Rules of the program “Abs in 8 minutes a day”
Abs in 8 minutes a day is possible if you approach your workouts consciously and maintain their regularity. Many people mistakenly believe that getting a sculpted belly is difficult because everyone has a different body type. It is a myth.
The word “abs” refers to the totality of abdominal muscles: external and internal oblique, rectus and transverse. Regular training, even for 8 minutes a day, contributes to the appearance of sculpted abs. Therefore, any person has abs, and it depends only on his efforts whether the rectus muscle (responsible for the appearance of the abdomen) will stand out or not.
Abs in 8 minutes a day is a reality if you do it daily and systematically.
Also, there is no division into the upper part and the lower part. The muscle consists of one large part, which is divided by fibers into 6 zones. Therefore, it depends only on the type of exercise which area of the press will be visually highlighted. The “8 minutes a day” complex is designed to work all the muscles in the abdominal area.
The lower part of the abdominal cavity is more difficult to manifest, because the transverse muscle located in it is hidden deeper than the others, and therefore it is more difficult to work on it than the upper area.
The essence of the sports program:
- The complex consists of 8 exercises.
- You can follow your own schedule or follow the program plan.
- Gradual complication of exercises. As soon as a person masters level 1, he immediately moves on to the second.
- The ability to smoothly enter the training regime. It’s okay if it’s difficult to do the exercises the first time. The main thing is to maintain regularity, and the body will gradually get used to the stress.
The set of exercises consists of a variety of twisting movements. They are designed in such a way that all muscles will be well worked out, which is why you can achieve sculpted abs even in a short period of time. Before starting training, a person must learn to control himself and his feelings, and adequately assess his physical capabilities and health status. You need to be able to feel your body while doing exercises.
Abs in 8 minutes a day is a unique program that allows you to calculate the intensity and move on to more complex workouts gradually. Therefore, a person must choose the intensity and duration of classes. For example, if the goal is only to maintain physical fitness, then choose not a daily frequency of exercise, but every other day. Conversely, when it is necessary to tone the abdominal muscles, the emphasis is on regular, daily exercise.
Workout by Ashley Conrad
The ten-minute workout asks you to complete two rounds of ten abdominal exercises.
Each exercise is allotted 20 seconds, with no rest between them. Special sound signals will make it clear that it is time to move on to a new movement. The Lifehacker Telegram channel contains only the best texts about technology, relationships, sports, cinema and much more. Subscribe!
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Suitable for: The workout is quite intense, so it will be very difficult for those who crawled onto the exercise mat straight from the couch. The rest of us should try it.
Inventory: no inventory.
What exercises are included in the workout: various variations of crunches and planks. As a bonus, at the end you will find two rounds of glute bridges and lifts of the opposite arms and legs in a pose on all fours - “birddog”.
Benefits and effectiveness of training
Most people perform abdominal exercises in order to achieve a beautiful visual effect in the abdominal area. However, such training is beneficial for the whole body.
Abs in 8 minutes a day can not only give definition to the body, but also saturate the internal organs with oxygen and blood. Also, due to constant muscle tone, the stomach does not stretch. This circumstance helps to reduce appetite and protects against overeating.
A toned stomach affects correct posture, because the abs help maintain the body in the correct vertical position. Thanks to regular training, the spine is developed. This is facilitated by the movements of the diaphragm and ribs during exercise.
According to popular fitness trainers, it is enough to spend 8-10 minutes a day doing abdominal exercises, and the results will be noticeable within a week.
Such training is a good investment in your own health. Strong abdominal muscles help women during childbirth and also help maintain the waist, because the anterolateral wall of the abdominal cavity is fixed without creating an external defect in the body.
Proper execution of the workout will strengthen the abdominal muscles, improve blood circulation within the body and make the body slim and fit. The main thing is to observe regularity of execution.
