|
Myth: You need to work your abs everyday.
Truth: The best way to develop abdominal strength and tone is to
work your abs to exhaustion. You need to allow your abdominal
muscles to recover..this equates to 24-48 hours of rest time
between workouts. Increase the intensity of your workouts
gradually. If you overdo it, not only will you be excessively
sore (a little soreness is a good thing, it signifies that you
have worked the muscle enough for it to repair itself and become
stronger in the process), but you may discourage yourself
because you will need more rest time than normal and it will be
harder to do your ab exercises.
Myth: The more situps you do, the better.
Truth: Doing hundreds of situps will not help you lose abdominal
fat! Situps actually do little to increase strength because they
focus on edurance and are inefficient; it is hard to overload
the abdominal muscles doing situps. Thus, you will be wasting
your time. Crunches (yes, crunches) are the best way to overload
the abs and work the entire midsection, whether you do them on
the floor or on a Swiss Ball (my personal favorite!). There are
many variations of crunches, and each targets different parts of
the abdominal muscles. While doing crunches, it is imperative
that you focus on proper technique and gradually increasing
resistance. Using this method, you can fatigue your abdominal
muscles using fewer reps.
Myth: Situps are the key to getting "cut" ab muscles.
Truth: If you have layers of abdominal fat covering your abs,
situps, or any other exercise, for that matter, won't do you
much good. For a strong, cut midsection, keep in mind these tips:
1. Train your abs with resistance. If you are a beginner, try
crunches without resistance first. As you get stronger, then
move to more challenging moves or crunches using a Swiss Ball.
2. You need consistent cardiovascular exercise (helps to burn
fat faster, performed at 80% of your maximum heart rate).
3. Cut the fat in your diet to shed body fat and create
definition. This is the only way your abs will show through!
Remember, great abs are made in the kitchen!
We make it easy to improve your health and feel good about
yourself. Stop wasting time and learn from the experts! To
discover the keys to building a better body, visit our Great
Abs website.
About the author:
Marie Borges is a motivational writer, author and healthcare
consultant. She specializes in educating and motivating clients
on good nutrition, healthy eating and exercise to improve
overall health and happiness. To change your body for the
better, receive free tips, recipes, articles and more, visit:
http://www.burn-your-fat.com
|
