Do you want a flat stomach? I don't know a person who doesn't!
People spend millions, if not billions of dollars, each year in
the quest for a flat stomach. Right now there are about 200 or more ab exercise
devices out there. There's the ab do-it, the ab rock-it, the ab roller, the ab
dolly, and so many more. You would think that with all of these amazing new
products that most people would be walking around with that nice, lean
mid-section they've always wanted. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
Most, if not all of these products, will do little or nothing to flatten your
stomach. And that's because these exercise contraptions cannot eliminate the
layer of fat that lies on top of your abs.
In order to be successful at
thinning your waistline you must have a basic under standing of how the ab
muscles function and how your body burns fat. The first thing that needs to be
understood is the difference between fat and muscle. Fat is excess calories and
is primarily stored in layers on top of muscle tissue. Muscle is made up of
fibers that contract or shorten to produce movement. Fat cannot turn into muscle
and muscle cannot turn into fat! However, you can lose muscle and you can gain
fat. That's what happens to most people.
So if your goal is to thin your
waist line and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is
decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. We all have
a flat stomach; it's just some of oar’s are covered by excess fat.
The
most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength
training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short,
hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and
makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).
1. You must do
some form of progressive strength training
The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward.
However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles
that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day
doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.
If you want to effectively
strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of
exercises:
The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3
times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively,
working them harder each time.
2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to
increase metabolism
Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly,
increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely
to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used
by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess
body fat.
Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any
activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).
Warm up at
easy pace 2-5 minutes à Perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as
possible) à perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath) à
Repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes
3. Stable blood sugar is the key
And most importantly, you must stabilize
your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to
burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize
your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The
key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns
calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day?
Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole
grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).
Many
people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it
is. Calories are calories and it doesn’t matter where they come from. If there’s
extra… where’s it going? Yup, you guessed it… body fat!
This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it
just doesn’t have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make
healthy choices whenever possible, but don’t feel like if you eat a cheeseburger
it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.
4. Get the help of a professional
Unfortunately, most people don’t know enough about the human body,
nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask
yourself this one question, “Am I happy with my current progress or condition?”
If you’re not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal
fitness professional. Don’t depend on the information you get from magazines or
from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you
achieve your health and fitness goals, and in less time than you would imagine.
If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for
that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in
this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism
and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great! If
you would like to receive more information on how to lose those love handles
please call me at 240-731-3724 or e-mail me at
jesse(at)achieve-fitness.com
----------
Jesse Cannone is a certified
personal fitness trainer, post-rehab specialist, nutritionist, and a
national fitness presenter. He is also the author of
Burn Fat FAST and
A Bride’s Guide To Fast Fitness + Weight Loss in addition to many other
popular fitness articles. He is known for his hard-hitting and to the point
style and offers a great free email newsletter called Fitness Success News,
which you can subscribe to at his website
http://www.achieve-fitness.com
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