Are you logging endless hours on the mat but don’t have the flat belly to show for it?
You may have been misinformed. Are you ready for the abs-olute truth?
Brent Brookbush, author of Fitness or Fiction: The Tuth About Diet and Exercise, sets the record straight on three common midsection misconceptions.
Rumour: Strengthening your abs will get you a six-pack.
Reality: That coveted rippled-belly effect is the natural shape of the rectus abdominis, the muscle that runs vertically down the front of your tummy. Strength moves condition it, but you won’t see sexy cuts if the muscle is hidden under a layer of fat. To lose the flab, do high-intensity cardio and consume fewer kilojoules than you burn.
Rumour: The upper and lower abs can be worked separately.
Reality: You can’t isolate a specific part of the rectus abdominis during an exercise – when it contracts, it does so along the entire length.
Rumour: Crunches alone will contour your core.
Reality: This old go-to does strengthen the rectus abdominis. But to sculpt your entire middle, you need to do moves that fire up the obliques (the muscles along the sides of your waist) and transverse abdominis (the muscle that runs horizontally across your belly) too. Add planks and twists to the mix for a well-rounded plan.
Enjoying all the information for my benefits, can’t wait for more info, thanx vmuch
Thanks to Shape magazine for the inspiration to keep going on. Whenever i fall down Shape magazine literally picks me up. I gave away some clothes when i turned 40 because they got bigger. Shape mag helped me to do so well!
I spend most of my time on the site,very amazing:)