Truths and Myths about Abdominal Exercise.

Anyone interested in fitness wants to have great looking abs – firm, rippled and well-toned, along with a trim waist. Stunning six-pack abs are possible, not doubt about it, but please be aware of the myths about achieving them.

The energy used during exercise is measured in calories. Once the available energy in your body is depleted your body will start using stored energy to function. This energy is mostly fat deposits in adipose tissue.

That process is not selective, unfortunately. Your body will convert fat deposits at random, and there is no way to control this behaviour. For example, you cannot reduce the fat around your abs only. It is possible to get the desired outcome – ie reducing fat around the abs – but the exercises does not spesifically target that fat.

The actual outcome would be building new muscle mass and strength in that area. That’s helpful for a number of reasons. It keeps a firm, strong layer of muscle which helps keep the stomach and other internal organs well inside the plane defined by your hips. This ensures a nice flat and trim look.

Abdominal exercises help in another way, too. Since the abdominals are large muscles, they consume a proportionately larger percentage of energy than, say, your jaw muscles. They require more energy to perform the various exercises. This results in buring more calories, which again causes a reduction in fat coupled with weight loss.

There is no gadget, supplement or drug currently on the market that will do that safely and effectively as a substitute. Only moderate to heavy exercise on a regular schedule can achieve this. There’s no shortcut to a trim waist, at least not yet.

Your age and genetics also play a role in the effectiveness. People differ, and some store fat around the middle more readily that others. Gender, clearly, makes a difference as well.

Developing a pouch in the lower abdomen is not uncommon for women in their forties. This is caused by hormone changes. Older men (forties plus) are also more likely to develop so called “love handles” since fat is more readily stored in the adipose tissue.

In order to achieve the desired effect you have to approach muscle fatigue. Hundreds of crunches are unnecessary – 20 reps done correctly will accomplish that. This can be done without a visit to the gym. Pelvic tilts can be done in your office chair.

But for best effect, warm up and try the following:

Lie on your back, with your knees raised and cross your arms across your chest.

Then lift your shoulders off the floor and hold for thirty seconds.

You should already feel the effect on your abs.

To make the exercise more difficult, put your hands at the side of your head.

Don’t use your hands to lift your head, just keep them still.
Your hands should remain still and must not be used to lift your head.

For maximum effort, put your hands above your head, then perform the same shoulder lift and hold, focusing on the abs.

Feel the burn. Repeat daily for 10 minutes or twenty repititions. In a few weeks, you’ll see definite results.