Full Body Workout at Home with Resistance Bands
Conventional wisdom says there is only one way to get a six-pack. We’re not talking about a liquid six-pack but the dream midsection. You must do a lot of sit-ups and crunches. At Kbands Training we believe you have to do lots of different core workout routines to develop your six-pack, not just crunches and sit-ups. Washboard abs are a function of two things: your abdominal strength/conditioning and the amount of your body fat. You must get your body fat pretty low to achieve this look. As you get older this becomes even harder because as we age we tend to accumulate excess weight (fat) around our midsection. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, it just means you have to be very focused and dedicated to achieving this result. We’ll discuss nutrition in more detail later. Check out the video and get the exercises and nutrition tips to help you finally reveal your abs.
Do Resistance Bands Really Make a Difference?
As you are working out you might be asking yourself do resistance bands really make a difference? The short answer is “YES”! Sure you will burn calories if you limit your ab and oblique workouts to just crunches. Of course any movement is better than none. Remember as you work your other muscle groups, you don’t do the same exercise everyday. Your abs and obliques are no different. If you are going to get the gains you desire why not utilize every advantage possible? Don’t limit your workouts to the traditional thinking. The Fusion Cable Home Training System makes the exercises harder and more effective immediately. This means you place your muscles under tension at the beginning of the first exercise, not by the end of the first or second set. So the muscle time under tension is increased. This increased time under tension confuses the muscle so it must adjust and grow. The tension creates the tiny muscle tears that mean a stronger more defined muscle when it heals. The Fusion Cables allow you to elevate your heart rate faster as the resistance accelerates the burn from the core workout exercise because it is more challenging. This means you start burning more calories sooner and the residual burn also lasts longer. So you are building muscle and burning fat.
Using resistance bands in your core workout routine adds a cardio component to your weight training. This means you will get aerobic cardio benefits. Of course the muscles have to be developed which is why we perform ab exercises but the cardio will help make them visible, as you burn fat. As you see in the video many of the moves do not just target the abdominals and obliques, but they also have a cardio component. These are quick, high paced exercises that will leave you winded and your muscles burning. While performing the Oblique Rotations you are rotating from side to side with resistance. This is a quick paced oblique warm-up routine that has you rotating your torso and burning calories. The Fusion Cable Cross Punch is another high paced cardio oblique routine that has multiple benefits from just one workout. These high intensity, muscle focused core workout routines have you burning calories and toning your midsection all in the same exercise session.
Is it Possible to Have Bad Form When Working My Abs?
You can have bad form while performing abdominal and oblique exercises. Bad form translates into minimal results for your hard work and the risk of injury. Always focus on your form to ensure you get maximum benefit for your workout time. The following are examples of bad midsection workout habits to avoid or stop doing.
• Raising your head is not a sit-up. Your head and neck should be aligned with your torso. Make sure you are rising with your abs. The top half of your torso should be straight as if a rod runs from your butt out the top of your head.
• Don’t arch your lower back. Arching your back will strain your midsection. While pushing up try to also push your back to the floor. This will help develop the lower abs.
• Watch your breathing. Ab exercises put pressure on our midsection. Holding your breath while completing the movement increases this pressure on your abdomen. Exhale on the way up and breathe in on the way down.
• Stay under control and don’t jerk. These quick erratic movements make the exercise easier but it also minimizes the benefit.
• Don’t get stuck doing the same quantity of each exercise every time. The abs are like any other muscle. You must push them and they have memory. Not challenging your abs will reduce the benefits of your workouts. Increase the resistance band used during the exercise or perform more reps in each resisted set. If you are doing crunches use a low Fusion Cable attached to a low wall mount to increase the difficulty factor. If you have a decline bench perform incline sit-ups and when you get real strong add weight to these.
• Also remember to protect your low back while performing your core workout routine.
How to Get Rid of the Belly Fat and Love Handles
To achieve washboard abs you must lose the excess weight. But don’t think you just have to lose it around your middle. There is no way to spot reduce, i.e. target only your stomach and love handles. You must adjust your eating and 1) reduce the amount of calories you consume and 2) improve the quality of calories you are eating. When you lose weight you will lose weight everywhere not just from where you want it to disappear. When you exercise you will lose weight globally not locally. That’s why you can’t do just crunches, sit-ups, leg raises, oblique twists, bicycles, or any other ab exercises and expect to target your belly fat. These exercises will tone and firm your midsection and help your jeans to fit better but they won’t help you lose fat in that specific area as you work your abs. It is not possible to perform ab or oblique sculpting. The body doesn’t respond that way. Sorry!
The abdominal exercise shown in the video, The Victory Rope Cross Pull, is a hard-core exercise that is great for core strength, upper body development, and balance. This is a great multiple muscle workout because it hits the core, chest, glutes, and calves while performing the movement and maintaining a plank. You must also work as hard on your eating as you work in your workouts. One method we recommend is the two-hand test to measure your food. One hand represents a serving of protein (meat, fish, chicken) and the other hand is a fruit or vegetable. If the portion you are consuming is larger than your hand then you are probably over eating. Of course even eating the right portions but the wrong foods can be just as destructive as over eating by itself.
When you improve your eating, so you are consuming fewer and better quality calories, you have implemented the elements for significant lifestyle changes and benefits. In turn you will be closer to showing off those abs that you want to reveal. Or at least taken the steps for definitely building a better quality of life for yourself.
Why Develop My Abs?
Of course the vanity reason is simple. A six-pack, washboard ab is sexy! Who wouldn’t want to have this and then show it off? And think of all the compliments you will get. But a strong core, even without the six-pack is still important for your quality of life. Many people have low back pain because they work at a desk all day and their posture is less than perfect (sucks). Developing a strong core will help prevent this pain. Working your abs and low back in tandem means you will be better able to sit up straight and not slouch will working. Some people of resorted to using a standing desk to help with low back pain. This may help prevent low back pain but be careful not to create neck pain from looking down at this new position.
The abdominal muscles are designed to hold your internal organs in place like in a tightly woven basket. Of course the tighter the weaves of the basket the more secure the internal organs will be. This tightly woven muscle group also reduces the chances of the organs bulging out. So use your core workout routine to develop your midsection and work your abs as hard as your other muscle groups. Change your workout routine to include new exercises and include cardio to challenge and confuse your core muscles to also help stimulate and develop them.