Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Routine For 6 Pack Abs

Top 3 Secrets Revealed for a Killer Routine for 6 Pack Abs

Uncovering a killer routine for 6 pack abs doesn't have to be difficult.  Your search to uncover your six pack abs just may have ended.  I know I have.

By the time you finish this article you will know how to uncover the abdominal muscles that have been cleverly disguised under your fat.  I don't recommend you tell your personal trainer what I am about to reveal to you.  They may just fear losing a client.

I am not going to give you a list of exercises to do and tell you how many sets and reps for each. 

You can find a list of exercises anywhere.  Do you really know whether they are effective? 

I want you to be able to look at an exercise and know right away whether it is going to be worth your time.

The first secret is to understand how the abdominals actually work.  Everyone in the gym, including the personal trainers, think that the main reason we have abdominal muscles is to crunch our trunk (flexion). 

Think about this, how hard is it to flex your abdominals when you are standing or sitting?  Not hard at all.  All you have to do is relax and gravity takes over.  So really that is not a huge issue.

Your abdominal muscles are most effective at slowing down motion.  That's right, slowing down.  In the strength training world we call that an eccentric contraction. 

All muscles contract by first lengthening and being stretched, especially during normal activities.  Most of the time we think of times when the muscles need to contract quickly.  However, what we sometimes forget is that there is a deceleration that occurs first.

Secret number 2 is to not worry about trying to isolate your abdominals.  Abdominal crunches are a good example. 

Challenging all of the abdominal muscles together is what makes an effective routine for 6 pack abs.  Total body movements will bring you even better results. 

Some great total body exercises include push up variations, a combination of a squat with a cable row and a front squat.  Each of these exercises requires a combined effort on all of the abdominal muscles in a way that will help everyday motions and activities.

The number 3 secret for a routine for 6 pack abs is choose exercises that force you to stabilize your trunk.  All movements require a stable base to anchor on to. 

For example, if you are going to throw a ball you will need to stabilize your core in order for your shoulder and arm to take advantage of as much strength as possible.  If you are not sure about this, try throwing a ball with your feet off of the ground.  You won't be able to throw the ball nearly as far.

If you take advantage of these simple, yet effective secrets you will be able to create a routine for 6 pack abs that will be effective and make you look better than ever before. 

Now that you know a few secrets, you will need to consider other factors that are important to reveal your 6 pack.  Visit the Interval Training Guide website to discover the secrets to rapid fat loss through interval training.  You will also have access to other exercise routines that will help create killer six pack abs.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Getting Rid of Fat

Uncover the most effective approaches for getting rid of fat

Just out of curiosity, I recently searched for the top results for getting rid of fat.  I was stunned by what I uncovered.  I found that the majority of the results wanted me to do an endless number of ineffective abdominal exercises to spot reduce fat on my trunk.  Others involved surgery for getting rid of fat.

It is understandable to all that abdominal fat is the most risky.  In fact, I have read numerous reports and research that outline the serious medical conditions that arise from visceral fat such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  However, an endless amount of abdominal exercises is not the  best solution to getting rid of fat around the torso.  In fact, the last thing you need for getting rid of fat is to focus on exercises targeted specifically at getting rid of fat on the abdominals.  No exercise exists for that.

Here is a list of 3 strategies that will work for getting rid of fat throughout your whole body.

1.  Make the choice that you are in it for the long haul.  Getting rid of fat will take a persistant effort.

There is no such thing as a miracle diet.  I'm saddened to hear of people that are swayed there is.  Ever wonder why these diet strategies are so short?  They are not designed to change your eating behavior.  They involve extreme measures that often times are very risky.  Diets that promote lengthy fasting or extremely low calories can create problems that will exist long after the diet period is over.

While it is true that some may lose weight on diet plans like this but the loss is usually fleeting.  The weight lost ends up right back on their gut or thighs just like before.  Then they begin the downward spiral of frustration because of the perceived waste of time and resources only to show no long term results at getting rid of fat.  They may feel like they have failed getting rid of fat, however it really is not their fault.  They unknowingly believed somebody that they thought to be an expert.  Unfortunately, they received some bad advice.

My advice to you… make your mind up now that getting rid of fat is going to be difficult, it is going to take some time, and that you are going to keep battling until you are able to get rid of the fat that you’ve been storing for good. 

