With nearly
2/3 of the adult population in the US classified as overweight or obese,
it has become a very rare occurrence these days to see virtually anyone
with the six pack abs appearance that is so yearned for.
Unfortunately,
it seems that the masses still go about their quest for a sexy stomach
in the least effective manner possible.
The fact is
that typical crunches, sit-ups and side bends have almost nothing to do
with truly attaining that flat stomach and sexy abs that everybody wants,
but most struggle with. It's true.
According to
Mike Geary of Marlton, NJ, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal
Trainer (CPT), author of the internationally best-selling e-book, "The
Truth about Six Pack Abs" and founder of TruthAboutAbs.com, most people
are simply wasting their time with hundreds of crunches, sit-ups and other
direct ab exercises while trying to flatten that stomach.
The real secret,
says Geary, is in choosing exercises and workout combinations that stimulate
the metabolism and give more of a fat-burning hormonal response, in order
to more easily strip off the excess belly fat that is covering up those
abs.
For losing belly
fat to slim down that tummy much faster, Geary prescribes throwing the
crunches out the window for the time being, and instead focusing on multi-joint
full-body exercises that give you a much better calorie burn and metabolism
increase.
For example,
exercises such as lunges, squats, mountain climbers and other similar exercises
are much better for burning belly fat than ab exercises such as crunches
or sit-ups.
Here's an example
of how these three exercises can be combined into a time-effective 10-15
minute workout that will blast that excess belly fat off of your abs faster
than ever before and can be done right in your own living room:
Example Bodyweight
Exercise Circuit
Take note of
the time, or start a timer, then repeat the following circuit as many times
as possible in 10-15 minutes
1. Bodyweight squats
-- 8 reps each set
2. Bodyweight lunges --
6 reps with each leg per set
3. Mountain climbers on
floor -- 30 seconds for each set
Take no rest between
exercises in the circuit, and then rest 30 seconds after each rotation
through the circuit.
Keep repeating
the circuit for 10-15 minutes straight. If you're a beginner that never
exercises, just go for only 5 minutes for the first week or two. For everyone
else, try starting at 10 minutes for the first week, and slowly work up
to 15 minutes of these high intensity circuits thereafter.
For some, a
15 minute workout might not sound like much, but this type of high intensity
combination workout is guaranteed to be more effective than the typical
waste of time abs machines and ineffective ab exercises. Bye, bye belly
fat.
Exercise Descriptions
1. Bodyweight squats
-- Start with a foot stance slightly wider than shoulder width. Initiate
the squat by pushing the hips back, and then squatting down until your
thighs are approximately parallel to the ground. Then push yourself back
up to the starting position. Important tip: always think about "sitting
back" into a squat as opposed to just "squatting down".
2. Bodyweight Lunges -- Step
forward with one leg at a time. Take a long enough step so that at the
bottom of the lunge, your shin is vertical and your thigh is parallel to
the floor. Alternate legs and repeat.
3. Floor mountain climbers
-- Get down into a pushup position on hands and toes. Quickly start alternating
your legs by shuffling your feet in and out. Your knees will come in close
to your elbows on each rep. Move swiftly. This is meant to be a fast paced
exercise. Keep moving for the recommended time period (30 seconds each
set).
This was just an
intro to the full body philosophy of fat loss. The Truth about Six Pack
Abs manual contains all levels of advancement from beginners to super-studs
and bodyweight workouts to gym-based free weight workouts.
In addition,
the most important portion of the manual deals with nutritional strategies
for losing body fat to achieve a low enough body fat percentage for visible
abs.
--
Copyright
2007 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
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