Article Review: Just How Do You Get Awesome Abs?
I read an interesting article on the Resolution 365 website on ‘How to Get Awesome Abs‘. The title grabbed me in and the first few paragraphs I read I totally agreed with. However after reading the whole post I suddenly realised the author was in for a long journey before they would ever regain their six pack.
CRUNCHES ALONE WILL NOT GIVE YOU FLAT ABS. I apologize for shouting, but it is unbelievable how many people think this is true. Unless you are seventeen or blessed with extremely low body fat, you need to spend less time overall on abdominal exercises and focus more on lowering total body fat through aerobic exercise and diet.
This is true and untrue. Yes, simply doing ab crunches until you throw up will not turn your flabby stomach in to visibly hard, washboard abdominals. You need (like the article says) to lower your body fat percentage to a level close to 10%. But, ‘aerobic exercise and diet’ are not actually the way to achieve this. It can, over time, help you to get your coveted six pack, but it is not by any means the best method.
If you’re wanting to go cross country you can take pretty much any car and there is a chance you’ll get where you want to go. But unless you drive a 4WD vehicle there is a high chance you’ll get stuck along the way when you meet terrain for which your trendy sports car just wasn’t designed.
So what is the equivalent of a 4WD in fitness? In order to have six pack abs (as already mentioned) you need to lower your body fat percentage. In order to achieve that you need to speed up your metabolism. What is the best way of speeding your metabolism? By growing your muscles. The more muscle you have on your frame the more your body will be burning away the flab 24 hours a day 7 days a week (kind of like that 24-hour toothpaste)!
It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, want you need to do (along with healthy eating) is get into some strength training or body building. Don’t worry, you are not going to look like He-man (and I can guarantee that if you’re a woman), what you will do is look more athletic and as a result your body will be your friend in the fight against flab.
NOTE: The exception to this is people who naturally have high metabolism. Male teenage athletes are a prime example. They can often eat whatever they want right up until their early 20s. Check back in 20 years though and more than likely they’ll be showing off their beer belly while holding their six pack (of beer)!
Comments are welcome!
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