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Posts Tagged ‘Crunches’

Six-Pack Abs Require A Combination Of Diet And Exercise

November 26th, 2009


Many of us would love to have the six-pack abs. Everywhere you look there are commercials or ads promising these wonderful abs, but what really works? There are many of these ads that say taking a supplement can give you the envious abdominals and the flat stomach you’ve always wanted. Whether or not these supplement is still yet to be decided.  One thing that we do know for sure is that exercises such as crunches and sit ups  will get you the results you want.

Not all the supplements that are available to you are safe. Who knows what they are putting in these supplements that will give you these great abs. There have been reports of serious side effects resulting from taking these supplements. The good news is there is another way to get these great abs without having to take supplements and risking your health. With a little hard work, exercise and a healthy diet you can achieve great looking abs all on your own.

First thing you will need to do is get some sort of journal to keep record of your exercise and diet program. You can choose whatever kind of journal you think will work best for you. If you want to use a little notebook that you can take with you to help you stay on top of your record keeping that is just fine. If you have a personal digital assistant you can invest in a program that will help you keep your records. Whichever way you decide will work better for you is what you need to do.

The purpose of the journal is to keep track of your progress, and help find any areas that may need more attention. Information you will need to put in your journal will be what day it is, your weight, what exercise you are doing or did on that day, and your food intake. You will also want to make sure you record the time of each of these events to make tracking progress easier.

You will also want to take your measurements weekly or biweekly depending on how dramatic of results you like to see and record these also. How often you weigh yourself is up to you as an individual, it all depends once again on how dramatic you want the results to be. Just remember that if you do it every day it may make you more aware of your goals and make you try harder to reach them. Whichever way you decide to go, just make sure you are weighing yourself at the same time of day each time.

When you track this information it will make you more aware of what you need to work harder on the next day or week. If you have a record of what you did you can look and see if maybe you skipped a day of exercise, or didn’t eat very healthy. You want to make sure you are burning more calories than you are taking in. If you keep track of your how much food you ate and when you ate it, it will be easier to see when you need to watch more carefully. Maybe you are overeating everyday at the same time of day, if so your journal will help you see this so you can fix it.

When keeping track of your exercise you will want to write down what type of exercise you did, when you did it, and how long you did it. Keep in mind that just doing sit-ups will not guarantee that six-pack you dream of. You need to make sure you get rid of the fat so that you can see the great abs you are looking for.

To maximize your results you will probably want to do aerobic exercise or cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and calories, strength training to create more muscle, and abdominal exercises. Strength training is important because muscle burns more calories than fat, and will help power your aerobic exercises. Walking, swimming or training along with an aerobic exercise tape are all great ways to get you aerobic workout in. For abdominal work you can do regular sit-ups, or try something like Pilates. Pilates incorporates strength training for your abs and uses twisting movements to get better results.

Just remember that you should exercise four to five times a week, and keep an honest an accurate journal to maximize your results. You also need to realize that you will not get your dream abs overnight; it takes hard work and time.

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Nice Abs – How to Get a Sexy and Slim Waistline

November 23rd, 2009

Most everyone wants to have nice abs that look slim and sexy. However, there are a few very common mistakes that many people make which prevents from getting a solid six pack.

Mistake #1: Trying to do too many crunches to lose stomach fat

If only doing lots of crunches worked for carving out a solid set of abs. If doing a few hundred crunches was all it took to lose body fat then everyone walking around would not have any excess fat. Doing lots of crunches and other ab exercises do not help you get nice abs simply because they do not help you lose the fat that covers them up!

Ab exercises simply do not burn enough calories or stimulate the body’s metabolism enough to get down to 8-10% body fat for a man and 15-20% if you are a woman. The only way doing lots of crunches will help is if you are already down to a very low body fat percentage and want to increase the “toned” look of your abs. If you cannot see your abs at all then it simply means that is too much body fat covering them up!

Therefore, the focus of your diet and exercise routine should be to lose body fat so you can see your abs. Doing endless amounts of ab exercises just won’t help do that.

Mistake #2: Not keeping a food log

Since you know that getting a nice set of six pack abs all depends on having low enough levels of body fat, you should know that the next step is to pay attention to the most important part of the whole process: the amount of calories you are consuming.

If you have excess body fat that you can’t seem to get rid of, then you absolutely have to understand that it is simply the result of taking in too many calories. Its not from poor genetics or some other physical disorder, it just comes down to consuming too many calories. The fitness models who have the sexiest abs of anyone will be the first to tell you they got that way by being extremely careful about what they eat.

