Six Ways To Shed Your Muffin Top

http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

After the winter holidays have past and all that extra celebratory eating and drinking is over you may notice that your six pack has been traded in for a muffin top. This is not how we want to welcome Spring so what can be done to get rid of our newly acquired muffin top? In this article we will go over an amazing workout routine that if executed properly will help you work the inner core muscles pulling your abs in and up giving you that stunning look dressed or undressed. This routine in combination with strength and cardio workout will have you back in shape in no time.

This routine is made up of six separate moves which should be done four non-consecutive days a week. Complete a set of the six exercises back to back, take a thirty to sixty second break and do it all over again twice more, it should take around thirty minutes to complete and all you need is a mat.

These exercises are the best ways to blast your muffin top and we will take you through the process step by step as well offer tips and pointers as well as easy to make mistakes to ensure that you are completing the sets properly and getting the best results for your exercise efforts.

1. Dead Bug: Three sets of ten reps.

• Step One : With your arms fully extended lie face up and raise your legs, knees bent and your lower legs maintain a parallel to the floor in a tabletop position.
• Step Two: Maintaining your core tight place your right arm behind your head and gently extend your left leg without touching the floor. Bring yourself back to the starting position and do the same motions but this time with the left arm behind your head and the right leg extended this will conclude one repetition.
• Helpful Tip: Never allow the lower back to loose contact with the floor. Imagine an invisible string pulling your navel into the floor and maintain that position throughout the entire process.

2. Double Criss-Cross: Three sets of twenty.

• Step One: Lying face up, place your hands behind your head with elbows widely spread and bring your knees up into your chest. Keep your right knee pressed against your chest as your left leg extends parallel to the floor as your left shoulder turns towards your right knee. After two elbow to knee pulses return to the starting position.
• Step Two: Alternate the bent knee and extended leg. This concludes one repetition.
• Helpful Tip: By keeping your elbows widely spread behind your head you avoid pulling on your neck which could cause injury.

3. Pretzel Knee Crunch: Three sets of twenty reps on each side

• Step One: With your right leg bent in front of your body and your left leg bent behind it sit in a pretzel position maintaining a ninety degree angle with the knees. Keep your spine straight but in a natural position and your torso bent slightly forward hinging from the hips at a forty five degree angle to the floor. With your hands on your chest together lift your right leg a few inches off the ground.
• Step Two: Maintaining the rest of your body still bring the right leg towards the left attempting to gently tap the right leg to the left elbow. Return the leg behind the body but do not touch the floor. Complete reps for both sides.

4. Elbow Plank Hip Rainbow: Three sets of ten reps.

• Step One: Start off in a forearm plank position maintaining your feet hip width apart and your abdominal area tightened. Lift your hips a bit above shoulder level.
• Step Two: Pivoting on the sides of your feet rotate your left hip towards the ground. Pull your abs in even deeper and return your hips to starting position. Repeat rotating right hip and continue doing so until all reps are complete.
• Helpful Tip: Imagine that your tailbone is outlining a rainbow.

5. Swimming: Three sets of twenty reps.

• Step One: lying face down extend your arms and legs as if you were a Z. Stretching out your spine lift your thighs, arms and chest of the floor and hold the position while looking down at the mat. Lift your left arm up towards your ear while lifting your right leg a bit past hip level.
• Step Two: Change sides right away and that makes one repetition. Keeping your core steady alternate arms and legs.
• Helpful Tips: To add a stretch to your spine and abs bend your elbows slightly and engage your core. You want to imagine opening your shoulder blades and as you reach your chest forward you slide them down the rib cages. Open your chest and rotate your shoulder blades.

6 Side Plank Plie: Three sets of ten on each side

• Step One: Start off in a stacked right side plank left arm extended under the shoulder and right leg crossed over the left and left arm stretched out by the ear. Left palm down engage your core.
• Step Two: Both knees must be bent in Plie and send the weight down to the feet. Lower the right arm by right thigh palm upwards. Extend your legs and start again.

These exercises are the easiest and fastest ways to blast your muffin top away. Just follow the instructions and make sure you do all the reps four days out of the week and you are on your way to fitting into those jeans again.

The post Six Ways To Shed Your Muffin Top appeared first on NUTRITION CLUB CANADA.