Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Thursday, April 16, 2009

6 Pack Abs - Competing Theories

By Dan Solaris

Fitness experts have long discovered the potency of cardiovascular exercises in burning calories and eliminating fat from the body. Only by melting away enough body fat can stubborn body fat be trimmed off the midsection to expose the contours of the abdominal muscles- the much sought-after 6 pack.

It's a well-known fact that a combination of body-building exercises and cardiovascular workouts are the most effective in developing the muscles and facilitating fat loss at the same time. Since there are two types of cardio exercises, the question here is which type is the best for getting 6 pack abs?

Cardiovascular exercises can be done at low intensity and high intensity. The latter is more popular as a method of losing fat and getting 6 pack abs because first, it's easier to do. The physical effort in doing low-intensity cardio exercises can actually be done by novice exercisers and people that are extremely overweight.

The second reason low intensity cardio exercisers have a larger following even in expert circles is because study after study has proven that these are most effective in targeting body fat as the sole source of caloric energy. When exercising at high intensity levels, the body starts to access glycogen stores in our muscles.

The body absorbs carbohydrates from the food we eat and stores it in muscle tissue as glycogen. Supporters of the low-intensity theory say working-out too intensely can cause the loss of muscle tissue because some glycogen is used for energy when doing hard workouts.

Doing cardiovascular at high intensity however burns way more calories in less time than cardio exercise at low intensities. An hour's worth of calories burned doing the latter can be eliminated in just 10-20 minutes intense exercise. Some also argue that the lost carbohydrates can be replenished by eating the right post-workout food.

Some experts argue that although they're more difficult to do, high intensity exercises in fact build more muscle tissue because of the hard effort. They also kick the metabolism up to high levels and keep it going hours after a person has stopped working-out.

Low-intensity exercises may not be for people that are on a tight schedule because aside from hour-long sessions, it takes a full 10 minutes for the fat-burning effect to kick-in after beginning the workout. Intense cardio exercises, although more potent in the calorie-burn department may not be for everyone because of its difficulty. - 17269

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