Sunday, February 1, 2009

Crunches May Be Stopping You From Getting Six Pack Abs

By Jose Loni

We all do crunches for our abs. However, crunches may be stopping you from getting six pack abs. Instead of doing thousands and thousands of ab crunches, we should focus on overall fat burning activities like resistance training, watching our diet and decreasing the stress in our lives.

Crunches do not target what needs to be trained. Crunches are good for stabilizing, strengthening and developing the muscles of the abdomen. But to achieve defined ripped abs, overall fat-burning activities must be done.

Fat burning exercises consist of overall exercises that increase our metabolism to further burn body fat. When we increase our metabolism, our bodies utilize the excess body fat in our stomach area, which allows the underlying abdominal muscles to become more visible.

Lean body mass is increased as a result of resistance training. The increased muscle mass increases metabolic activity and helps the body burn more fat, which is required to fuel increased activity.

Our diet plays an important role in getting six pack abs. Eating smaller portion meals more frequently throughout the day allows our bodies to maintain energy levels and stabilize our blood sugar. Also, eating better quality foods, well balanced in protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals and vitamins, will help us to achieve our goal of six-pack abs.

Stress affects our bodies in a way that makes our bodies react in an emergency mode. When our bodies are in a stressful situation, Cortisol is released and causes fat to be stored in the abdominal area.

There are activities that are effective in reducing our stress. Activities like yoga, tai chi and deep breathing have all been shown to decrease stress in people.

Are crunches bad for six-pack abs? No, crunches are not the answer to achieve defined six pack abs. We need to focus on activities that allow for overall fat burning, through resistance training, monitoring our diet and reducing the overall amount of stress in our lives. Having the discipline and understanding to change our daily habits, we will be able to achieve six pack abs. - 16004

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