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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. New Additions to Popular Fitness
2. Abdominal Exercise Workout

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1. NEW ADDITIONS- Exercise videos and free tools

Exercise Video Instruction

New free tools added:
Fat Calculator
Protein Calculator
Carbohydrate Calculator
Heart Rate Calculator
Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator
 

2. Abdominal Exercise Workout

There are so many people looking for the secrets to great
abs. You see all the hype on TV infomercials. Companies 
peddling all types of equipment that will help you build rock 
hard abs and a miraculous mid section. Without spending a lot
of money or any money at all, I'll discuss a simple and effective
way of building great looking abs. It can be done at home or
at your gym.

Now we all want defined, toned abdominal muscles. Mostly to
look great. A lot of men strive for a 6 pack or close to it, while
most women's goal is for a tight toned mid  section. Let me stress
that besides the cosmetic reasons for having great looking 
adominals, having a firm and toned mid section has many other
benefits. You'll ease any extra stress a belly or extra weight puts
on your back, improve your posture, increase  your stamina and
endurance because you are not carrying any extra weight and 
improve  your self esteem. You'll feel even better about yourself
and what you have accomplished. Anyway, this is pretty basic
knowledge, but it is good to reflect on why you want to have
solid great looking abs.

First of all, to develop solid abs, you need to shed some excess
body fat. This is accomplished by eating properly and consuming
less calories each day than your body burns. Try our free 
Calorie Calculator.

Secondly, your abdominals must be trained in accordance with
proper resistance training. I'll discuss Ab Crunches as an effective
exercise to build your abs.

Ab crunches can be performed anywhere:

Starting Position:
Place your hands crossed on your chest and lie flat on the floor. 
You can also place your  hands behind your head if you prefer,
but this position often leads to poor posture and unnecessary 
strain on your neck. In other words, you also end up cheating by
lifting yourself using your arms and neck rather than your abs.

Performing the Exercise:
Slowly raise yourself using your abs, with your lower back always
pressed against the floor. Raising your lower back will put 
unnecessary stress on your back. There are many  exercises 
specifically for your lower back and remember, the abdominals
create the exercise. Following the same method, slowly lower 
yourself.

Sets:
Try 4 sets of 24 with a short rest in between. The great thing 
about abs is that they can  be exercised every second day or 
on consecutive days depending on your time and workout 
schedule.

Variation:
Try the same procedure by raising your legs or when you want 
to work on your obliques. Most people forget about working
the oblique muscles (your side stomach muscles). Lie on the 
floor the same way as for regular crunches and cross your legs
over to begin the exercise. If this feels uncomfortable or difficult,
you may want to try the exercise standing up.With a reasonable
weight in one hand, slowly lower one side and then return to the 
starting position. Repeat the procedure on your other side.

For ab video demonstrations or recommended reading.
 
 

This newsletter is brought to you by Popular Fitness

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