Flat Abs

What's the secret ingredient we must be doing in order to get great abs?

Is it 5 sets of 20 crunches? Should you be doing different ab exercises every day of the week or just a couple days a week? Or should we keep the exercises the same on one day and different the next? We all want to know what program is the best for getting ripped six pack abs.

Even women want the "six pack" abs we see in the media and people have been debating this question ever since the first bodybuilders appeared on the Santa Monica strip in their banana boat swim trunks. How do they do it?

The anwer to this isn't as simple as people want to hear. People often want to hear and do believe that the miracle weight-loss pill they see on commercial ads work. This is true for the abdominal equipment "proven" to get your abs into shape as fast as in two weeks. This just isn't possible unless you plan on supplementing a healthy diet and exercise with it.

The truth is you cannot just work the abdominals because you will strengthen the stomach and weaken your back causing an imbalance within your thoracic region. The best way to form flat abs requires discipline, a proper diet, and training regimen as will follow.

You can train your abdominals more than twice per week because they are strong muscles, which require a lot of training to see improvements. Of course, start out training abs twice a week if you do not train them regularly.

Abdominals are used in many core exercises and total body exercises. Thus, they do not necessarily have to be isolated when exercising them. In fact, it is best not to always isolate them. Core exercises incorporate muscles of the trunk region such as the abdominals, and middle and lower back. This is great because you are strengthening your abdominals and your back at the same time. Some core exercises are also total body exercises, which work the entire body and burn twice as many calories as isolating one muscle shedding fat faster. They include (but are not limited to) bird-dogs, side-planks, deadlifts, squats.

Supersetting is another great way to shape-up the core fast. A superset is two exercises done back to back without any rest in between. I realize you want flat abs, but performing core exercises works the muscles around the trunk and ultimately shreds fat and builds lean muscle around the trouble areas (such as those love handles and the lower portion of the belly) shrinking the waist. Supersetting exercises can be done in many ways. You can take a back exercise such as a superman and combine it with the abdominal exercise bicycle crunches. Or you can take a squat and superset it with a deadlift.

It really doesn't matter how you do it. I would recommend going from an exercise that uses larger muscles to an exercise that uses smaller muscles. And, if you get dizzy easily don't superset an exercise that is high intensity such as a squat with a crunch because your blood pressure is likely to change rapidly making you feel nauseous.

You don't need equipment to exercise your muscles. However, if you aren't working with equipment, it is important to complete the exercise until you can feel your muscles that you're working burning. Personal trainers call this number "Repetions". Try to push a little past the point of burning. This is when you know you're breaking down the muscle for repair and regrowth (called micro-damage). You want this to happen in order for the muscles to change. Repeat the exercise at least twice. If it's a superset, repeat the superset at least twice.

Always start your day with a healthy breakfast. Choose fruits and vegetables over high-calorie, sugary foods. Instead of white, starchy carbohydrates such as white bread, potatoes, and certain cereals and pastas, go for whole grains. Fish oils, nuts, avocados, and olive oil are healthy fats that are good for shedding unwanted fat around the midsection so don't be afraid to eat it. It's also really great for the cardiovascular system.

Most books out there will tell you this same stuff. "How to improve your metabolism", "The key to six pack abs". It's really not that difficult. Don't spend your money on costly books or pills. Just get on the internet and use your research skills to pick through the bulls$%t. All you need is a healthy, clean diet without any processed foods and a little bit of exercise.

I hope this helps!

Falling off the band wagon

Some days just seem impossible to get through. You might have the world on your shoulders one day or you may just be completely bored the next and you find yourself sitting on the couch, watching television, eating anything you can find that's appealing in the kitchen cabinets because food will cure everything.

For my mom it's coming home and immediately pouring herself a glass of wine...and then another glass, and then another. No offense mom, I love you!

I agree that we all need an outlet daily to let out stress in order to regain and maintain balance within your life, but your choices on how you choose to deal with stress impact whether or not you will feel better afterward. If you have a habit of going for the bag of potato chips, cookies or ice cream (maybe you eat all of those) then don't expect that you're going to be happy afterward or when your pants don't fit six months down the road.

I have bad days too. Some days I come home and go for an ice cream (and a brownie) with my husband, and we'll split a frozen pizza, but I don't begin my day that way. And, I don't beat myself up either. The next day I often feel lethargic because that food does not provide you with any lasting energy. It only provides with you energy that gets stored as fat over night while you sleep.

Ever heard the term falling off the bandwagon? It's really important that even when you have a bad day the next day you look deep within yourself and find the will to be better than you were the day before. Go to the gym, go for a power-walk or a jog. Go swimming. Do something that is going to lift your spirits. You've got to start somewhere right?

Exercise is something that should be done almost on a daily basis. Most people under estimate the power of physical activity and the benefits it provides for your well being. It also speeds up your metabolism by adding lean muscle for the next time you really need a night to raid the cupboards. There are a thousand different ways to get up and move.