Whether at home, in the gym or outdoors, these two moves will strengthen and tone your arms and abs WITHOUT any equipment. When summer comes, you'll be ready!
1. Plank
Benefits
- Strengthens core (abs and lower back area)
- Tones abs and shoulder muscles
How To Do
- Get into a push-up position.
- Rest on forearms with arms positioned at shoulders' width.
- Contract your abs and glutes. Keep your body in a straight line.
- Hold the position for as long as possible without allowing your hips to sag. Add time as you build core strength.
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2. Push Up
Benefits
- Tones arms, chest and upper body
- Strengthens core (abs and lower back area)
How To Do
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- Place palms on the floor at shoulders' width.
- Extend your legs behind you so your body forms a straight line.
- Contract abs and glutes. This is the starting position.
- Take three seconds to lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Pause for one second. Take one second to raise your body to the starting position.
Nutrition Tips
Though exercise plays a role, nutrition is most important in unveiling six-pack abs. Here are some helpful nutrition tips to unveil your six-pack:
Carb Cycling: Healthy carbs, like whole wheat and quinoa, can help you feel full and be a great source of energy. However, if your body doesn’t use carbs as energy, the storage of carbs in the body can contribute to covering your abs behind a curtain of fat.
Use carbs to your advantage through carb cycling. On days you plan to work out, increase your carb consumption. Your body will use the carbs as energy during exercise. On days you don’t work out, reduce your consumption of carbs.
Replace soda with water: Soda is a major contributor to concealing your six-pack abs and widening the circumference of your abdominal/waist area.
Fill up on water. Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day. Consume 16 ounces just before dinner. This will trick your body into feeling full to avoid overeating.
Load up on vegetables and fruit: This will assist in filling you up without consuming excess calories.
Eat slowly: To assist with satiety and reduce your risk of overeating, slow down the pace at which you consume meals.
Visit the BlackDoctor.org Mens Health center for more articles and tips.
Sloan Luckie, a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Public Accountant, is the author of the optimal health workbook, Body Under Construction. Body Under Construction shows how to use nutrition, exercise and sleep to attain and maintain optimal health. Sloan’s unique philosophy on building and maintaining optimal health has garnered significant media attention. He’s conducted wellness demonstrations nationally for women's heart disease, men's prostate and childhood obesity awareness seminars. Sloan Luckie is also the founder of Body Under Construction, LLC.
