Ab exercises won’t give you abs
Posted by Mike Furci (09/16/2011 @ 9:30 am)
Go to any gym, and you’ll see a big percentage of members at any given time tirelessly working their abs in the hopes of getting the elusive six pack. Go to any home in the U.S., and you’ll find many of them have some kind of ab machine, gadget, and/or tape that was bought with the promise of a flat stomach, wash-board abs, etc. The question is, does working your abs give you abs? In other words, does performing ab exercises burn the fat covering your abs? In a word, NO.
A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that the effect of abdominal exercises on abdominal fat was zero. 14 men and 10 women were randomly chosen to be in one of 2 groups: control group (CG) or abdominal exercise group (AG). The AG performed exercises for 6 weeks.
In conclusion, abdominal exercise training was effective to increase abdominal strength, but was not effective to decrease various measures of abdominal fat. The information from this study can help people to understand that abdominal exercise alone is not sufficient to reduce waistline or subcutaneuos fat.
J Strength Cond Res 25(9):2559-2564,2011
Posted in: Abs, Equipment and Gear, Weight Loss, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci
Tags: 10 minute abs, 6 pack abs, ab, ab exercises, ab machines, ab roller, Ab workouts, ab workouts for men, abs workout, Exercises for your Abs, Exercises to help show your abs, Journal of strength and conditioning research, ripped abs, six pack abs, training your abs, truth about abs, washboard abs
Fitness Myths Busted
Posted by Mike Furci (12/15/2009 @ 9:09 am)
Is performing cardio the best way to lose fat?
There are 3 things to keep in mind about cardio when trying to get leaner. One is that it doesn?t build muscle. Two, it doesn?t preserve muscle while losing weight. Both are extremely important if your goal is not only to get leaner, but to stay that way. As we lose weight the body does not discriminate where the weight comes from. We lose muscle along with fat, especially on a low calorie diet. And performing cardio accentuates this phenomenon.
Lastly, unless you enjoy cardiovascular training, it?s just not worth the time. The work to benefit ratio is dismal to say the least. Unless you?re willing to bust your butt and perform 60 ? 90 minutes of cardio a day, which will hinder your muscle building capacity, cardio is not worth it.
Will training your abs using the right exercise our equipment give you washboard abs?
Is reducing your calories the best way to lose weight?
If I’m not sore a couple of days after a workout, did I not train hard enough?
Get the answers to these and other common fitness myths in my Fitness Myths Busters article.
Posted in: Abs, Bodybuilding, Exercise, General training, Power lifting, Specific workouts, Weight training, Workout programs, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci
Tags: 6 best ab exercises, Ab workouts, at home cardio, Best AB exercises, best cardio workout, calories, calories burned during exercise, cardio exercises, cardio kickboxing, Cardio Training, cardio workout, cardio workout routine, different cardio workouts, fitness myths, fitness routines, free fitness routines, Headlines, how many calories should i eat, how many calories should i eat a day, how many calories should i eat to lose weight, Is cardio neccessary, Specific workouts, Weight training vs. Cardio, Workout advice, Workout programs, Workout routines, Workout tips
30-Minute Ab Routine
Posted by Anthony Stalter (07/10/2008 @ 3:30 pm)
If you’re having a hard time getting your abs to come in, make sure you’re not passing by the squat rack on your way to the exercise mat to do countless crunches. Squats and deadlifts essentially work your abs just as well (if not more) than standard crunches.
If you’re looking for a solid ab routine to supplement into your workout, try this one from Men’s Fitness.com. It’s basic and you can do it on your off days.