How long do you need to do sit ups to get a flatter stomach?
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it's not just about how many sit-ups you do or how long you do them for. it's about doing them right and about being consistent. also... sit-ups only focus on one part of your stomach... in order to be effective you should focus on all areas of your abs.
**when you sit up or lift your legs, focus on pulling your belly button to your spine.**
*full sit ups
*crunches
*lay flat on your back. bend up your legs. lay the them to the side so that your body is kind of twisted. do half-sit ups or crunches. this works your obliques. then switch to the other side.
*flutter kicks - lay flat on back. lift legs 6 inches off the ground. flutter them up and down without touching the ground.
*90 to 30's - lay flat on back. lift your legs to 90 degrees. slowly lower them to 45 degrees from the ground. pick them up to 90 again. slowly lower them to 30 degrees from the ground. back up to 90 again - repeat.
*hollows. lay flat on your back. place your arms at your side. lift your legs and lift the trunk of your body so that you are balancing on your butt. you are hollowed like a tree trunk or a canoe. when you are good at this, you may try putting your arms straight above your head.
*push ups. yes, believe it or not... when done correctly, push ups utilize the abs. lean forward with your toes on the ground and your palms flat on the ground. keep your body straight - no sagging your hips - no raising your butt. lower your body using your arms. when done correctly, your biceps should come parallel to the ground. break that parallel plain, but don't touch the ground and push back up.
**remember - when doing abs, focus on pulling your belly button to your spine.**
try to run or roller blade as well. you need the cardio workout to raise your heart rate, help burn fat, stimulate endurance, and stimulate your metabolism.
try getting a friend to run with you and do a "fat run." jog at a slow pace and talk. you two should be able to hold a conversation without getting out of breath. if you are out of breath, then you are running too fast. run for about 30 minutes at this speed. this will raise your heart rate just enough to burn your extra fat calories. and the talking burns calories, too!
the best time to exercise is in the morning before you eat breakfast. at this time you have gone 6-15 hours without eating. you will burn all of your excess calories.
as far as the time... you should be able to notice differences in about 2-3 weeks. if you are doing them correctly.
you can buy an exercise mat at wal-mart... or target... or kmart...
Doing sit-ups will strengthen the muscles in your abdomen, but you need to run, bike, swim or do some sort of cardiovascular routine to lose the fat, or else you can have a really strong abdomen that you can't see. you need to do both.
As for the matt, go to any sporting goods store or even a Wal-Mart or Target in the Sporting Goods section.
you should do not just sit ups but crunches too, b/c sit ups are for your sides and not the top part of your stomach as crunches are and do about 125 of each a night, and maybe put in some jumping rope or explosive lunges for cardio if you dont like running, swimming, biking etc. about the mat, um, maybe a sports authority, or any other sports store or exercise store.
You can buy an exercise mat at Target. I do 500 crunches every day, alternating among upper, middle and lower abs, with and without side rolls. I have great abs, but, being female, still suffer from water weight gain that can make me look as though I have a gut. Start with about 100 crunches a day. Make sure that you vary what you do because doing the same thing every night will result in a plateau. Also, take a Vitamin B complex in the morning to avoid water weight. If you are consistent, you should have noticeably different abs in about six weeks. However, this is one of the quickest places to lose tone. I got really sick last year and could not exercise and my gut was a mess by the time my doctor said I could work out again. So, keep at it. If you have extreme pain, skip a day. If you damage the ab muscles, they will swell (giving you a poofy look in spite of all your work) and it will take awhile before you are healthy enough to work them again.
I've seen some people actually pushout their belly while doing crunches. The muscles get strong, but won't flatten. Pull the muscles in , and do the ab exercises.
To flatten it, its the pulling in and holding it that is most effective. You can do that whenever you think of it, all day long.
You will probably want to sit ups 1 minute every day and try to reach a new goal. That will push you to try to do more and more every day. Do it for about a month and look for improvements, if you want it flatter do it longer. (You can change the length of sit-up time from 1 min. to 2 at the beginning because you wont be as fast.) But when you switch from maybe 1 to 2 min. try to beet your 2 min. goal in 1 min. Other than just sit-ups, running and biking can strengthen your abdomen. Hopefully this tip will help but you dont strengthen your abdom when your on the floor or flat surface. Get a yoga ball or a kick ball might work to. Rest a little higher on the back of your waist. That will make you strengthen you more because you wont just be in a back bend position and strengthen that part of the stomach muscels it will strengthen the muscles when you sit-up, too. Drink lots of water and when hungry don't go for the chips get a fruit or veggie.
My sis has always wanted a mat because she does gymnastics. If you order a catalog or get on a gymnastics website. Your local Scheel's or other sporting stores will be a good way to find a mat.
Hope i helped!
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