Who doesn’t want a nice set of abs? Not only does a
quality set of abs look good, but there are some great health
benefits too. There’s no quick fix when it comes to
developing the six-pack. The abdominal muscles will begin
to show when the body fat percentage is at or below 10%. Most
health clubs offer free body fat tests; just ask at the front
desk.
The most common part of the body that people want to work
on is the abs. Here are the initial steps you need to take
to help you get great abs:
1. Diet – for a start, get into the
practice of keeping a diet record to track your meals.
2. Cardio – next, you’ll need
to start counting cardio into your weekly workout schedule
– this is one of the best ways to burn off fat. Twenty
to thirty minutes every other day will suffice for beginners.
3. Exercise – the addition of hard
abdominal training is very important for getting great abs.
Fat burns, muscle builds. How does fat burn? With cardio and
stimulants. Fat is also used by muscle as an energy supply.
How do ab muscles build? Weights, pull-ups, sit-ups, leg kicks
and cardio (again). Remember both parts of the equation and
you should see results. For cardio you can try running –
the results will amaze you. Walking is also excellent, as
it is low impact and will not burn off too much muscle. Aerobic
training will also boost blood flow to your whole body, and
it is said to increase brainpower.
Sit ups … sit ups and more sit ups are not the answer
because more than likely you have your abdominal six pack
right there hiding under a layer of fat. Crunches work, but
they don’t work the entire abdominal area, so don’t
expect a six-pack from doing them alone. Instead:
1. Cut out all saturated fats.
2. Eat low fat proteins such as skinless chicken, whey protein,
and egg whites.
3. Stick with complex carbs such as rolled oats for breakfast,
sweet potatoes, brown rice and vegetables as these supply
fiber and are the best for weight loss.
4. Take your supplements.
No amount of training or bizarre machines will magically expose
your abs. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. The trouble
is that mentally, a lot of people agree with this, but emotionally
it does not click, and the same people end up doing marathon
abdominal work. You cannot spot reduce: your body does not
work that way. The only way to decrease the amount of fat
in certain key areas is by lowering your total body fat levels.
Have you ever seen anyone with well-defined abs who also had
fat thighs, “man-boobs” or sagging hips? Chances
are you haven’t, because the body tends to burn fat
at random, and you have no control over which body part will
slim down first. To see the abs you’ve got to burn the
fat first. Any muscle definition in the body comes from the
right nutrition, and the correct mix of cardio and weight
training.
Here are a couple of great exercises that will help give your
abs definition:
Incline leg raises: lie on your back on an
inclined sit-up board, then raise your unlocked legs in a
semicircle to a point where your legs form a 90 degree angle
to your torso. Do about 4-5 sets of 15 reps.
Knee pull-ins: you can do this movement sitting
on the edge of a flat bench or chair with your torso inclined
back to 45 degrees. Point your toes forward, pull your knees
up to your chest and exhale the air from your lungs. Tense
your abs forcibly for a two-second count. Do 3 sets of 35
to 50 reps of this exercise for 2 to 3 alternate days per
week.
Core Strength
Which muscle group in your whole body can you work to get
the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time? The
“core,” of course. But what is the core? The “core,”
as it’s known in strength training circles, consists
of all the muscles in your abdominal and lower back areas.
These muscles all work in harmony to provide stabilization
for your body and to transfer power from the legs to the upper
body and vice versa.
Do you desire a flat stomach? Every year people waste millions,
if not billions of dollars, in pursuit of a flat stomach.
The majority, if not all the 200 or more ab workout devices
on the market will do little or nothing to flatten your stomach.
If your objective is to thin your waistline and have a nice,
flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is reduce/eliminate
the layers of fat that are on top of your abs.
Core And Abdominal Training
The six-pack has almost nothing to do with training abs! The
abdominal muscle (Rectus Abdominis) is a large slab of muscle,
which, like most muscles, bulges in its relaxed state. If
you improperly train abs your abs will protrude. This condition
is due to over-training the abdominal wall and neglecting
the supporting muscles. The Transversus is a muscle that serves
to pull the abdominal wall back. By keeping the stomach pulled
in and tight during abdominal training, you strengthen the
Transversus at the same time.
It is physiologically impossible to work different parts of
the abs since the Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle. Particularly
for males, the lower part of the abs is a common trouble spot
for nearly everyone, as it tends to store fat. You may find
yourself wondering why you feel the burn more in your lower
abs if you do hanging leg raises. Unfortunately, this burn
means absolutely nothing in reference to muscle growth and
development – because of the angle more stress is applied
to the lower abs, which results in that part of the muscle
being stretched more.
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