Therefore, in addition to exercises, we also take into account the main rules for creating abs:
- Regularity of classes. In 8 minutes a day you can really achieve abs, but only if you follow all the rules and with a training regimen - 2 times a day. It is ideal if the abdominal workout comes after a regular workout.
- An hour before training and an hour after - do not eat.
- We pump up the press ONLY after we have lost fat at the waist. Otherwise, you simply won’t see your gorgeous abs under the fat.
- We eat right. That is, 5-6 times a day, a portion - “from the palm of your hand” (from your own!), in the morning - the most plentiful food, in the evening - the lightest.
- We drink a lot - about 2 liters of water per day.
- We eat healthy foods: olive oil, lean meat, nuts, dairy products, oatmeal and whole grain bread, fish and vegetables, cinnamon (reduces hunger), mustard with red pepper and ginger (speed up metabolism). We boil the food, steam it or eat it raw (if possible).
- Don't pump up your abs during your period.
- We monitor sleep and rest patterns.
- Don't forget about cardio training, which helps eliminate waist fat.
Contraindications and possible harm
Pressing for 8 minutes a day helps strengthen the abdominal muscles through effective exercise. However, there are a number of contraindications when such training is prohibited. If at least one of them is present, consultation with your doctor is necessary.
Each case is individual, and only a qualified specialist can decide whether the training will be beneficial or, on the contrary, will aggravate the patient’s condition.
Medical contraindications for exercising the abdominal muscles | |
Region | Name of the disease |
Respiratory diseases | Interstitial pneumonia with a recurrent course. |
Bronchial asthma with difficult-to-control attacks that are protracted and frequent. | |
Diseases of the respiratory system or pulmonary heart failure exceeding grade I. | |
The cardiovascular system | Arrhythmia. |
Post-infarction cardiosclerosis. | |
Aneurysm of the aorta of the heart muscle. | |
Hypertension with frequent crises. | |
Patients who were operated on due to acquired or congenital heart defects. | |
Digestive organs | Pancreatitis in the chronic stage, occurring with a recurrent effect. |
Duodenal ulcer. | |
Disturbances in the functioning of the digestive organs, which lead to painful sensations. | |
Biliary tract and liver (chronic stage) | Hepatitis. |
Cirrhosis of the liver. | |
Secondary pancolitis. | |
Cholecystitis of calculous etiology. | |
Endocrine gland | Diabetes insipidus. |
Toxic diffuse goiter in severe form. | |
Diabetes mellitus I and II degrees, occurring in severe or moderate stages. In the presence of other complications: polyneuritis, ketoacytosis. | |
Chronic thyroiditis. | |
Kidneys and urinary system | Chronic nephritis. |
Pyelonephritis. |
The list is indicative! If you have any other disease, it is prohibited to start training without a doctor’s permission!
Absolute contraindications for exercise are:
- Diseases in the acute stage.
- Unstable or rapidly progressing angina pectoris.
- Circulatory failure over 11-L.
- Aortic stenosis in severe form.
- Ventricular tachycardia.
- Previous thrombophlebitis in the active or transferred phase.
Contraindications that are relative:
- Ventricular aneurysm of the heart muscle.
- Pulmonary hypertension.
- Increase in heart size.
- Atrial fibrillation.
- Metabolic diseases that cannot be controlled: myxedema, diabetes mellitus, thyrotoxicosis.
Exercises should be performed with caution by people who have the following health conditions (in this case, exercises require caution):
- Wolf Parkinson-White syndrome.
- Conduction disorders.
- Failures in electrolyte balance.
- Left bundle branch block.
- Retinopathy grade III.
- Use of digitalis or drugs that block adrenergic beta receptors.
- Severe anemia.
- Severe obesity.
- Disorders of the joints, neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems.
It is important for women to avoid strength training during pregnancy. It is worth excluding any exercises that consist of swings, active stretching, twisting and deflection of the vertebra. Neglect of this rule may result in uterine hypertonicity.
