Myth: You need to work your abs everyday.
Truth: The best way to develop abdominal strength and tone is
to work your abs to exhaustion. You need to allow your
abdominal muscles to recover..this equates to 24-48 hours of
rest time between workouts. Increase the intensity of your
workouts gradually. If you overdo it, not only will you be
excessively sore (a little soreness is a good thing, it signifies
that you have worked the muscle enough for it to repair itself
and become stronger in the process), but you may discourage
yourself because you will need more rest time than normal and it
will be harder to do your ab exercises.
Myth: The more situps you do, the better.
Truth: Doing hundreds of situps will not help you lose abdominal
fat! Situps actually do little to increase strength because they
focus on edurance and are inefficient; it is hard to overload the
abdominal muscles doing situps. Thus, you will be wasting your
time. Crunches (yes, crunches) are the best way to overload
the abs and work the entire midsection, whether you do them
on the floor or on a Swiss Ball (my personal favorite!). There are
many variations of crunches, and each targets different parts of
the abdominal muscles. While doing crunches, it is imperative
that you focus on proper technique and gradually increasing
resistance. Using this method, you can fatigue your abdominal
muscles using fewer reps.
Myth: Situps are the key to getting “cut” ab muscles.
Truth: If you have layers of abdominal fat covering your abs,
situps, or any other exercise, for that matter, won’t do you much
good. For a strong, cut midsection, keep in mind these tips:
1. Train your abs with resistance. If you are a beginner, try
crunches without resistance first. As you get stronger, then
move to more challenging moves or crunches using a Swiss Ball.
2. You need consistent cardiovascular exercise (helps to burn fat
faster, performed at 80% of your maximum heart rate).
3. Cut the fat in your diet to shed body fat and create definition.
This is the only way your abs will show through! Remember,
great abs are made in the kitchen!
Learn the essential keys to building a strong core from the experts! To sculpt your abs now, visit our Abdominal Exercise website.
Marie Borges is a motivational writer, author and healthcare consultant. She specializes in educating and motivating clients on good nutrition, healthy eating and exercise to improve overall health and happiness. To change your body for the better, receive free tips, recipes, articles and more, visit:
