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Myths & Misconceptions
in Diet and Exercise
Ab Exercises & a Flat Tummy?
The myth: Ab exercises will get you a flat tummy.
Ab exercises do not lead to a flat tummy or the "six pack"! Believing this is one of the most common exercise mistakes. The reality is if you don’t presently have abdominal definition, it’s in there! If you can’t see the muscles through the skin, it’s because there’s subcutaneous fat in the way. And, crunches do nothing to reduce the subcutaneous fat around the waist. Remember, there is no spot reducing.
What are the benefits, if at all, in performing ab exericises?
Some of the exercises (captain's chair, swiss ball crunches), if done properly, can strengthen the muscles that make up the abdominals: the rectus abdominus, the obliques, and the tranversus abdominus. But strengthening and wanting "great abs" are two very different objectives.
So, what’s the answer?
You can cut calories and perform crunches, you can try one of the infomercial products, you can buy a fat burner, or you can go to the gym and use the ab machines. Or, you could do what works 100% of the time. Unfortunately it appears to be the most complicated, but soon you'll find it's the "secret" you've been searching for. Eat right, understand the different functions of the muscles that make up the core, work the body as a whole, and allow for ongoing fat release. It'll work, I guarantee it.
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