If there is at least one contraindication to playing sports, the attending physician must make a decision about training. Otherwise, there is a risk of deterioration in health and exacerbation of the current disease.
You cannot neglect the rules, because intense training can bring a lot of health problems instead of a beautiful belly. Also, it is worth considering that no doctor can guarantee that training will be 100% safe if a person’s epicrisis includes chronic diseases.
Main complex
Abs in 8 minutes a day has 2 levels. At the first, exercises are given in an easy form. They are performed according to the physical capabilities of the person. If you didn’t manage to complete the entire workout the first time, that’s okay. The muscles are worked daily until they can withstand all the necessary load.
Level I. Exercise 1
Starting position: lying on your back. The legs are bent at the knees. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor.
Alternate movements:
- The tips of the left hand touch the heel of the left foot.
- The fingers of the right hand reach towards the corresponding foot.
Perform for 45 seconds.
Level I. Exercise 2
Starting position: Lying on your back, legs bent at the knees. The hands are clasped at the back of the head. On the count of 1-2, stretch the right elbow to the knee of the left leg, then repeat the same with the opposite parts of the body.
In this case, the leg is lifted off the floor so that it is convenient to reach the elbow. These parts of the body should, as it were, meet each other. Alternate movements for 45 seconds. After the exercise, give the body a rest for 30 seconds.
Level I. Exercise 3
Starting position: lying on the floor. Legs are bent at the knees and slightly apart. The right hand is placed on the left, and they are placed in this position in the lower abdomen. The exercise is done by bending forward so that the arms come forward into the area between the spread legs.
The back is lifted off the floor. You should always keep your head up. The stomach should feel tension for the entire 45 seconds.
Level I. Exercise 4
Starting position: the body lies horizontally on the floor. The legs are raised up, the feet are extended with the toes towards the nose. The palms are under the head, the elbows are spread to the sides.
The exercise is performed according to the following algorithm:
- The right leg is raised up.
- The left leg is raised to the same position.
- The right leg is released down.
- The left leg is returned to its original position.
- Repeat everything from steps 1 to 4.
Execution time – 45 seconds. After finishing, allow the muscles to rest for half a minute.
Level I. Exercise 5
Starting position - lying on the floor, legs bent at the knees. The palms are placed on the legs - in the area above the kneecaps.
They begin to do the exercise. To do this, raise your head and back, and slide your hands towards your knees. At best, the fingers should reach their highest point. Training time – 45 seconds.
Level I. Exercise 6
Starting position – lying on your back, legs raised up. The feet are positioned horizontally to the floor. The arms are spread out to the sides, palms facing up.
Exercise movements: hands touch the outer sides of the lower leg, as close to the ankles as possible. To do this, the back and head are torn off as high as possible from the surface. Execution time 45 sec.
Take a break after training - 30 seconds.
Level I. Exercise 7
Starting position: lying on your back. Legs bent at the knees, arms crossed on the chest.
Raise your head and forearms up.
Execution time – 45 seconds.
Level I. Exercise 8
Starting position: the body is horizontal on the floor, legs raised and bent at the knees. The arms are extended along the body, the head is also raised above the surface and is in a vertical position.
The exercise is performed using the twisting method: the back is bent, pulling the body towards the legs.
Having reached, the back is returned to its original position, and then twisted again. At the same time, the body is kept in constant tension. Execution time – 45 seconds.
Week schedule
Frequent training will allow you to create a beautiful abdominal contour and even it out. However, daily exercise will not help this. The first rule of effective training is the absence of excess belly fat. These abdominal exercises will not promote fat burning. For these purposes, complex training is required - when all the muscles of the body are involved. Because of this, the body’s energy expended on exercise increases, and accordingly, calories are wasted.
Also, you should not give your muscles too much stress. This will not promote abs growth. It is necessary to give the body rest so that it can restore its muscle fibers with a small reserve for future loads. To be effective, you should protect your body from physical activity for 1-2 days after training. If you exercise daily, the muscle fibers will not have time to recover, and their growth will be uneven.
