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A common goal
among exercisers is to achieve those washboard abs that the models
in the fitness magazines all seem to have. Endless crunches, leg
raises, side bends, sit ups, strapping into the ab machines at the
gym. People continue to search for the secret to the elusive ‘six
pack’, often without much success. Turn on late night TV and you are
sure to catch more than one infomercial promoting some new miracle
device that will give you fitness magazine abs without any effort at
all. If perfect abs are your goal, one thing you can be sure of,
those infomercial products will make your wallet smaller faster than
your waistline.
So, for those of
us who are not fitness models, how can we develop a trim, defined
midsection? Several points need to be addressed. First, the 'abs'
are made up of several muscles. The one most people associate with
is the rectus abdominus, located in the front of the abdomen between
the ribs and the pelvis. Although it is one muscle, it is divided by
grooves, the tendinous inscriptions, which is why it is often
referred to as the 'six pack' (in reality it is an 'eight pack').
The primary function of the rectus abdominus is to flex the trunk,
or bring the rib cage down towards the pelvic bone. In addition to
this muscle, the internal and external obliques (located on the
sides of your abdomen), and the transverse abdominus (running
perpendicular to and underneath the rectus abdominus) are the main
muscles that make up your 'abs'. A properly designed fitness program
will incorporate exercises that work each of these muscles and not
focus solely on the 'six pack'. In addition, in order to provide
strength and stabilization to your trunk, and avoid imbalances that
can lead to injury, exercises that strengthen the muscles of the
back and hips should be part of a complete program.
The second point
is that your abdominal muscles, like the other muscles of your body,
need recovery time between training sessions. It is a popular
misconception that it is okay to work your midsection every day. You
would not think about doing squats every day, as your legs need time
to recover and grow. The same principle applies here, meaning you
should not work your abdominal muscles every day either. More is
also not necessarily better when it comes to repetitions. Performing
25 well executed crunches is far more effective than being able to
proudly proclaim the ability to do 200 crunches with poor form.
Next, do not
waste your money on those infomercial contraptions that promise
'great abs in just minutes a day' or 'great abs without the effort'
or any other promise that sounds too good to be true. The only thing
to believe about those infomercials is that not a single one of the
well paid actors and models in them got their perfect bodies by
using those worthless devices. Most of the products you see are
poorly designed and often do not even target the abdominal muscles,
instead focusing on the hip flexor muscles. All you need for an
effective abdominal workout is enough space for a mat on the floor
and proper instruction. Throw in an inexpensive stability ball and
you can add a whole new dimension and challenge to your workouts.
Finally, the
reality is that for the vast majority of us, the 'six pack' is
already there. Unfortunately for that same vast majority, our body
fat levels do not allow it to be seen. Despite what the ads and
infomercials will tell you, it is not possible to spot reduce the
amount of fat covering certain areas of your body, no matter how
many crunches, side bends, or repetitions with some silly device you
do. By themselves, exercises targeting these muscles will make the
muscles themselves stronger, but do little, if anything, to shrink
the layer of body fat covering them. The key to achieving that lower
level of body fat is through a program of healthy, balanced
nutrition, combined with moderate aerobic exercise and basic
resistance training that targets all of the major muscle groups in
your body, in addition to your ‘abs’. So, the next time you catch
yourself watching those late night infomercials, realize that is
actually how those actors got those perfect bodies, and not by using
those worthless products they are trying to get you to waste your
money on.
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