright and properly aligned. Add some back training and you will immediately notice a remarkable difference.
The illustrations opposite show how you should sit and stand.
