Get six pack abs
It’s the holy grail of exercise, everyone who does exercise craves a great set of abs. Well the good news is that everyone already has a great six pack. The bad news is that unless you reduce the layer of fat covering them, you’ll never get to see them. Everybody’s abs are formed in a grid like shape to allow movements such at bending forwards. If you didn’t have this “six pack” grid look, you would be stuck in an upright position! Not great for putting your socks on!
Note that the main function of your abs is to work with your other stabilising muscle around the torso to help maintain dynamic stabilisation of the body during movement… essentially what we refer to as good posture. The main function of your abs is not to help your curl over on the floor to look at your knees, it is to allow efficient transfer of power between the upper and lower body, both in everyday movements and more sporting movements. The most effective way to train your abs is with stabilising exercises such as the plank and its many variations and single-sided exercises, such as walks with a weight in one hand only (suitcase walk), lunges with a weight held on one side only and many whole body (compound) exercise, such as deadlifts.
To burn belly fat you must take a whole body approach. You cannot spot reduce fat from your body. Certainly you can spot tone the abdominal muscles with crunches and ab curls, but this could lead to back and neck problems and will still not give a six pack unless you reduce the fat over your toned abs. It is true that men and women are genetically predisposed to storing fat in different places and genetics also play a role as do the hormones produced by the foods you consume, but ultimately, fat will lessen over the entire body not any one site.
Nutrition is the most important factor in fat burning. If you exercise frequently but still eat the wrong foods, you will not succeed. Eat small meals throughout the day and ensure you drink plenty of fluids. Water is essential in all metabolic processes (burning energy/food/fat) within the body. Focus of wholesome, unprocessed foods that are in season and provide plenty of nutrients and clean energy.
In terms of exercise, you need to do resistance work. Don’t get sucked into a routine of long bouts of cardio unless you are training for a sport that requires it or particularly enjoy the distressing effect it can provide. Try not to exercise hard on an empty stomach, as lean muscle tissue may be used for energy, this is not good! Resistance exercise will increase the density of the muscle fibres in your body, increase the number of mitochondria (power cells) and elevate your metabolism. This is because muscle uses calories to maintain itself, fat does not. Over time, even a small increase in your metabolism will have great effect on your fat burning… but remember, you can’t out-train a poor diet. Think nutrition, or prepare to be disappointed.
Women worry about bulking up when they train with weights and often avoid them. This will not happen. Most men struggle to put on much size…. and they have the right level of hormones to do so! Women do not, so don’t worry. The muscle women build is compact and less than the fat it replaces. The muscles will increase in density but not necessarily in size. Try to do between two and four sessions per week and use a mix of body weight, free-weights and machines to promote variety and interest. One or two sets of up to 20 repetitions will work, or focus on “time under tension”, which is the time your muscle is loaded each set. Aim for a time under tension of 60 seconds. Focus on good technique. Ideally get a programme from one of our trainers.
Cardiovascular or aerobic improvements can also be achieved from resistance work, especially if weights are lifted within a circuit. If cardio exercise is still your choice.. and your ONLY choice, it should last over 20 minutes at an intensity that challenges you. If you can read a book while on the bike, you should consider working harder. If you do your cardio first thing after getting out of bed or after a heavy resistance session, then back right off on the intensity. Intensity is key to getting the maximum fat burning benefits from your cardio exercise. High intensity interval training (HIIT) can be of great benefit if performed correctly and at the right time. Check out our blog articles for more info on HIIT.