Six Pack Abs Without Crunches Who doesnt want a six-pack? A washboard across the stomach is like a status symbol - heads turn, and compliments abound. So how do you go about getting a six-pack? Most people will start doing 1,000 crunches a day in their quest for the perfect stomach. Unfortunately, this path only circumvents your true destination, exhausting you in the process since you are doing so darn many crunches. Crunches wont give you visible washboard abs. Spot reduction is not physiologically possible. You cannot target any specific area of fat on your body. However, what crunches will do is vitally important. The results of a properly implemented ab program will be strength and hypertrophy (growth) of the core. In other words, your abs will get stronger (helping support and protect the lower back, and stabilize the pelvis), and thicker (more definition). According to EMG (electromyography) studies, which measure the amount of activity in a contracted muscle during an exercise, the crunch performed on a stability ball is one of the top 3 ab exercises. In fact, it may be considered the top ab exercise, since unlike the other top two ab exercises, it minimizes activity in the rectus femoris - meaning your quad muscle doesnt help out as much - a good thing when youre targeting your abdominals. OK, so now you know that to obtain strong, well-formed abs, you need to integrate appropriate ab exercises such as the stability ball crunch (in the right amount and intensity - usually not more than 20 reps) into your strength training program. But how do we get from there to a six-pack? Well, to tell you the truth, most people already have a six-pack - or will soon enough with proper ab training. The problem is you cant see it because its hidden under a layer of fat. And crunches will not help you lose this extra padding. In order to expose your six-pack, you need to be adequately lean - at a low body fat percentage. We all know how to get there - eat properly, strength train, and do interval training. Bottom line - getting a six pack isnt easy. You must incorporate all three of these dimensions of a healthy lifestyle. If it were as simple as doing a couple hundred crunches per night, everyone would have washboard abs. But since when is anything worth having easy to obtain? Bobbi Johnson, CSCS, CPT ã 2009 Author, The 10-Minute Fitness Fury Program Creator of The Fun First Fitness Workout System
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 09:23:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015