Six Pack Abs Workout

For years now, sit ups have gotten a bad rap by many fitness “experts” who tout that sit ups are damaging to your spine.  Where did this strong opinion come from?  The way the sit up has been ostracized by the fitness community, you would suspect that hundreds of thousands of six pack abs seekers have destroyed their backs while performing this “dangerous” exercise!  Fortunately, that’s not the case, not even close.

The “sit-ups are unsafe” chant that can be heard echoing throughout fitness centers all over the world was actually born in the lab.  Studies have found that sit-ups stress the spine more than the crunch does.  And?  Taking a nap will stress the spine even less than crunched do.  Is napping a better ab exercise than crunches?  You can see how the stress argument is seriously flawed.  Every exercise that you perform creates some stress on the body.  It is that stress that encourages our body to adapt and get stronger.  This is the very nature of exercise.

Now, let’s take a second to investigate the sit-up.  The main reason why sit-ups add stress to the spine is because of the contribution of the hip flexors during the movement.  The critics assert that this hip flexor involvement causes compressive forces in the spine which is why sit-ups should be completely avoided.  Do they have a point, or are they overreacting?

The fact of the matter is, athletes and fitness trainees have been safely incorporating sit-ups and their variations for years now.  This alone should make it obvious that the “sit-up alarm” may be ringing for no apparent reason.  The truth is, I have never witnessed one spine get damaged at the hand of a set of sit-ups.  You would suspect that after 16 plus years as a fitness professional I would have at least seen one sit-up related injury if they were so harmful.

I still hear many trainers say to me, “Ok, I’m convinced that sit-ups are not so dangerous now, but since crunches work the abs just as well, why even bother with sit-ups?  Let’s see why they feel this way and why they can miss out on some advantages of sit-up variations.

The truth is that the abs are only responsible for the beginning portion of the movement during a sit-up.  Once you are in the finished “crunch” position, the hip flexors take over to finish the top portion of the sit-up.  It should be noted that although the hip flexors provide the movement in the top range, the abs are still contracting hard.  This contraction prevents your back from arching and contributes to the overall ab workout.

An additional benefit of the sit-up is that it burns more calories than does the crunch.  This is because the sit-up works through a greater range of motion and involves more muscle groups.  It’s no secret that in order to get six pack abs you must lose your layer of belly fat.  The sit-up increases your heart rate and burns more calories than crunching movements making this a very desirable “side effect”.

Although the sit up is not the most effective ab exercise, I do prescribe sit up variations on occasion to any client who I feel they are appropriate for.  I do believe that you should have a foundation of abdominal strength and no chronic back problems.  If you fit the criteria and use proper form, you will have no problems with this exercise.

One of the most desired and sought out areas of the body to whip into shape and maintain is the abdomen. Those flat, washboard abs are what many are interested in having more than anything, and one quick glance at that stomach area is usually the determining factor in how people feel about their current physical condition. Six pack abs are the most popular goal set by people every day, but are also the most popular goal to give up on.

People that are looking for instant gratification and fast results are the ones that often quit. It has to be understood that great abs are a process and you have to be in it for the long run and work at the results. It is not an extremely hard task but most people build it up in their heads that if it was easy everyone would be walking around with six packs left and right. The truth is, it is extremely easy to build those muscles; the hard part is fully understanding and staying dedicated to the process.

Keep in mind that you will not see results overnight. You have to be ready to work hard, stay committed, disciplined, and have the mentality that slow and steady wins the race. The way to washboard abs just like anything else is through proper exercise and eating right. The dedication to stick to those factors must be present throughout the process. Through all the personal commitments and work life there must be an effort made and outside factors must not get in your way. There are three things that you have to have to get to that six pack and they are:

1. Loss in body fat.

2. Specific exercise for developing six pack abs.

3. Proper diet.

To get to that flat stomach, it is essential that you not only do exercise designed for abs but also exercises that burn fat. Cardio exercises should be concentrated on just as much as the isolated ab workouts because the truth is we all have abs right now, believe it or not. The problem we face is that they’re hidden under a layer of fat. Cardio exercise is when our heart rate is raised above its maximum rate and the benefits we get by doing cardio exercises are loss in weight, reduction in stress, better sleep, a stronger heart, and a flatter stomach. These exercises include but are not limited to running, cycling, swimming, aerobics, rowing etc. You need a minimum of 20 minutes of continuous elevated heart rate at least 3 times a week for the best results.

Isolation exercises are what people usually focus on the most and these exercises are what will tone, develop, and strengthen your abs. They include crunches, twisting crunches, ball crunches, bridging, sit ups (for lower and upper abs) and leg raises. These exercises should also be done every other day. It is a myth that abs workouts should be done on a daily basis and it is in fact harmful for results if you push your abs to the limit every single day. Just like any other muscle the abs need recovery time in order to repair and grow, so giving them a day to do so will help bring those long awaited results a lot faster.

Maintaining those abs you worked so hard for also requires a very good diet. One simple thing you can do is start eating smaller meals more often. Doing so will also help to increase your metabolism helping you to burn fat easier as well. On a daily basis at least five liters of water should be consumed, vegetables for vitamins, egg whites, whole wheat and whole grain pasta for protein, and for nutrients, lean meat, fish oil, walnuts and almonds, green tea, and fruits.

Diet and fat loss are extremely underrated in the ab development process. You could have the strongest abdomen muscles on the planet but if they are hidden under a layer of fat you would never be able to notice them. The concentration should not just be on the strengthening of the muscles because that will only do just that; strengthen them. So many people chase this dream simply by diligently doing sit-ups for a period of time only to become distraught and soon give up rather quickly without seeing results and it is because there is more to the process than just crunches. Cardio exercises and eating right will help you lose and keep off the excess fat so that you can see the results of your hard work. It is not a hard process to get those dream abs but it must be done properly and you have to be dedicated and disciplined.