Yoga and pilates are both great forms of exercise for stress, flexibility and killer abs!
Check out these moves that take the best of both yoga and pilate moves to create yogilates from Women’s Health. The fusion was created when Jonathan Urla, instructor at The Sports Club/LA in New York City realized his yoga class was so much easier after having completed a pilates class right before.
Three Great Yogilates Moves for Your Abs
1. Hammock
Targets abdominals as well as glutes, arms, chest, and shoulders
a) Sit tall with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor; place your hands on the floor behind you at about a 45-degree angle; lean back.
b) Keeping your arms straight, inhale as you lift your hips until the front of your body—knees to shoulders—is in one straight line.
c) Lower your hips to the floor, straightening your legs out in front of you as you come down to a seated position.
d) Place your hands next to your thighs and lean forward, pulling your abs in toward your spine.
e) Then push down through your hands to lift your hips off the floor. Hold here.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.
2. Double leg stretch
Strengthens and tones the abs
a) Lie on the floor, bend and hold onto your knees, and curl your shoulders up off the floor.
b) Keeping your hips down and your lower back pressed into your mat, extend your legs up and out at a 45 degree angle to the floor as you reach your arms straight up (biceps near ears) forming a wide “U” shape with your body.
c) Hold this position, pressing your ribs down toward the floor.
d) Use your abs to bring your legs and arms back to starting position with your knees bent.
Repeat 5 to 10 times.
3. Side twists
Works all ab muscles, in particular the obliques
a) Lie on your back with arms extended out at your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor. Lift your bent legs to form a right angle with your torso.
b) Keeping both legs together and both your shoulders pressing into the floor, twist and drop your legs to the left until they’re halfway or nearly touching the floor.
c) Bring your knees back to center and twist and drop them to the right side without bringing them to the floor. Return to center.
Repeat 3 to 5 times per side.
SUP or stand-up paddle surfing is the latest workout that will tone your arms and abs in no time.
This calorie-burning workout can be done anywhere that there’s a body of water. You can sign up for water lessons or even enroll in a SUP training camp.
Shape Magazine has a list of possible courses you can take Here.
As it turns out, the exercises synonymous for abs of envy, may not be the best way to train your core-it may even be harming your back!
“The best way—for both your back and your beach body—to work your midsection is to do movements that challenge the muscles to perform the way they’re designed and expected to work in real life, and not to train muscles in isolation. “It’s important to have strong abs, but strong abdominals are not the only thing,” says Dr. Guyer. “You have your back extenders, your flexors, which are belly muscles, you have your oblique muscles.” Working all of these muscle groups—the anatomical association known as “the core”—is essential to both back health and general athleticism.”
The best way to get fit and toned is by swapping these overrated fitness strategies for smarter alternatives. Workout strategies are constantly evolving as fitness researchers find ways to get the most out of a workout.
Here are the most recent updates that will land you a body of envy in no time.
There is no longer any need to:
-Position your hands shoulder-width apart
Instead try spreading your hands a few inches farther out stresses more of the inner portion of your biceps; bringing your hands in a few inches builds more of the outer part
-Crunches for a flat belly
Turns out Pilates abdominal moves are superior to crunches for sculpting your midsection and uncovering those abs
-Squats = a perfect bum
Try doing hip extensions instead of squats
-Eat lots of extra protein for less jiggle and more tone
While it’s true that protein is a vital muscle food, your body can use only so much of it. “Any extra protein calories you take in will be stored as fat
-Up-down-up-down. Repeat.
Instead of one motion, pause for a second about halfway up, continue the movement, then pause again about halfway down.
-Burn the most calories with cardio
For optimal results, do a total-body weight-training workout three days a week, resting at least a day between sessions, and do intervals on at least two of the off days.
-Rest between sets
Less rest increases your calorie burn and adds a cardio component to strength training
-Weigh yourself daily for motivation
The scale measures water and muscle, too. It’s not a great indicator of fat loss. For a better — and more, um, hands-on — progress report, place your fingers on your belly and inhale deeply so that it expands.
The holidays are over, but our snug clothing is reminding us of how much we enjoyed ourselves!
No fear here is a balanced workout along with diet and exercise, that will get you fab abs for 2009!
This may just be crazy enough to work!
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