10 Of The Best Upper Ab Workouts
Contents
Introduction
Upper ab workouts our subject today, Name a person who is not crying to have a flat belly! Even the ones, who have it, are frightened to lose their shape. A slim tummy is not just sexy; it gives you confidence at a completely new level to wear almost anything and everything!.
Losing pounds from your body can be dreadful, tiring, and painful and it requires a lot of determination, sacrifices and patience as well. Did you know that belly fat or visceral fat is the hardest to lose because of its location? It can also lead to heart diseases. Therefore, that means not only does belly fat look ugly, it also poses a threat to your health. Staying fit is very important.
When you focus on your abdominal muscles A.K.A. abs, you are on your way to bidding goodbye to belly fat. The abs exercises help to burn belly fat like no other. Here in this article, we will tell you about 10 upper ab workouts that you should include in your fitness program to get your dream body in no time!
Wait! What causes belly fat?
No activity, diet that contains Trans fatty acid, consumption of alcohol and sweetened drinks, menopause, fruit juices, low fiber diets and stress are some factors that can cause abdominal obesity or belly fat.
Workout smartly.
Accept the fact that a flat stomach cannot be the result of doing 100 crunches a day! Apart from exercises for upper abs, there are different kinds of workouts also that target your stomach area by melting down the belly fat. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training can help you to shed your extra pounds faster than usual, and you can get that strikingly sexy tummy in no time.
Ensure a balanced diet!
Your body weight depends mostly on what you eat. Only a proper workout regime will not help. The wrong diet can lead you to feel lethargic and be low on energy and can destroy your metabolism as well. Say no to refined carbs and go for high-fiber low-carb foods. Do not starve yourself and keep away from deprivation diets. Eat healthily and stay healthy.
Get enough rest.
Working on your abs two days in a row is not a very good idea. Just like the other muscles of your body, even your abs demand a rest day. It helps your body to relax, repair, and turn up even stronger the next day after rest!
Check the sugar intake!
We all love to binge on desserts, but who does not know how many calories they have? When you want a flat stomach, cutting on your sugar intake is a mandate. This will keep your glucagon high and your insulin level on a check.
Chew your food and then swallow.
When we swallow our food in large bites, we end up with a bloated stomach. When you chew your food to the extent that it becomes almost liquid when you swallow it, it helps in better digestion, which prevents bloating and helps you get a flat stomach.
Don’t take the stress.
Stay tension free always as stress has the tendency to increase the cortisol level in your body which makes your body store extra fat in your lower abdomen.
Drink lots and lots of water.
Your metabolism rate improves and your body releases the excess toxins when you drink plenty of water throughout the day. It also helps
Get good sleep.
No matter how hard you work out at the gym or home, if you do not sleep for at least 7 to 9 hours in a day, all your efforts can go in vain. Ensure that you get good sleep every day. This is because, while you sleep, your body releases HGH, which is actually a fat burning hormone!
Belly fat can be threatening. After sharing the above tips, which include following a balanced diet, let us now see what some of the food items are that can help to burn your belly fat quickly.
Foods will help you through your upper ab workouts:
- Yogurt: Yogurt has good bacteria that helps in digestion and looks after the health of your gut! A study revealed that women who consume more probiotics had the tendency to lose more weight than women who did not. You can add it to salad dressings, smoothies, and other meals if you do not want to consume yogurt alone.
- Fruits: Loaded with minerals and vitamins, fruits are not just nutritious but help a lot when you are trying to lose belly fat. Burners include citrus fruits like oranges, tangerine, kiwi and lemon that help to melt your fat faster than other fruits. Grapes, strawberries, watermelon are also included in the list.
- Almonds: These nuts have fats that do not increase your calorie intake. They keep you full for quite a lot of time. Being rich in nutrients and omega-3, it boosts your metabolism and energy level.
- Green veggies: Loaded with water, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber, green vegetables like kale, collard greens, spinach, and radish greens have a lower calorie count when compared to fruits. They indirectly help you to lose belly fat by controlling you from overeating or consuming junk food, by keeping you full for a long time.
- Oatmeal: Being fiber-rich, oats help in digestion and aids in curbing your hunger pangs as well. They give you the energy to workout better and lessens your body’s fat content too.
- Whole grains: Brown rice, millet, quinoa keep you healthy as they are rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. They keep you full for a long time, clear your colon, and make your muscle mass better, which all together help you to shed pounds from the belly.
- Dairy products: Feta cheese, full-fat yogurt and full-fat milk are some products that you must include in your diet when you’re trying to lose weight. Not only are they nutritious, but they keep you full for longer hours and ensure your hunger pangs are at bay.
- Soups: Soups help in weight loss and prevent the accumulation of fat in the belly area. We do not mean packaged soups though. You should make soups at home to get the best results.
