Exercise Lose Weight with Sit-ups and Crunches?

If your goal is to strengthen your abs, what's the first type of exercise that comes to mind? Like most people out there, the general public believes that the best way to Exercise and Lose Weight and thereby getting great abs is to do hundreds of sit-ups. Unfortunately, this is myth as researchers and physical fitness professions all know to be true. Sit-ups and crunches are NOT the most effective forms of exercises for your abs.

Like most myths, the information started off with some truth. From an early age, your gym teachers probably instilled this information into your subconscious. I remember having been timed on how many sit-ups I was able to do within a minute or 3. These teachings were based on the military trainings. Therefore, you associated getting in shape with doing sit-ups and crunches. Of course, this doesn't mean that these exercises don't work. They do and can work, but are most helpful to those people who are already in great condition.

So if you are starting out, what Exercise to Lose Weight should you be doing to get your abdominals into shape?

If you've taken any Pilates, a form of exercise that focuses on core strength building, or Yoga, then you've done Planks. Yes, planks allow you to work your core abdominals and they are the most effective Exercise to Lose Weight for those starting out. Pilates instructors use planks to build both abdominal and arm muscles.

Yoga is a form of exercise that uses the plank to go into a common position called downward dog. Downward dog and the plank position are used numerously within a session to move from one pose to another. If you've done any yoga exercises, downward dog is a resting pose position. The plank is part of the downward dog position, moving you and strengthening your core as you move. It not only works on your abdominals, but if you've noticed yoga enthusiasts, they also have great toned arms. The plank position will also help with that as well.

The newest book by Alwyn Cosgrove "The New Rules of Lifting for Abs" talks about how plank exercises are the best entry-level Exercise to Lose Weight programs. He discusses several variations including side planks. So if you are not currently in great shape and want to get started, doing plank exercises are an excellent addition to any Exercise Lose Weight program. Start off doing them slowly and with fewer repetitions. As your core strengthens, add more reps. It's also important to remember to pause and hold the position, that's key to doing them correctly and creating resistance.

Another form of Exercise to Lose Weight that's great for losing belly fat off your abs are SQUATS. Yes, you know this to be true. Squats work large muscle groups from your core to your buttocks to your legs and calves and therefore they create lots of resistance and burn even more calories. If you want to learn the types of squats and how to do them correctly check out Exercise Lose Weight.

Now that you've learned that the plank and the squat are the best Exercise to Lose Weight on your belly if you're just starting out. I hope you are no longer doing sit-ups and crunches. Again, any type of core activity if done incorrectly can hurt your back, so check out Exercise Lose Weight to see instructions on how to do them correctly.

Grab your free book to Exercise to Lose Weight and get meaner, leaner 6 pack abs.