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Posts Tagged ‘Exercise Program’

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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Full Body Dumbbell Workout Best For Six Pack Abs

November 9th, 2009

In my opinion, a full body dumbbell workout is the best exercise program for developing six pack abs. Unfortunately, hardly anyone uses dumbbells to develop strong abdominals you can see. In this article, I’ll show you the error of your ways.
Carving out six pack abs you can see is a strong motivating force for many a man and woman. But the problem is, the desire is so strong people often don’t think rationally when putting a plan into action. They want six pack abs, and they want them yesterday. This leads to making poor decisions, which often lead to a lot of wasted time and money.
I’ll be honest with you…
- Those gadgets you see on late night television don’t work
- “Isolating” your abs are ineffective for your goal and a waste of time
- Anything that claims to be “fast and easy” is a waste of money
Getting a six pack is just like any other goal. Stop letting emotion drive your decisions. Let’s take a deep breath and look at this logically. I’m sure once we do this, you’ll conclude that a full body dumbbell workout is your best bet for a six pack you can see, as I have.
There are three things you must do if you want to see your six pack:
1) You must build muscle all over your body
2) You must strengthen your core muscles
3) You must lose fat
If you do all three of these things, you’ll develop abdominals you can see.
Building muscle all over your body not only helps you look better, but muscle is metabolically expensive. This means your body must use more calories to maintain a higher percentage of muscle, and therefore leaves less calories to be converted into fat. So, you not only build an attractive body, but also create a situation where the bigger muscles help you reach your goal of a visible six pack. A full body dumbbell workout builds muscles all over your body.
Obviously, stronger and bigger abdominal muscles are necessary to achieve the abdominal look you desire. But stop relying on “isolation” exercises like crunches and leg raises to get the job done. A dumbbell workout puts emphasis on the core muscles with every exercise. This means every exercise is an ab exercise.
No matter how much muscle you put on or how strong and big your abdominal muscles, no one will ever see them if they are covered with fat. You must get rid of the fat around your middle to make the muscles underneath visible. And a dumbbell workout, done correctly, burns a lot of fat.
Think of it this way. You want to perform a workout that builds muscle, strengthens the core and burns fat at the same time. This is the most effective method for getting the result you want. If your entire workout does these three things, it is the fastest way to build abs you can see.
So, spend more time doing a full body dumbbell workout instead of doing those “isolation” exercises and you’ll build more muscle, strengthen your core and burn off more fat. This is what you need to spend your time doing if you ever hope to see your six pack. So, pick up a pair of dumbbells and get busy!

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How to Get Razor Sharp Abs Abdominal Exercise Program

November 6th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #3

If you could sculpt one body part to perfection for next summer, what would it be? Let me guess – six pack abs! I don’t know anybody who does not want to shrink their waistline, lose body fat, eliminate lower back pain and develop a jaw-dropping set of rock-hard six-pack abs. Building eye-popping abdominals is not the hardest thing to achieve in the world but it’s definitely not the easiest either.

Before you can start learning how to get six-pack abs and discover the truth about what it really takes to build a beach-worthy abdominal section, you must first expose the lies, myths and rumors. Before we talk about how to get six-pack abs, the right way, we must re-program your hard drive and empty the trash can of garbage you have been fed.

Because of all this hyped-up and misguided information – even among so-called ‘fitness experts’ – you should be skeptical of all abdominal training equimpment and programs. Let’s first eliminate the top four ways not to get a six-pack:

Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipment promoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can’t flick on the TV anymore without seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted at once. There are so many of them that if you get suckered into these ‘ab workout’ gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100 meter dash! And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent on exercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!

Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundreds of crunches a day. So much for the Brittany Spears ab workout! Crunches are decent but totally overused and associated with more being better. Crunches are a very general exercise, and general exercises get general results. Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forward and emphasize poor posture. They also involve a very low level of stimulation which neglects adequate muscle-fiber recruitment.

Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets. Starvation diets starve the muscle when you should be feeding the muscle instead. Guess what happens when you starve your body? Your metabolism shuts down out of survival and causes your body to store fat. Your body must get energy from somewhere, so guess what gets sacrificed? That’s right, your precious muscle which is, in fact, responsible for maintaining a high metabolism. Starve your muscle – great logic!

Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat-burning pills. What did the last weight loss pill you bought do for you? The same thing the next one is going to do – nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waist line. The entire concept of taking pills to ‘burn fat’ is built on a sandy foundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptoms and not the root cause. Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like poor nutrition, a crazy lifestyle and improper training, you will just end up where you started – farther away from having a six-pack for summer instead of closer.