The absolute best indication you can use for figuring this out is to keep a food log of what you are eating. You will be amazed at the perspective you will gain about your eating habits from keeping a food log.

Since getting nice abs and a lean midsection is all about losing body fat, and losing body fat is all about taking in less calories or burning more with exercise, then a food log to track yourself is an absolute must.

Mistake #3: Not lifting weights

This will seem counterintuitive to some, but lifting weights is an excellent way to lose more body fat. Resistance training will give you more lean muscle mass that will have a dramatic impact with increasing your resting metabolism.

This means that you are burning more calories because muscle is very active tissue. If you are not strength training then you are missing a huge opportunity to burn more calories. It has been said that each extra pound of muscle mass burns an extra 60 calories per day. If you gain even 3 lbs of lean muscle tissue, you will burn an extra 180 calories each day! That is much more than a simple ab workout will burn.

Conclusion

Getting nice abs does not have to be a big struggle in which you are constantly playing the guessing game. You simply need to eat the right foods at the right time while tracking your calories.

You can use a regular notebook or an online food log if you want more detail. By focusing more attention on total body strength training, your body will develop more lean muscle mass and have a higher metabolic rate.

Now take action right away and start developing those nice abs to show off!

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Getting 6 Pack Abs Isn’t As Simple As Just Doing Crunches

November 18th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #3

It seems that the common belief in our culture is that all you need to do is do some crunches, or buy a special machine, and you can have sexy 6 pack abs within weeks. Despite the multitude of advertisements that flash across the TV screen each day, this is just absolutely not true. It takes more than just a few crunches or a flashy gadget to get the body of your dreams.

The hard truth is that no matter what commercials may tell you, it is impossible to spot reduce your belly fat. Spot reducing is where you focus on exercising just one area of your body, like your abs, in order to lose fat in just that area. This is impossible. Your body stores fat over the whole body. While it may store more in your belly than anywhere else, it is impossible to lower your fat in just your belly. If you want to lose that stubborn belly fat, you need to focus on reducing your total body fat if you want to start seeing those 6 pack abs.

Reducing your body fat will allow the ab muscles that you already have to show through. Most likely you have tried to build your abs bigger and bigger, but honestly you probably already have a 6 pack that you just can’t see. You can’t see it because it’s covered in a layer of fat. So how do you let those beauties shine through?

In order to get sexy 6 pack abs, you need to eat less fatty foods, and focus on eating healthier carbs. This means cutting back on breads, pastas, and potatoes, and avoiding fried foods for a while. Focus on foods like fish, chicken and green vegetables.

The other thing you can do to help those abs show through, is exercise. Weight training is absolutely the best thing you can do to cut your body fat, but any exercise is a good thing. Go for a walk, jog, or do some push ups and jumping jacks if you can’t get to the gym right now.

Don’t think for a moment that doing just a little bit of exercise will give you a models body. If you want to have those sexy six pack abs, you need to get to the gym and get started on a good weight training program immediately. Because if you don’t cut you overall body fat, you won’t have those sexy abs. If you add some crunches to a good weight training program and a healthy diet, 6 pack abs will be inevitable.

The hard truth is that sexy 6 pack abs don’t come from just a few crunches or a magic machine. It takes a good diet and some weight training to cut your body fat so that you can see those little stomach ripples.

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What is the Truth About Six Pack Abs?

November 18th, 2009

The truth about six pack abs is not about doing hundreds and hundreds of useless crunches and situps everyday.

What you have to realize is, if you want abs – you have to reduce your body fat.

And The Truth About Six Pack Abs are

1. Ab specific exercises like the stomach crunch will not spot reduce your tummy fat. Although it can build some strength, it will not lower that body fat;

2. And you can also forget about those expensive ab gimmicks that promises you those sexy abs. It’s just one of those mindless number of crunches that you are encouraged to do daily;

3. Nutrition is king. If you want to look lean and fit that comes with those sexy abs – you just have to eat healthy and eat smart. Lowering your body fat is not about starving yourself, rather it’s about fueling your body with the right nutrients and stimulate your metabolism more effectively. And with The Truth About Six Pack Abs by Mike Geary, you will learn the right kind of nutritional food to fuel your body with;

4. If you are exercising – great. But if you want to take it to the next levels, one of the most effective forms of training is variable intensity – that is training between high and low intensity intervals. This kind of training like the wind sprint, hill sprint, or any competitive sports like football, hockey, basketball, etc. can really reduce body fat. You just have to look at the physique of those athletes. It’s really a combination of nutrition and high intensity training they use for peak fitness;