- Broccoli: Broccoli contains phytonutrients that aid in reducing inflammation, flushing out toxins from the body, boosting metabolism and making the body’s immunity stronger. It helps to reduce obesity and works best to burn the belly fat.
Coming to the main topic, now we will share with you the upper ab workouts that will give you that flat belly quickly!
Upper ab workouts
1.Dead Bug
Dead bug one of the best upper ab workouts Take a Yoga mat and lie down straight keeping your back flat on it. Now keep your arms and legs up in such a way that it faces the ceiling. Engage your abs by taking a deep breath. Next, lower your right leg as you exhale and stretch your right arm at the back of your head. Do this with the left leg next to complete a set. You should do at least 8-12 reps per side.
2.Dynamic plank
You have to start this one by taking a plank position which means you have to support your body’s weight on your forearms !Make sure your body creates a straight line right from your shoulders until your ankles. Contract your abs as to imagine somebody had knocked you in the tummy. Now pull your body up into the top position similar to that of a push up by stretching your arms one at once. Take a pause and go back to your elbows after reversing the movement. That becomes one rep!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyTw3JeAMyo
3.Bicycle crunch
Place a Yoga mat on the floor and lie flat on it with your lower back against the ground. Keep your hands on the back of your ears and hold your head gently in that manner. Bring your knees closer towards your chest to make an angle of 45 degrees. Pull up your upper back till your shoulder blades are away from the mat. Make sure your abs contract while you straighten your right leg to a 45 degrees angle while your upper body turns to the left and see that your right elbow moves towards your left knee. Don’t just make your elbows move; your rib cages should be moving too. Do this with the left leg now and keep switching legs to complete a set. You should do 2-3 sets of this with 8-12 reps for each set.
4.Sit-ups
Take a Yoga mat and lie flat on it with your back against the floor. Your legs should secure a position under a heavy furniture like a table or a bench so that you don’t lose grip, and you should make sure your knees are bent. Keep your hands on your chest in a cross position. Now raise your upper body till you reach a sitting position and flex your abs. Then, lower your torso and go back to the first position.
5.Toe touches
This is one of the most excellent exercises for upper ab workouts. In this, you have to sit on the edge of an exercise bench and stretch your legs in front of you and hold on to its sides with your hands to get support. Then pull your legs up as much as possible while bringing your upper body close to them at the same time. Now go back to the starting position and repeat the whole movement till you have completed a set.
6.Crunches
place a mat and lie back on the ground with your hips width apart, knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Keep your hands at the back of the head so that your thumbs are behind the ears. Elbows should be held at the sides and slightly rounded in. tilt your chin in a way that there’s a considerable gap between your chest and the chin. Now slowly pull your abs inward and curl up forwards in a way that your shoulder blades, head and neck are lifted off the floor. Pause for a moment after holding up, and then lower back down on the ground again slowly. Keep repeating this 12-15 times.
7.Pike planks
Start by taking a plank position with your spine at a neutral position and keep your abs engaged. You have to face the floor in this plank position. Now pike up, move your butt up towards the ceiling, and hold for 5 secs. Then come back down in the position of a plank and hold again for 5 seconds again. Now pike up again, hold, and come back again, then hold. Keep repeating this to complete a set.
8.Crossed leg crunch
Lie down on your back with your face-up towards the ceiling. Place your left ankle on top of the right knee. Support your head with your hands but don’t put pressure on your head while attempting to crunch up. Put more force on the abs instead! Then lift your head, shoulders and upper back off the floor and feel your abs contracting when you crunch up so as to near your leg. Hold for 2 seconds and then go back to the starting position. Do at least 12-15 reps per side and do about 2-3 sets.
9.Crunch clap
place a yoga mat and lie flat against your back on it. Raise your shoulder blades gently a little off the floor. Stretch your legs and try to lift one leg up while the other lies intact on the floor in an attempt to make an L-shape. Next, crunch up gently and clap your hands at the back of the leg that you raised. Go back to the first position and keep alternating legs. Do 10-12 reps on each side for 2-3 sets.
10.Dumbbell crunch
The last one of the upper ab workouts is Dumbbell crunch, take a crunching position, and hold a weight or dumbbell across your chest using both the hands. Create tension in your upper abs as you lift up your body and then lower your torso again while holding onto the dumbbell. Do 10 reps.
Be rest assured that you can flaunt amazing looking abs when you perform the above exercises. Keep all our tips and tricks in mind and your sexy tummy won’t be a distant dream anymore!
Related Articles:
18 Of Best Pull-up Alternative with videos
6 Best BodyWeight Chest Workout
7 Best Bodyweight Back Exercises
Some Article Resources :
