Debunking The Ab Myth
Ab training has been done to death but it's time to take another look. Why? Because people are still training their abs wrong so all that ab training information must not be doing the job.
1 - No Spot Reducing - Endless crunches will not melt away the fat from your midsection. It just doesn't work that way. And despite the "burn" of high rep ab exercises, you barely burn any calories while doing those endless crunches.
Your fat burning time is best spent elsewhere on more effective training. You also don't work the ab muscle intensely enough to develop it.
So endless high rep crunches fail on both counts - poor muscle building and poor fat burning. Two thumbs down as the cliche goes.
2 - The Abs are a Muscle and should be trained as such. You don't need high reps and lots of sets to work your abs. This just leads to overtraining.
Now, abs are a more endurance oriented muscle so slightly higher reps may be more effective. However, you should keep the reps at 20 or lower and work on increasing the resistance.
Yes, you should be increasing the weights on ab exercises, just like your other exercises. The stronger your abs, the better they will look when the fat is stripped away.
Ever see a really thin guy with a flat stomach but no abs? The abs haven't been trained and aren't developed enough to stand out even when the fat is stripped away.
3 - Don't train the abs - What the heck do I mean by this? Well, your abs get a lot of indirect work from other exercises so you really won't need more than a couple of hard sets of weighted crunches to work your abs.
Your abs are a factor in exercises such as squats, deadlifts, seated or standing presses, dumbbell pullovers, pulldowns, etc. Don't believe me?
Next time you work out, do a few hard sets of standing stiff armed pulldowns on the lat machine and tell me your abs aren't sore the next day. I did them yesterday and my abs are more sore than my back today.
If you want to develop a flat stomach with your abs visible, you need to treat your abs like a muscle and train that way. And you need to strip away the fat with a proper training and nutrition program designed around total fat loss, not trying to spot reduce through endless crunches.
Is there anything out there in the fitness world suffering from more misinformation that how to get abs?
The number of ab machines constantly coming to market is mind boggling. Especially considering that they aren't needed and won't give you the results that you want.
Let's set the record straight on ab training right now and give you the real information you need so you can say no to the next infomercial ab machine and yes to actual abs.
1 - Training your abs consistently will eventually give you the flat stomach or six-pack that you want.
No. It's not gonna happen if your abs are covered by a layer of body fat and doing endless sets of ab exercises is not the way to rid yourself of that excess body fat.
2 - Train your abs everyday for best results.
Again, no. Your abs are a muscle, just like your chest, lats, arms and so on. You should train your abs just like these other muscles, with progressive resistance and high intensity - then allow them to rest and recover. Never train your abs more than 3 days a week.
3 - You need to do hundreds or reps and feel the burn to get great abs.
Yep, again the answer is no. The abs a muscle just like I mentioned above. To get six pack abs you need to strip off the fat, but you also need to build the abs to get them to really pop out.
If the muscle isn't developed, you'll just have a flat stomach but no abs. The name of the game is progressive resistance for sets of 8 - 20 reps, just like your other muscles.
4 - Train the abs with lots of sets and high reps to burn off stomach fat.
You guessed it. This is also false. Spot reduction just isn't going to happen as much as we'd all like it to. You can't burn fat on your stomach by doing endless crunches.
You need to put together a proper weight lifting program, nutrition plan, and cardio in order to rid your stomach of that stubborn layer of fat and bring yout your abs.
Gregg Gillies
Gregg Gillies is a speaker, consultant, fat loss expert, trainer and author. He teaches fitness via his articles, books and courses at his web site http://www.buildleanmuscle.com . He is the author of two books: Complete information on his books, along with lots of free articles are available at his site. And while there, don't forget to sign up for his free newsletter, "Fit Physique".
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight... Read More
Negative calorie foods are said to use more calories to... Read More
It's really difficult for a person to socialise if he... Read More
Many people have asked me what foods they should eat... Read More
Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot of... Read More
Cellulite - Reduce The Appearance --------------------------------- Sallie Elizabeth has always... Read More
I am so grateful that you're taking steps to take... Read More
What is negative calorie effect? Whatever food we eat,... Read More
The Sour Truth -------------------------- Question: I had a baby 6... Read More
There has been a recent surge in the experts weighing... Read More
The average American eats about twice as much protein than... Read More
The Zone Diet as a weight loss program has been... Read More
So you ask, "How do I determine if I am... Read More
In today's bustling world we are constantly surrounded by media... Read More
Are you concerned about the lack of exercise your child... Read More
Are you weighted down with delusion, depression and on the... Read More
The people of earlier times depended on the rich resource... Read More
Nice girls don't speak up. Nice girls take care of... Read More
Let's face facts; obesity is ripe today in America and... Read More
You know you have weighted, err, waited more than enough.... Read More
Weight loss is an issue that affects men and women... Read More
I am embarrassed to admit how many different commercial weight... Read More
Healthy living begins with healthy eating and healthy eating begins... Read More
To understand how surgical procedures aid the grossly overweight person... Read More
Remember there's more to you than meets the eye. You've... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..Whether coming from a close friend, the nightly news or... Read More
There is only one way to lose weightThere really is... Read More
Weight loss is never easy. Although this is stating the... Read More
I just came back from three days in Las Vegas.... Read More
1. Quit snacking in between meals. Do not fall for... Read More
In our never ending search for the illusive "Fountain of... Read More
Ever notice how your best friend can lose weight on... Read More
As a woman, your body is very complex. Throughout every... Read More
1. Carrying around excess body fat will decrease your energy... Read More
Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting... Read More
Weight Loss is something that many Americans struggle with. In... Read More
If you are a mom at home on a diet,... Read More
Control that sweet tooth. Remember that sweet things generally mean... Read More
If only we could solve this question, the world (for... Read More
There are numerous ways to make a bad weight loss... Read More
Whew! So how did you do on that last lesson?... Read More
I'm sick of all the fad diets I see people... Read More
Obesity is quickly becoming the number one health issue confronting... Read More
There's nothing more fun then being creative with food and... Read More
Low Carb, Low Fat, More protein, Eat all the fat... Read More
Being overweight is no laughing matter. For those who are... Read More
The general approach for treatment of obesity is to suggest... Read More
ATTITUDESIT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!Exercising has so many physical benefits that... Read More
Obesity still remains one of the commonest avoidable causes of... Read More
The Atkins Diet Seems To Never Go AwayFad diets come... Read More
Weight Loss |