5. Total body workout like the dead lift, plank, lunge, front squats or any type of exercises that works the largest muscle group are the most effective and great for the core! So forget the tiresome old 3 sets or 10, and shoot for training variables that that will spice up your workout! Be creative, make it challenging – and get results;

6. Lastly, The Truth About Six Pack Abs are – your workout needs to consistent and have variables. If you want those six pack abs and want continuous results, than you must be consistent and have variability in your training. So work your body and make it challenging;

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The Best Abdominal Exercises

November 15th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #5

You’re not greedy. You’re not asking for a six pack. You’d settle for a slightly flatter look and a bit more tone. But no matter how many crunches you do, it seems impossible to firm and define those elusive abdominal muscles.

Given our obsession with abs, you’d think we’d have figured it out by now. But many of us are still frustrated by a lack of results. What are we doing wrong? Should we be doing different exercises?

To clear the air, here is an abdominal program touted as the best six abdominal busters by bodybuilders, athletes and many week-end athletes.

Do this workout 3 times a week, with a day off between sessions. Begin all workouts with moves 1 and 2, then choose 2 of the remaining 4 moves. Vary the moves throughout the week to keep your abdominals challenged.

Whatever your fitness level, begin with 1 set of each move, resting 45 – 60 seconds after each set. For best results, pay special attention to your form so that you fatigue your target muscles by the end of each workout. When this is no longer challenging, add a second set of each move, or don’t rest between exercises.

Roll Up

Lie face up on the floor with your legs extended, feet together. Extend arms above your chest, palms facing forward, fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Drop shoulder blades down away from your ears. Inhale, tucking your chin to look at your navel as you begin to roll your upper body up, keeping your spine rounded. Exhale, pulling your navel towards your spine as you continue rolling up, slowly raising your upper body to a full seated position. Slowly roll back down to starting position, keeping your arms raised, and repeat for all reps. Begin with 4 roll ups, gradually building to 6. Targets rectus abdominis.

Forearm Plank

Begin on your knees and forearms, elbows aligned with shoulders, fingers interlaced. Draw shoulder blades down and contract abs to stabilize your torso. Extend your right leg behind you, toes turned under, weight on ball of foot, keeping hips square and pelvis stable. Extend left leg, feet together, so you’re supported on forearms and balls of feet. Hold for 20 seconds; relax. Do 3 reps. Begin with a 20 second hold; gradually build to 30 seconds, then 1 minute. Targets obliques.

Bridge with Leg Extension

Lie face up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor; hip width apart. Relax arms by your sides, palm facing down. Contract abdominals, pulling your naval towards your spine. Inhale; then exhale as you lift your tailbone. Lift your back until only your shoulder blades touch the floor, your body forming a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold for 30 seconds. Maintaining the bridge position, extend your left leg in front of you at hip height. Hold. Return foot to floor; then repeat with your right leg, keeping hips elevated throughout. Continue alternating legs for all reps without letting your hips or torso drop. Do 8 alternating leg extensions (4, with each leg); gradually build to 16 (8 with each leg). Targets rectus abdominis; obliques and erector spinae (lower back muscles).

Ball Oblique Twist

Sit on stability ball, knees bent, feet on floor. Walk your feet out and lie back; put right hand on ball, left hand behind head. Use glutes to tilt pelvis up. Maintain this position throughout. Contract abs (pull naval towards spine) as you roll your torso up, bringing ribs towards hips; then rotate left elbow towards right knee. Keeping hips square and lifted, slowly lower. Do reps on the left side, then right. Begin with 8 -12 reps per side; gradually build to 16. Targets rectus abdominis and obliques.

Bent Knee Crunch

Lie face up on the floor; knees bent and in line with hips, calves parallel to floor; feet together. Rest unclasped fingertips behind head, elbows pointing out to the sides. Contract abs, pulling your naval in towards your spine. Maintain leg position as you use abs to pull ribs in towards hips, lifting head, neck, then shoulder blades off the floor. Begin with 8 – 12 reps, gradually build to 16 – 20 reps. Targets rectus abdominis and obliques.

Reverse Curl

Lie face up, knees bent, heels close to your buttocks and fingertips behind head. Without changing knee angle, contract abs to curl your tailbone a few centimeters off the floor, knees rolling towards chest. Avoid moving thighs to lift higher; keep heels towards buttocks. Slowly lower to floor; repeat for all reps. Begin with 8 – 12 reps; gradually build to 16 – 20 reps. Targets rectus abdominis and obliques.

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