Thursday, December 4, 2008

How To Get Abs That You Are Proud Of

By Gerard Lanzona

The abdominal muscles are the most difficult to bring out in the open as we have a genetic predisposition to store body fat around our midsection. This is why belly fat is and love-handles are the last to go. As such, getting a lean, chiseled abdomen requires the longest time and the most effort. Countless gym goers have even given-up their programs faced with the frustration of getting a six-pack.

A very small percentage of guys that hit the gym start pumping iron just to get big. An overwhelming majority want to get buffed AND lean. At least lean enough that their muscles (especially in the abs) are well-defined and visible. The time it takes to accomplish getting visible muscles and a shredded midsection can be overwhelmingly long because of our physiology however. Certainly one can't have a beach body six-pack in a month's time.

Knowing how to go about your workouts and eating habits smartly can shorten the interminable process of getting abs of steel. Knowing which exercises to do and in terms of food- what, how, and when to eat can help a great deal.

Knowing what to eat and which ab exercises to do won't give you instant effects of course, but being informed about what you're doing would take far less time to get a shredded gut than if you went about pumping iron blindly and gulping down water and crackers for your meals.

Getting a good-looking midsection all starts with the proper food intake. It's common-sense- the more fat you eat the more it shows-up on your body. Getting abs quickly doesn't have to mean starving yourself, as this can result in adverse effects on your fat-burning goals (our metabolism slows down considerably when we're hungry).

Rather, we can substitute worthless junk foods we normally snack on with vitamin-packed and fat-busting fruit. Eating relatively low-carb, high protein food can do wonders for our efforts in burning fat. Carbohydrates are good, but only on times of the day that we need energy. It doesn't make much sense to scarf down a bagel or a sack of fries before turning in for the night.

A proper program for getting six-pack abs would be impossible without the right exercises of course. Muscle building will increase metabolism as will cardiovascular exercise that keeps the heart at the anaerobic threshold (AT) rate for at least 20 minutes. Experts say this is ideal for letting the body source most of the energy spent from body fat rather than from carbohydrates or glycogen.

Getting ample rest is important also. There was a time that subjecting the muscles through daily strenuous exercise was the norm for losing belly fat. This can in fact lead to muscle fatigue and burnout- not very effective in developing and defining the muscles. Muscles need time to repair and recuperate in order to handle the next fat-busting workout session. - 16083

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