Just Because You’re Skinny Does Not Mean You Will Have A Six-Pack

The volume of interest I receive from skinny guys who wish to build their mid-sections is more than enough evidence to disprove the false reality of “I should be able to ’see’ my abs if I have low body fat.” I’m sure you know of a friend who is completely scrawny, yet, without a shirt on he, has zero abdominal definition! To me that would be salt on an open wound.

Abdominals Are A Muscle, Too!

You want your arms to be bigger, your shoulders to be broader and your chest to be fuller, correct? And what is the solution to making these muscle groups increase in size? High intensity weight training, overload, consistency and a healthy surplus of calories. Starting to sound familiar?

The same goes for your abdominals. Your abdominals are a muscle group that requires the same formula and attention and are not any different from other muscle groups. For some reason many consider abdominals to be a ’special’ body part that requires a different set of rules and a completely different formula for training. Abdominals were not given a ’secret code’ to crack. To get thick, dense abs – the ones that ‘pop’ out – you must train them with intensity and overload. Here are some practical tips you can apply to your program so that you can be the ‘man’ or ‘gal’ at your gym with a ripped and muscular six-pack. Then I will provide a sample program!

Prioritize By Sequence

If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at the end of your workout? Which muscles group will receive the highest priority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the exercises done at the start of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don’t be afraid to disagree with the ‘experts’ who say “Never train your abdominals first because you’ll weaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout…”. I completely disagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typical response is “Nobody does abdominals first…”. That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don’t ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon-fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in a workout if they need the highest attention.

Prioritize By Frequency

What’s going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained one time a week or two times a week (assuming you recovered prior to the second workout commencing)? Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. The more stimulus on a muscle, the more growth. That is why professional athletes are professional athletes. They have conditioned their bodies to such a high amount of stress that they are able to train more frequently.

How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab or injury prevention, then you will be able to train them often with more frequent and lower loads. If your goal is to make your abs more muscular and dense, then a higher load and less frequency would be ideal. If your goal is maintenance, then a medium load and frequency would be ideal.

If building a sexy six-pack is on your ‘to do’ list for 2008, then start training abdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split your abdominals up into two different days based on movement.

Your Genetics and Abdominals

Right now some of you can see a perfectly set of staggered abs that are wide and thick and separated by a line down the middle. Some of you have the classic four-pack which is four big abs with a smooth lower section. Some of you have tiny cubicle boxes sitting high on your abdominal wall. Some of you have the picture perfect eight-pack that makes people’s jaws drop.

>Like every muscle group, all you can do is train them as heavy and hard as possible and hope your genetics take care of the rest. You can’t change the shape or alignment or separation of your abs. You can’t move them around and place them where you want them. Your genetics will affect to which degree they “pop” out and to which degree they stay smoother or flatter.

The good news is that abdominals are abdominals and when your body fat levels are around 5-7% you are guaranteed to impress people, including yourself, with a set of hot-looking abs. Even though genetics play a huge role in how they look, it’s important to know how to train them to make them look their best.

Divide Your Abdominals into Two Separate Workouts for Best Results

To train your abdominals safely and effectively you must know the basic movement patterns of your abs and train them within all sub-categories:

• Truck Flexion (upper abs)

• Hip Flexion (lower abs)

• Rotation (obliques)

• Lateral Flexion (obliques)

The majority of books and articles you have read revolve the bulk of the ab exercises around the trunk flexion that is better known as ‘upper ab’ exercises. A full sit up is a perfect example of this.

Bill Starr in his 1976 classic ‘The Strongest Shall Survive’ wrote that the abdominals “…can be strengthened in a wide variety of ways. Sit-ups of all types, leg raises, truck rotation movements all involve the abdominal muscles to a different degree…”

I wouldn’t be surprised if the abdominal program you are following right now is based on one movement – trunk flexion. I am guessing that your primary goal is actually to have a well-defined and sculpted six-pack.

Even though you are training each movement twice per week, you will perform different exercises for each workout.

Use a Variety Of Functional Exercises

The Top 3 Hip Flexion Exercises:

1. Lying Hip Raise

2. Incline Hip Raise

3. Hanging Hip Raise

The Top 3 Trunk Flexion Exercises:

1. Swiss Ball Crunch

2. Weighted Swiss Ball Crunches

3. Weighted Cable Crunches

The Top 3 Rotation Exercises:

1. Russian Twist

2. Weighted Russian Twist

3. Weighted Cable Crossover

The Top 3 Lateral Flexion Exercises:

1. Lateral Flexion on back extension machine

2. Lateral Flexion with medicine ball over head

Conclusion

As said earlier, buiding razor sharp abs is not the easiest task in the work but nor is it the hardest. The above abdominal exercises will help you build a deeply separated and evenly placed set of abs in little time. The truth is that if you can’t see your abs, then the best exercise for your abs will be better diet.

