Did you know that to show off your six-pack you need to have 10% or less body fat? Yes, that’s right. We all want to show off a toned abs, but excitement often leads us to make mistakes that delay the fight for the perfect body. To achieve our goals in the gym we need to do the right exercises and in the right way, and the best way to achieve this is to know what not to do.
Check out the 11 mistakes that the awesome.club separated that show you what you should NOT do in a gym.
1. Abdominal up to the top
When doing crunches, try not to go all the way up, this can injure your back and force you to take some time out of exercise. Instead, when doing basic sit-ups, lift your torso halfway up so you avoid injury and tone your muscles more.
2. Train every day
When you give your muscles time to rest between exercises, you can train more efficiently and achieve better results. In this sense, you help your body to gain even more strength. That is, it is important that you work the muscle groups on different days.
3. Plank for a long time
If you already have strong, defined muscles, you can stay in plank position for a long time without feeling any pain in your abdomen. Instead of increasing the time of this exercise more and more, try to make it more difficult, for example, by taking one of your legs off the floor.
4. Get a flat stomach doing just sit-ups
Training only your abs does not help you lose belly fat. You can get ripped abs by doing ab exercises, but you need more to lose fat, it won’t leave your body with just this routine. Aerobic training helps you burn calories and lose weight faster.
5. Getting stuck in the same rut
If you feel too comfortable in a certain routine, maybe you should change it up a bit. For example, you can try doing sit-ups with a pilates ball. A good way to improve your core strength is to plank. Try to include some yoga and pilates exercises and postures in your workout. These variations help to strengthen your muscles faster and more efficiently.
6. Do not contract your belly when doing sit-ups
Training the abdominal muscles is a tricky job. To keep your belly flat and toned, you need to contract it while exercising. That way, your muscle memory will be trained in the right way and the size of your stomach will decrease.
7. Using a ball that is not fully inflated
If it’s not full, the ball will create less resistance when you do the exercises, making them less effective. Ideally, when doing an exercise, the ball does not sink more than 5 cm.
8. Neglecting the back muscles
By training your abs without training your back, you create an imbalance in the muscles that support your spine, and these muscles are not just decorative. In this sense, the best exercises for your abdominal muscles are those where you work your core🇧🇷 Some well-known and important exercises are squats and lifting.
9. Place your hands on your neck
Some people think that putting your hands behind your head is the best way to not injure your spine when doing sit-ups. They are wrong. This position can harm your neck because it puts too much strain on it. In addition, you end up decreasing the tension and efficiency of the exercise. It is best to place your hands on your ears or cross them over your chest. If you have to put your hands behind your head, imagine you’re holding an orange under your chin, to make sure your head doesn’t lean too far forward.
10. Leg raises without support
Trying to do exercises without some kind of support can be very dangerous. Regarding the leg lift, which works the lower part of the abdomen, it is a mistake not to use a support. There are some devices that make exercise much more efficient. They support the lower back and focus the strength in the right part. So stop doing this exercise lying on the floor and use the indicated equipment.
11. Raise the butt when doing plank
The plank is an exercise that must be performed correctly to work the abdomen. Although many do not realize that they are doing everything wrong, it is very easy to learn the right posture once the mistake is identified. Instead of arching your lower back and lifting your butt, your body should be in a straight line. The spine should be completely straight and in line with the legs and butt.
Have you ever made any of these mistakes when doing exercises? Share in the comments other mistakes people usually make when working out.
Illustrated by Leonid Khan exclusive to Incrível.club
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