If you had that elusive six-pack, that apparently unachievable flat stomach, you wouldn’t be reading this, would you? There’s nothing mysterious about getting ab muscles firm and fit, though there are many myths about working the abdominal area. It is true that there’s a lot more to muscular, sharp abs than simple crunches. There are several probable causes if your abs aren’t all you would like them to be:
1. Body fat percentage
2. Incorrectly practicing abdominal movements
3. Genetics
You can’t spot reduce. Men usually store fat around their waists, while women generally keep it around their hips. The best way to get and keep a washboard stomach is by following a low-fat diet and doing plenty of aerobics. Crunches and side leg raises will build and strengthen the muscles, but will not make them appear through the layer of fat between them and the skin.
The first requirement for getting defined abs is setting your goals. Once a goal is decided upon there are three components that will need to be addressed: resistance training, cardiovascular exercise and nutrition. Resistance training includes lifting free weights with barbells, dumbbells, weight-resisted machines, or resisted bands. When resistance training, muscle groups should be trained 1-3 times per week with at least 48 hours break between workouts.
The next important part of the equation is cardiovascular exercise. This is an exercise that stresses the heart, lungs, and circulatory system, and includes walking, running, swimming or biking.
You also need a good weight-training routine, which takes several variables into consideration. The existing condition of your health should be the most important concern as this can have an effect on secondary factors like recovery ability, vulnerability to injury and overtraining, and physical limitation.
For instance, if a 35-year-old guy with a history of back trouble were to build a weight-training program the effectiveness of heavy squats in his leg program or deadlifts in his back program would be dubious. Abdominal workouts do not need to be done in the gym, contrary to what many believe. The best abdominal workouts you can possibly get are right in your own home, in fact. However, the solution to making your self-crafted ab workout turn your jelly belly into a blazing six-pack is the big “V.” Variation. Blending several different movements and exercises with all sorts of variations in motion, speed and resistance can shock your midsection into the washboard of your desire.
The last and most important component for getting defined abs is nutrition. It doesn’t matter how many hours you spend sweating in the gym – if you fail to adjust your eating behavior, poor food choices and amounts will bring your progress to a screeching halt. Buying food for you and your family appears easy enough. However, many people don’t really know what they’re eating, because they don’t know how to read a food label and are fooled by the claims on the front of the package. The main mistake people make is not looking at the serving size. You can find the serving size listed directly under the “Nutrition Facts” on the food label.
Eating “smart” is not just about eating ONLY “healthy” food, eating a smaller amount of food, or eating certain kinds of food in certain combinations. A smart and healthful eating plan is one that highlights fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat or fat-free milk products.
Fruits:vary your fruit intake – it’s okay to eat fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit.
Vegetables:think “color” – and take in more dark green and leafy dark green vegetables, and orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, squash and even sweet potatoes.
Calcium/milk products:try to get 3 cups of milk per day, or have the equivalent in low-fat yogurt or cheese.
Grains:go for at least 3 oz. of whole grain breads, cereals, rice or pasta each day.
Meat:protein is a very important part of your daily eating plan.
Why Are Flabby Abs A Problem In The USA?
Foodstuff is MUCH cheaper here.
No one walks or bikes anywhere.
People eat a lot of processed food.
Marketing forces are powerful, especially in the form of TV ads.
Practice conquering your urge to eat by opening the refrigerator and saying out loud, “I just can’t stop myself from eating this food,” and then close the door and walk away. Consequently you will show yourself that you can break your snacking tendency, and the more you do this little exercise, the more routine the act of shutting the fridge door will become.
Family obligations, full time employment and life in general can at times hinder your fitness, but with good planning you can still make time for training. Riding your bicycle or walking to work or school can be the best way to make time for keeping fit. It may be hard to get up for the additional travel time but the physical and psychological boost you will experience from it will pay big dividends.
Believe it or not, unsuccessful people are just as disciplined as successful people. You see, we always “intend” to take action when the idea strikes us. But if we don’t convert that intention into real action fairly quickly, the urgency starts to weaken. So take action! You need to take the first step in the direction of your aspiration when your passion is soaring and the inspiration is strong, clear, and powerful.