In fact, not only is it possible to get six pack abs without a single crunch, it's also possible that relying on relentless crunching is moving you away from your desired flat stomach!
Ok, before I get carted off by the men in white coats, let me explain. Come to think of it, even if you *did* call the men in white coats, it would be *me* they would agree with!
It's all to do with the physiology, the construction of the body around the abdomen. A six pack is a display of defined abdominal muscles. Crunching is a superb way of strengthening and building these muscles, but it's vital to bear in mind, that if you currently don't have that six pack, your ab muscles will most likely be covered with a layer of fat. It doesn't have to be a rippling spare tire, Homer Simpson style, but there will be a layer of fat covering those muscles.
If you simply concentrate on building the abs, but do nothing about the fat, then as your abs develop, not only will they not be visible, but they will actually be pushing the layer of fat outwards! This is the last thing you want!
The layer of fat is one of the hardest areas to get rid of, so you need to start an all-round fitness regime if you really want a six pack. Try to focus on a good cardio workout, some sort of aerobic type exercise that will get your blood pumping and keep it in your target heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes and do your cardio at least 5 days a week for best results. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming and TaeBo are all good examples of a cardio workout. Gradually, and this won't and cannot happen overnight, as the fat layer disappears, your ab muscles will become closer to the surface, and therefore more visible.
Take it from me, as someone who's done it, the ab muscles get plenty of workout in everyday life, so are often defined enough so that once the fat layer had gone, they give off that familiar six pack look.
So there you are, a simple explanation of biology has got rid of almost any need for those horrible crunches!
You may want to do them to buff up your abs once the can be seen, but blimey they are hard enough to do at any time let alone if the effort is just going to waste!
Want Six Pack Abs
When it comes to being in great physical shape, one of the first things that many people think of is having a six pack. Folks are always on the lookout for the simplest and easiest way to get those great looking muscles. But whether you're trying to get six pack abs or just build a great muscular appearance in general, there are a couple things you need to keep in mind.
If you want to accomplish something unusually great, you have to work harder that everyone else. That sounds pretty obvious, right? Most people become very lazy at the thought of following an exercise program. Building great abdominal muscles will require great diligence on your part. If you're like most people, you probably want all the benefits without doing any of the work. Unfortunately, this is rarely the way that life works.
It should be obvious to most people, but apparently it's still strikes people as a novel idea. Or maybe it's just that most people choose to ignore the idea. In any case, if you want to have a better physique, you're going to have to break out of the crowd and do more work than most people are willing to do.
One of the main reasons why this concept is so critical, is that building great abs is not an isolated problem. If you want the truly impressive result, you're not going to simply do some sit ups here and there. You'll have to work on your entire body in order to build lean muscle mass and cut your body fat. These two things are, after all, what determine whether or not you have great looking abdominal muscles. This might explain why those exercise machines on TV are not so effective. They do not address your entire body as a whole, and this inevitably leads to disappointing results.
A muscular body requires growing muscle and losing fat, both of which require consistency.
Both Patricia Zelkovsky & Jon Cardozo are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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