The problem with this exercise (check below video) is that it just is NOT going to help you burn any fat from anywhere let alone your stomach. Remember, you can not target fat stores through working out select muscle groups. One benefit that this exercise might have is that it will help to strengthen and tone the “transverse abdominis”. The transverse abdominis (TA) is responsible for holding you stomach in so it dosn’t flop out. For a much better exercise for strengthen your TA, check out this wikipedia page.
Almost everyone has the goal of getting their abs showing when they first start a fitness program. It’s hard not to want this coveted body part as it’s often used as a good indicator of just how high your fitness level really is.
Unfortunately for many, getting abs is also one of the hardest things to accomplish. The main reason for that, particularly for women, is because we have a strong tendency to store body fat here due to given hormones that circulate throughout our body.
Tip three. Compounds lifts. Bench presses, squats, deadlifts and bent over rows. What place to they have in a ‘getting defined abs’ article? A very good place. When you are performing these compound lifts, your abs are working more than you would ever imagine. You try squatting twice your weight without any abdominal strength. How do you think that would go over? Likely not so well. Every time you perform one of these exercises, your abs are going to be working. So give them a hand by focusing on them while lifting. Really tense them up, suck them in and use them to your advantage, allowing their strength to add to the total strength you have available to you. It will help you lift more weight. Period. More weight means more results. Now we are getting somewhere.
So you want a six pack? Your first I inclination is likely to get yourself to a gym as quickly as possible, lie down on an ab matt and go crazy with hundreds upon hundreds of sit-ups, correct? If it worked for Britney, it’s sure as heck going to work for you too (and you will have the determination to keep those abs looking fantastic unlike the formerly fit pop tart).
This last one is what we want to pay special attention to. Whenever you eat some type of food, your body is going to expand calories in the process of digestion. How many calories it expends is directly related to the type of food you are eating. If you eat 100 calories worth of carbohydrates, you are likely going to expend about 10 calories digesting that for a net total of 90 calories. If you eat 100 calories of fat, your body can almost directly process these to bodily fat and will likely net about 97 calories in total, therefore only burning 3 off in the process of digestion. Protein on the other hand, eat 100 calories of protein rich food and you will burn between 25 and 30 calories just digesting it! This means a net of 70-75 calories thus helping you bring your total daily calorie intake lower meaning a greater belly fat loss for you.
It seems that more and more people right now are starting to change their diets towards one that is of a higher protein content in hopes of favourably tipping the scales in the lower direction. Belly fat has become a nationwide epidemic that it seems almost everyone is either trying to prevent or break free from. Not only does being overweight in itself cause a great deal of health risks, carrying this excess weight in your stomach area increases these risks even further. That is one reason why it is of such critical importance that you really do what you can to stop this problem. Is high protein the answer though? There are various factors to consider.
