Like many women, she wants to shrink her midsection by doing crunches.  That doesn’t work. Your abdominals are muscles.  Muscles do not get smaller with proper use – they get bigger.  Here’s an example.  When training for figure competitions, I get pretty lean.  I’ve been on stage with slight abdominal definition and other times with more noticeable definition.  The difference is I worked my abs 3 times a week when I had a “six-pack”.    This illustrates three points: 

1.      I did NOT have to do abs every day to get the “six pack”.

2.      The reason you could see the muscles better was because they were BIGGER.

3.      The only reason you saw any stomach muscles at all was because I didn’t have excess body fat covering them.

Midsections get stronger and tighter due to abdominal exercises, and you will begin to see those muscles once the fat no longer covers them.  Proper cardio and proper diet management will remove the fat.  Unless you’ve got super genetics, there’s no way around it.

For more information on abs, check out “The Skinny on Abs”.

Copyright © 2009 by A.M. Birmingham, ISSA CFT

      

Don't miss my next post. Get it delivered straight to your inbox!

* Remember to check your inbox to confirm subscription.