How To Get Abs In South Africa

Things You Should Know

Target your upper and lower abs and your obliques with core exercises at least 1-2 times per week, or as frequently as 5-6 times per week.
Reduce belly fat with cardio and a low-calorie diet of lean protein, lots of fruits and veggies, and plenty of water.
Track your progress with an exercise journal, before and after photos, and waist measurements to boost your morale.

Exercising the Abdominal Muscles

Target all three abdominal areas. To get a six-pack, you must exercise your upper abs, lower abs, and obliques (side abdominals). Aim to work your abs at least 1–2 times per week, but you can try including core exercises in your routine up to 5–6 times.

While you cannot target each area exclusively, each abdominal exercise emphasizes a particular area. The following exercises will help get you started.

Exercise your lower abs.

People often find this area hardest to get in shape, so it may require the most attention. Try these exercises to target these muscles.

Scissors: Lie on your back with your legs raised in the air at a 45 to 90-degree angle, depending on flexibility. Place your hands at your sides, and lower your right leg slowly until it is a few inches above the ground. Return to the original position, and then repeat the movement with your left leg. Continue alternating between legs. Try to do at least 10 reps without pausing.

Leg lifts: Lie on your back with your legs elevated a few inches off the ground. Keeping your knees straight, slowly raise your legs until they are perpendicular to the floor. Slowly return to the original position without letting your feet touch the ground. Repeat the exercise.

Torso twists: Sit cross-legged and stretch your arms out in front of you with the fingertips of each hand touching the other. Inhale. With your abdominal muscles tight, slowly rotate your upper body about 45 degrees to the right. Exhale. Return to the center and repeat on your left side. Repeat the exercise.

Note that when doing the leg lifts or scissors, your lower back should remain on the ground at all times.

Otherwise, you may suffer a back injury.

Work your upper abs.

The upper abdominal muscles are those right below your sternum. They also must be strengthened to achieve a solid six-pack.

Here are some exercises that target these muscles.

Crunches with feet on the floor: Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest or place your hands behind your head without touching it. Inhale as you use your core muscles to lift your head and shoulders off the ground and toward your knees. Your lower back should remain flat on the ground. Then, exhale as you slowly lower yourself back to the ground.

Crunches with elevated legs: Get in the crunch position, but instead of placing your feet on the ground, raise your legs in the air, keeping your knees bent. Holding your legs still and keeping your lower back on the floor, raise your upper body toward your legs while exhaling. Then, inhale as you slowly lower back to the floor. Repeat.

Hip lifts: Lie on your back with your arms crossed over your chest. If you are a beginner, you can also place your hands by your side with the palms facing down. Then, raise your legs so that the soles of your feet face straight up. Lift your hips upward off the floor, lifting with your abs. Repeat.

Work your obliques.

Last but not least, you’ll need to strengthen your oblique muscles. Failure to do so will result in an imbalanced core and a six-pack that looks strange or misshapen. Here are some exercises that will help strengthen your side abdominal muscles

Side bends: Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your waist, and then slowly bend sideways at your waist, moving your upper body to the right. Return to the original position, and then repeat the movement on the left side.

For a more rigorous workout, do this with your hands at your sides and a heavy object such as a jug of water in your hand as you bend.

Oblique crunches: Lie on your back with your legs elevated and your knees bent at a 45 degree angle and hip-width apart. You may find it easiest to rest them on a flat surface such as a bench. Then, place your hands behind your head, and use your core to lift your head and shoulders off the floor, touching your right elbow to your left knee.

Return to the original position, and then repeat the movement so that your left elbow touches your right knee. Exhale as you rise, and inhale as you return to the starting position

Oblique twists (Russian twists): Lie down on the floor, bending your knees and placing your feet under a heavy object. Raise your upper body from the floor.

Fully extend your arms, perpendicular to your torso, and twist your torso to one side while exhaling. Return to the starting position while inhaling. Repeat, twisting to the other side. For a more rigorous workout, do this while holding a heavy object such as a jug of water, a sack of flour, or a large dictionary.

Do planks.

Plank exercises are important for any abdominal muscle workout because they work all the ab muscles together, plus many other muscle groups. To do this exercise, get in a push-up position, using your elbows for support rather than your hands. Keep your body in a straight line, making sure that your hips do not sag. Contract and pull in all the muscles around your middle, and do not let your belly drop. Hold for as long as you can.

Keep your head relaxed and looking at the floor.

Start off holding this position for 10 seconds at a time, and work your way up to longer intervals.

To make sure that your body is straight, do this exercise in front of a mirror.