Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Fast Abs Workout - Think Stability

By Dan Solaris

As more and more cultures are discovering the wonders and calories of fast-food from the west, the number of obesity cases is also fast increasing. In North American and metropolitan cities in Europe, an overwhelming majority of the populations are becoming overweight.

That said, more and more people are joining the fight against the flab and a large number don't know the first thing about exercising to get fast abs. A lot of folks go about their workouts thinking rep after rep of sit-ups, leg raises and crunches are what a fast abs workout is all about.

Most folks that decide to start weight-loss programs on their own rely on conventional sit-ups and crunches for their abs workout. Unknown to most, there's a more efficient alternative to these exercises and that is by doing complete core exercises. That includes the muscles of the lower back as well as the abdominal and oblique muscles at our sides.

Having strong core muscles is like having a strong foundation. It enables the rest of the body to move fluidly with less effort and avoid injury. Core muscle exercises also mimic the natural movements our bodies move in our daily activities.

Our spine has a natural curve to it and doing ab exercises flat on the floor or on a bench clearly limits our torsos range of motion when we're doing crunches or sit-ups. Using a soft, curved medium like an exercise ball enables more muscle movement, resulting in more physical effort and more calories burned.

Actually, there is concrete evidence proving there's significantly more muscle effort done while working out the abs on an unstable surface. An electromyography study showed that more muscle fibers of the obliques, lower and upper abdomen were being strained while doing crunches on an exercise or stability ball.

Aside from more muscle being involved in movement, core-based exercises on an exercise ball or similar workout aid lets the body burn more calories because the body is trying to balance itself at the same time. More calories in less time are burned while trying to do the repetitions in crunches or similar exercises because the transverse abdominis muscle is involved in providing stability.

Another reason employing unstable surfaces makes for a more effective abs workout is because they're more fun exercises to do. Boredom and monotony is the main reason people find it hard to exercise consistently- resulting in slower or minimal gains. - 17269

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