There is nothing less attractive than having your belly hanging over your belt. Therefore, there is nothing more attractive than having a flat stomach. Especially as you get older. Fair or not, it’s the physical feature that immediately indicates your lifestyle and it’s no surprise that it’s #1 on everyone’s hit list. So how do middle-aged people achieve the “washboard” look?
As with younger people, it all comes down to nutrition and abdominal work. What is different is the TYPE of abdominal work. Nutrition is the easiest aspect to understand but the most difficult to do. Bottom line, stay away from high-carb foods as much as possible (especially after 4:00 p.m.), keep your sugar intake as low as possible (all the time), and minimize your alcohol intake ( Which consists of ). Sugar and carbohydrates, especially in large concentrated amounts, tell your body to store the excess for a rainy day. For most people in general, and older people in particular, it will be in the midsection. Goodbye washboard. As everyone has said a million times, abs won’t show through a layer of fat.
If you want to do sit-ups, sit-ups, leg raises, Swiss ball crunches, use a roman chair or any other ab work you can. But what do all of these have in common? What areas are all of these missing, that middle-aged people in particular need? Answers: Contract or tense the abdominal muscles and work as a “roll”. A basic exercise, performed in a variety of ways, will handle both requirements. The plank is best for seniors because it takes all the stress off your spine and neck and provides a continuous contraction of your entire core area.
My abdominal routine:
1) Assume the basic push-up position, keeping your back very flat. Alternately lift each leg off the floor ONE inch and hold for 10 seconds, allowing no other movement and maintaining perfect form. Do at least 8 repetitions per leg. Your entire midsection contracts during every second of this move (which lasts 2 1/2 minutes for 8 reps).
2) Repeat the above, except this time after lifting your leg ONE inch, during the 10 seconds that it is elevated, swing your leg out (toe pointing down) as if you were trying to touch the wall at his side. Keep your leg straight (without bending your knees) and always ONE inch off the floor.
3) Side planks. You look like a sideways cross. Start with your arm toward the floor bent so it’s above your elbow. Your legacies are stacked. Try lifting your hips up 3 to 4 inches, hold for 2 to 3 seconds, and repeat. Do 8 repetitions. Switch arms and do it on the other side.
4) Side plank, this time the arm to the ground is straight, keeping the hand directly below the shoulder. Keep your body as straight as possible (like a cross on your side) and lift your top leg as high as possible. Hold for 2-3 seconds, then lower it. Do 8 reps on the other side.
That is all. Within 15 minutes of work, your entire midsection will have contracted continuously, which is all you need to build your middle-aged abdominal muscles.
