What's a good/cheap way to get toned abs?

Question

I'm a mom of an 11 month old girl and a full time worker. I don't have the money to use the gym or buy expensive eqiptment and I have a lot of back problems so multiple sit ups on the floor isnt an option. Is there any other way to lose belly inches and get flat abs?

Answer 1

running and crunches are free. typically the target range is around 40-60 mins of cardio to really target fat. if you don't want to spend that much time, you can try something called HIIT (high intensity interval training). there are different variations to this but one way is to do 8 intervals where one interval is 20 seconds of sprinting followed by 10 seconds of rest...and repeat.

so it'd look something like this:
5 min warmup run/jog
8x [20sec sprint/10 sec rest]
5 min cooldown run/jog

takes less than 20 minutes and it really boosts your metabolism. plus it builds more muscle in your legs and sorta trains you like a sprinter. ever notice how sprinters are all extremely cut and have almost no body fat? this is what they do...as part of their training.

Answer 2

I'm a forty year old male, with a past of intense training for boxing, martial arts, amateur body-building, and I too have back problems from over-use injuries, slipped-discs, etc. It doesn't help that I work in construction, and when something unfeasibly heavy needs shifting, I get roped in, or the others always get hurt, leaving me feeling guilty.
I have good abs, which I train as well as I can, but they'll never show until you diet and lose the padding in front of them. The best way I find to train without discomfort, is to go for a jog, and every 1/4 or 1/2 mile, I stop, lie down, do any crunches I'm comfortable with, and then my leg raises. Bring your knees towards your chest, one leg at a time, and then the other. Work up to both at a time, and after some progress, bring them towards your chin, then straighten them. Under full control, SLOWLY lower towards the ground, keeping them straight. Try to lift them up straight, to vertical, and slowly down. Get them at 45degrees from the ground, and work a little higher, little lower, slowly. This works the lower abs very effectively, and a good strong ab section will do wonders for your back pain, as I can attest.
Best of luck with that.

Answer 3

Hi you could try putting your feet under your sofa for support of your legs and instead of coming up all the way into a sit up, just come up half way and back down wen it feels uncomfortable. You could also try an ab roller they easy on the back and you can buy really cheap ones now that are as good as the expensive ones.

Answer 4

Now I dont know how much time you have , being a mom.But Put your kid into the pram and go for a 45 min walk in the morning before you eat.Most back problems are caused by bad posture.Bad posture leads to back problems. Intersetingly you may need to get one of your shoes built up. Most people have one leg a little longer than the other.The result is that the back realines itself to compensate leading to aching backs stiff neck and headaches.
Go to http://fitn-fat.blogspot.com you will get lots of help and fun there.
Take care
The baldchemist

Answer 5

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Lie on an exercise mat rather than a hard floor to prevent back strain. (Image 1)

2. Position your feet as wide as your hips. (Image 2)

3. Place your hands behind your head so that your thumbs are tucked behind your ears.

4. Hold your elbows slightly out to the sides and keep your chin pointing upward. (Image 3)

5. Curl up and forward so that your head, neck and shoulder blades lift off the floor. Make sure you're not pulling your head forward with your hands. If your chin is making contact with your chest, the abdominal muscles aren't being used in the exercise.

6. Pause for a moment. Lift your head up enough so that your middle and lower back stay on the floor. Squeeze your abdominals as you pause. (Image 4)

7. Slowly lower your head, neck and shoulder blades to starting position.

8. Keep your knees bent, your feet in the same position and your back straight throughout the entire exercise.

Tips:
For a more difficult crunch, do the exercise starting with your knees bent roughly at right angles and your feet lifted off the floor 2 or 3 inches. Cross your feet at the ankles for stability. Doing the crunch this way puts more pressure on the abdominals.

For an easier exercise, fold your arms across your chest with each hand resting palm down on the opposite shoulder. Pay special attention to your neck since your hands are not supporting the back of your head. (This method also prevents "cheating" for those tempted to use the larger shoulder carriage muscles in the "hands-behind-head" method.)

For a more advanced crunch, hold lightweight plates (1 to 10 lbs.) on your chest or hold the plate behind your head as you support your head.

Crunch with a twist by curling up one elbow (or side) slightly above the other elbow. This works the obliques - the side muscles of your abdomen.

Do two to three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions once a day. You should see results in 4 to 6 weeks.

There are multiple variations of the abdominal crunch, including pull-down and cross-knee crunches - see Related Sites for details.

Lying on an exercise mat rather than a hard floor helps prevent back strain.

Despite what you may think, commercialized abdominal machines/rollers are not enough to get you solid abs. A "six-pack" results from not only crunches, but also consistent aerobic and fat-reducing exercise (such as running), as well as eating a low-fat diet.

Once your abs are a little stronger, look into ab video workouts and ab machines. They will introduce more advanced exercises and add definition to your stomach.


Warnings:
Avoid using your hands to pull up your head. This can cause serious damage to the neck and spinal cord regions.

One clear sign of improper technique is touching your elbows together when doing the exercise.

If you have any condition that would impair or limit your ability to engage in physical activity, please consult a physician before attempting this activity. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

Answer 6

If you lay on the ground/bed put your feet straight up in the air. Than let them down to about 3 inches of the ground and hold it for about 1 minute. Repeat this about 3 times.
If you wanted you could repeat this in the morning and before you got to bed

Answer 7

Try the ab swing, I got one and it works a treat !
I have a dodgy back too, and the best thing is your sat down and you only pivot your lower body so it dosent stress your lower back, check it out by doing a search on the net.

Answer 8

well I heard the L.L Cool J(a rapper) had surey to getabs but of cource it's not cheap so i use the ab toner where you see on the comericals. it's like 20$ and I lost to pants sizes and i'm not overweight, i'm average so yeah.

Answer 9

sit ups and walking and running are the best way i no of

Answer 10

local community place maybe like JCC