Just about everyone wants to have nice abs that make them
look great. Unfortunately many people try to get nice abs
by doing all the wrong things! If you make some of the
mistakes that are discussed in this article it is likely
that you will never get a solid six pack.
Mistake #1: Trying to do too many crunches to lose stomach
fat
If only doing lots of crunches worked for carving out a
solid set of abs. If doing a few hundred crunches was all
it took to lose body fat then everyone walking around would
not have any excess fat. Doing lots of crunches and other
ab exercises do not help you get nice abs simply because
they do not help you lose the fat that covers them up!
Ab exercises simply do not burn enough calories or
stimulate the body's metabolism enough to get down to 8-10%
body fat for a man and 15-20% if you are a woman. If you
are down to those low levels of body fat already then lots
of crunches might help your abs look more toned. If you
cannot see your abs at all then it simply means that is too
much body fat covering them up!
Therefore, the focus of your diet and exercise routine
should be to lose body fat so you can see your abs. Doing
endless amounts of ab exercises just won't help do that.
Mistake #2: Not keeping a food log
Since you know that getting a nice set of six pack abs all
depends on having low enough levels of body fat, you should
know that the next step is to pay attention to the most
important part of the whole process: how many calories you
are taking in.
If you have excess body fat that you can't seem to get rid
of, then you absolutely have to understand that it is
simply the result of taking in too many calories. It is not
because of bad genetics or some other physiological
disorder, it is simply a matter of eating too many
calories. The fitness models who have the sexiest abs of
anyone will be the first to tell you they got that way by
being extremely careful about what they eat.
The absolute best indication you can use for figuring this
out is to keep a food log of what you are eating. You will
be amazed at the perspective you will gain about your
eating habits from keeping a food log.
Since getting nice abs and a lean midsection is all about
losing body fat, and losing body fat is all about taking in
less calories or burning more with exercise, then a food
log to track yourself is an absolute must.
Mistake #3: Not lifting weights
This will seem counterintuitive to some, but lifting
weights is an excellent way to lose more body fat. Strength
training will give you additional lean muscle mass that
will make a huge difference in helping to increase your
metabolism while at rest and while exercising.
This means that you are burning more calories because
muscle is very active tissue. If you are not strength
training then you are missing a huge opportunity to burn
more calories. It has been said that each extra pound of
muscle mass burns an extra 60 calories per day. If you gain
even 3 lbs of lean muscle tissue, you will burn an extra
180 calories each day! That is much more than a simple ab
workout will burn.
Conclusion
Getting nice abs does not have to be a big struggle in
which you are constantly playing the guessing game. You
simply need to eat the right foods at the right time while
tracking your calories.
You can use a regular notebook or an online food log if you
want more detail. If you focus more on strength training
your whole body instead of just doing ab workouts then you
will get stronger and increase your metabolic rate.
Now take action right away and start developing those nice
abs to show off!
----------------------------------------------------
Are you not getting the results you want with diet and
exercise? If so, there is good news for you. My name it
Tom Gifford, Certified Personal Trainer, and I would like
to extend to you a personal invitation to stop by my
website at http://www.TheGreatCardioMyth.com and check out
the first two chapters of my brand new book! You will get
lots of great tips you can start implementing immediately.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
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