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Abdominal Exercises: The Key to Sexy Abs

November 1st, 2009

There are many different types of abdominal exercises that you can use in order to strengthen and shape a great six pack of abdominal muscles. These exercises range from the basic and well known like the classic abdominal crunches, to leg raises, and multiple weight lifting machines designed to target that specific trouble area of many people’s bodies.
The wide variety of various ab machines out there, and the large variety of different abdominal exercises can be a little bit intimidating to a lot of people who aren’t natural gym rats. Whenever there are so many choices, attempting to figure out which abdominal exercises are best for your goals and your situations can be intimidating. The good news is that there is no “only one way” to get there, which means that a wide variety of abdominal exercises can be effective.
The other good news is that despite all the commercials bombarding you with the claim that you have to buy this machine or that machine, but many of the best abdominal exercises aren’t from machines, but are some of the same good old fashioned exercises that you practiced in gym class.
The three best overall abdominal exercises:
1. Crunches. That’s right, the good old fashioned stomach crunch is still the best exercise for abs and should be the foundation for any serious exercise program focusing on abdominal exercises.
2. Reverse crunches. These are similar to crunches, but emphasize the lower abs over the upper abs. A great balance exercise for regular crunches.
3. Side bends. These are really good to work on the supporting oblique muscles.
Someone who only concentrates on these three exercises will do well in building up their abs. These abdominal exercises should always be the base of any serious workout. With weights and other machines, there are also several other really good exercises that can add some great variety, help you keep interest in your workouts, and also help to build your ideal abs.
Leg raises are another favorite among gym goers. Just set yourself up with good posture on the appropriate machine and lift the legs. The pressure forces your abs to work out and can help really shape up that part of the body. The abdominal bicycle crunch is another very popular exercise that you might see around. For some people this is easy, but for beginners it might take a while to get the coordination down.
If you have a bench to work with, then there’s a whole variety of additional abdominal exercises that you can do, including: side leg raises, front kicks, bench kickbacks, and rear leg scissors. A gym workout for abs combined with Pilates at home can be a great way to get the full effect of each workout and come out with the abdominal muscles that you’ve been dreaming of.
The most important thing is to just keep with whatever abdominal exercises that you are working out your stomach muscles with. Keep at it until you get the results you want, and you’ll be glad that you stayed faithful to those abdominal exercises.

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How To Get Six Pack Roped Abs Fast

October 28th, 2009

ADSENSE CODE #5

A shiny set of six pack abs is something that most men and women that work out dream of. Dreaming about it is the easy part – actually getting them is another. There are quite a few guidelines one should follow when pursuing a set of six pack abs, but one thing you need to keep in mind is that pretty much all of us have a six pack under our abdominal fat somewhere, it’s just a matter of bringing down your body fat percentage, and then some hardcore toning of your abdominals – upper, lower, middle, and obliques.

Below, we’ll briefly mention five abdominal targeted exercises that you can do to shape up that flabby gut of yours. As with any exercise program, make sure you talk to a doc to see if your body can handle what you’re about to throw at it.

1. The Reverse Ab Crunch – Simply lie down on your favorite workout mat, get your thighs to a ninety degree angle with the floor (feet up), and start by bringing your knees to your chest and have your chin tucked to your chest at the same time. Go back to the starting position and slowly repeat this process, feeling the abdominal burn!

2. The Abdominal Flutter Kick – Lying on the floor (on your back) with your palms down and arms beside you, bend your knees just a little bit and extend your legs. Lift your feet about 6-8 inches off the floor, and then with a motion similar to a scissor kick, make small rapid movements with your feet, keeping your abs engaged the whole time.

3. The Exercise Ball Crunch – Lying on the ball with your face looking up, and the ball underneath your lower back, put your arms behind your head (or you can do them with arms on your chest), lift up off the ball and then go back down again. Make sure you feel it in your abs.

4. The Bent Elbow Plank – Lying on your stomach, lift your body up onto your forearms and toes, contracting your abs, and hold the position for 5-10 seconds, then rinse and repeat. Make sure that when you life your body, your elbows are parallel to your shoulders.

5. The Oblique Crunch – Lying flat on your back with your hands in the traditional sit-up position behind your head, the key is instead of doing a regular sit-up, when you raise up cross over your midsection and try to touch your right elbow to your left knee. Do this for both sides.

There are a lot more ab exercises out there, but the ones above should give you a good starting point. Remember, your abs aren’t going to show from exercise alone – you need to modify your diet to get your body fat percentage down to a level where your abs will actually “stick out” in that area, thus showing off the much sought after six pack.

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