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QUESTION:
Dear Tom: I have been working out for
around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of
shape. Despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100
sit-ups four days a week, along with running and my regular workout
on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I
do?
ANSWER:
"What should I do to get
abs?" is still one of the most frequently asked questions I
receive out of the 7,000+ emails that come into my office every
week. Although the question is often phrased differently, my answer
is always the same:
Seeing your abs, or
any other muscle group, for that matter - is almost entirely the
result of having low body fat levels. You get low body fat from
proper diet (as well as cardio and strength training), not from
doing hundreds of ab exercises every day.
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You didn't mention
whether you knew your body fat level or not. My guess is that it may
seem like your lower ab muscles are "hard to develop," but
it's not really an issue of "muscle development" at all,
you simply have too much body fat and are storing it in your lower
abdominal region more readily than other parts of your body and you
can't see the muscles through the fat.
Most people don't
have their fat distributed evenly throughout their bodies. Each of
us inherits a genetically determined and hormonally-influenced
pattern of fat storage just as we inherit our eye or hair color. In
other words, the fat seems to "stick" to certain areas
more than others.
Men often tend to
store fat more readily in the lower abdominal region (the "pot
belly", "spare tire", "beer gut", or
"love handles"). In women, the "stubborn" areas
are usually the hips, thighs ("saddlebags") and the
triceps ("grandmother arms").
You could focus on
more "lower ab" exercises like hanging leg raises, reverse
crunches and hip lifts ("toes to sky"), but even these
won't help as long as you still have body fat covering the muscles.
You can't "spot reduce" with abdominal exercise.
The lower abs is
often the first place the fat goes when you gain it, and the last
place it comes off when you're losing it. Think of ab fat like the
deep end of the swimming pool. No matter how much you protest, there
is no way you can drain the deep end before the shallow end.
I would suggest
cutting back the volume on your ab training and spending that time
on more cardio work instead. Personally, I only do about 15 minutes
of ab work two times per week. (About two to four exercises with
reps usually ranging from 10-25 reps).
Here is a recent ab
routine that I used (for bodybuilding/ ab-development purposes). I
do this routine only twice a week and I change the exercises
approximately every month so my body doesn't adapt. I prefer
slightly higher rep range than other muscle groups, but as you can
see, it is far from doing a thousand reps a day. (if you want to see
what my abs look like, just checkout my picture below
A1 Hanging leg raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps
Superset to:
A2 Hanging knee ups
(bent-knee leg raises) 3 sets, 15-20 reps (no rest between super-setted exercises A1 & A2, 60sec between supersets)
B1 Incline Revere
Crunches 3 sets, 15-20 reps
Superset to:
B2 Elbow to knee
twisting crunches 3 sets, 15-20 reps
For maximum fat loss,
you should do cardio 4-7 days per week for 30-60 minutes (the amount
is variable depending on your results). You could continue running
or mix up the type of cardio you do (stationary cycling, stair
climbing, elliptical machines, and other continuous aerobic
activities are all excellent fat burners without the high impact and
joint stress of frequent running).
If time efficiency is
an issue for you, you could perform high intensity interval cardio
training and achieve very efficient results with even briefer
workouts (20-30 min per sessions, or less, if the intensity is high
enough)
Once you are
satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition,
you can cut back to 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes for
maintenance.
As far as nutrition
goes, here are a few fat-burning nutrition guidelines in a nutshell:
- Eat about 15-20% below your
calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie
deficit of 25-30%, then do not keep calories too low for too
long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-15%
1-2 days per week.
- Spread your calories into 5-6
smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Be very conscious of
portion size. eat too much of anything and you can say goodbye
to your abs. Period.
- Eat a source of complete, high
quality lean protein with each meal (egg whites, lean meat,
fish, protein powder, etc)
- Choose natural, complex carbs such
as vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, beans, brown rice and
whole grains. Start with aprox. 50% of your calories from
natural carbs and reduce carbs slightly (esp. late in the day)
if you are not losing fat.
- Avoid refined, simple carbs that
contain white flour or white sugar
- Keep total fats low and saturated
fats low. Aim for 20% of your total calories from fat (and no
more than 30%). A little bit of "good fat" like flax
oil, fish fat, nuts & seeds, etc is better than a no fat
diet.
- Drink plenty of water - a gallon
is a good ballpark to shoot for if you are physically active.
1000+ reps of ab work
four days a week is an amazing feat of endurance, but that's not how
you get visible, rock hard, 6-pack abs!
You probably have
outstanding development in your abdominal muscles. (you certainly
have great muscular endurance). Unfortunately, if your abs are
covered up with a layer of fat, you wont be able to see them even if
you do 10,000 reps a day!
You "get
abs" from reducing your body fat and you reduce body fat mostly
through diet and cardio.
If you'd like to
learn more about how to decrease your body fat level and improve
your level of abdominal definition, then visit:
www.BurnTheFat.com
Tom
Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning
specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the
author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you
how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the
world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid
of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com
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