Due to the increased load, the muscles around the spine will become thinner. This will contribute to the occurrence of vertebral displacement, hernia or even stoop.
Girls can't pump up their abs every day. The best mode is alternation. Otherwise, there is a risk of increasing your waist size. The training plan is designed taking into account the average statistical indicators of a healthy person. You can deviate from the schedule taking into account individual characteristics.
It is important to warm up before each workout. It allows you to prepare your muscles for physical activity and avoid injury. If you skip it, your body will get stress and health problems instead of benefiting from the exercise.
Warm-up algorithm:
- Standing on the floor, place your hands on your belt. Rotate your head to the sides - 7 times in each direction.
- Starting position: standing on the floor, legs slightly apart. The hands are raised to chest level, the elbows look in different directions, and the fingers of both palms are connected by phalanges. Do 5-7 rotations of the body from side to side.
- From a standing position, bend to the sides. To do this, place your hands on your hips and then bend first to one side, then to the other. At the same time, when the body moves to the left, the same arm is raised up, placing it behind the head. Perform 5-7 times.
- Bend forward 5-7 times.
- Circular rotations of the hip joint, first in one direction and then in the other.
- Classic mill: spread your arms to the sides, and then reach the end of your left leg with the tips of your right hand and vice versa.
- Walking in place with your legs raised high.
Ab Workout Schedule Level I | |
Day of the week | Kind of activity |
Monday | Warm-up Performing Level I workout |
Tuesday | Rest |
Wednesday | Warm-up Performing Level I workout |
Thursday | Rest. |
Friday | Warm-up Performing Level I workout |
Saturday and Sunday | Rest |
When the body is accustomed to training, and the loads do not bring fatigue, they move on to the second level of training. To do this, the lesson algorithm includes exercises from level I training.
The technique will consist of the following, already familiar exercises:
- №3.
- №2.
- Break 30 sec.
- №4.
- №7.
- Break 30 sec.
- №6.
After exercise No. 6, new things are introduced. Starting position: lying on the floor, legs raised up and slightly bent at the knees. The arms are crossed on the stomach, the head and upper back are raised up.
After the body position has taken this position, they begin to perform the exercise. The legs are pulled towards the body and then returned to their original position. Perform for 45 seconds. After this, give the muscles a rest for half a minute. Then they begin to perform exercise No. 8 from training of the I level of difficulty. Complete the set of tasks with exercise No. 1. Each stage of the workout takes 45 seconds.
When to expect the effect
It is very difficult to strengthen the abdominal muscles and give them definition in a short time. For training to bring the desired effect, you must maintain a balanced diet. The lines of the abs will begin to appear in an average of 2 weeks.
However, you need to take into account body weight, physical capabilities and frequency of training. The main thing is not to overstrain your body with loads. You should not exercise every day, because this will not allow you to burn fat. In addition, if its level is high, then the selected muscles simply will not be visible. The effect will be the opposite - due to pumped up muscles, the stomach will appear larger.
Daily training is only needed to increase the endurance of the abdominal muscle tone. For example, this is optimal when a woman is preparing for childbirth and starts exercising even before pregnancy. When the desired result is achieved, the number of workouts can be reduced. Even 2-3 times a week will allow you to stay in good physical shape.
You can make beautiful abs even at home. To do this, you just need to spend 8 minutes a day training. During this time, the abdominal muscles will receive a good workout, and regular exercise will allow you to achieve the relief of your dreams.
Daily Ab Exercises
Eight-minute exercises for the press have several difficulty options, but each subsequent one must be moved on only after the previous one has been fully mastered. You can build your own training schedule, consisting of a set of exercises and variations of different difficulty levels, or use an example option:
A week | 1 | 2–3 | 4 |
Difficulty level | 1 (3 times a week) | 2 (4 times a week) | 3 (5 times a week) |