2.  Give your body the nutrients that it needs.

What does that mean?  It should be no secret that eating nutritious foods will give your body the necessary resources for getting rid of fat, preventing against disease, repairing damaged tissue, and building new tissue.  Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains with minimal processing, and high quality lean protein sources provide these necessary ingredients. 

Foods high in refined sugar, enriched grain products and canned foods can actually create an environment in your body that promotes illness and exhaustion.  Inflammation then results and can intensify your risk of deadly disorders.  Eating the right foods can sometimes be a challenge.  When you have trouble, refer to secret number 1 and keep fighting.

3.  Interval training is one of the best and most useful methods of getting rid of fat.  More and more support in current studies propose that high intensity interval training workout routines are the most productive and efficient way of getting rid of fat in the least amount of time.  Successful exercise places a tremendous demand on the body.  The body then has to make modifications to adapt to the demands that have been placed on it.  While conventional cardio exercises involving 60 minutes of average intensity exercise are productive in the long run, the higher the intensity of the exercise the greater and faster the improvements necessary for the body to make.  This makes your body more efficient at getting rid of fat.

One interval training study was effective at getting rid of fat in as little as 4 minutes 5 days a week.  A famous study performed by Tabata concluded that 8 sets of interval training circuits improved endurance ability by 14% in just 6 weeks.  The interval training group was compared to a group that performed 60 minutes of exercise of the same time period.  The moderate exercise group improved endurance by 9.5%.  Both groups showed improvements in endurance.  What's really important is that the interval training group improved the duration of time they could exercise at full speed.  There was no improvement in the moderate intensity group.

We may conclude that a high intensity interval training routine is just as productive in less time than 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise.  Interval training techniques can trim down the amount of time necessary to finish an exercise schedule that is effective at getting rid of fat.

For a limited time, the Interval Training Guide.com website is offering immediate access to a FREE Interval Training Secrets Mini Course.  In it you will discover the strategies for getting rid of 3x more fat in 1/3 the time.  All you have to do is go to http://www.IntervalTrainingGuide.com?tid=e305 to gain instant access.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

High Interval Intensity Training - Your Secret Weapon to Fat Loss

High interval intensity training may be the top secret weapon you’re searching for.  Wasting your time on conventional cardio equipment and workouts is not the most effective and time well-organized way to break through your plateau to losing weight and burning fat.  High interval intensity training is the most productive alternative because you can burn 3x the fat in less than 20 minutes.

Variations of high interval intensity training are limited only by your creativity.  Here are a couple of methods to implement your high intensity interval training program.

1.  Complexes:  this technique combines up to 5 different exercises.  Run through each exercise consecutively without taking a break in between.  For example, perform squat variation, a pushing exercise, a single leg exercise, a pulling variation and then a core exercise in succession without rest.  Take quick break to recover and then repeat 2-4 more times.

2.  Density Training:  this method of high interval intensity training is one of the most grueling and effective ways to change your body composition and burn fat.  You will use between 2 to 5 exercises and an intensity equal to your 10 rep max for each exercise.  You will do 5 repetitions for each of the exercises that you chose in a set.  Repeat each set without rest in between for a predetermined period of time (i.e. 10 minutes).  Count how many reps of each exercise you are able to complete in the given amount of time.  The next time you do the same routine, try to beat the number of reps you did.  I find that this is the motivating of all of the modes of high interval intensity training because I know that my workout is only going to last for the predetermined time period.  All I have to do is give my best effort until the end of that time.

3.  Record Time:  the idea behind record time is that you perform a given number of sets and reps as quickly as possible while still maintaining good technique.  For example, you may select a series of 8 bodyweight exercises and do 2 sets of each circuit of exercises as quickly as possible.  Be sure to record your time and attempt to beat it the next time you perform the same routine.

4.  Traditional Interval Training:  this is the most common and well-known way to do high interval intensity training.  Determine a ratio of work interval to active recovery interval.  Perform 5-10 sets of the interval.  The most common ratios are 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3.  For example, selecting a 1:2 ratio would mean that you work as hard as possible for, let's say 20 seconds.  Follow that by an active recovery for 40 seconds and repeat.  The ratio that you choose will depend on what energy system you need to train for your sport or training goals.

Break through your training plateau and fat burning stale mate by planning an effective high interval intensity training program based around the methods I have explained.  Most current research suggests that this form of training can be more effective than traditional steady state exercise programs and can be performed in less than half the time.

For more high interval intensity programs like this one go to the Interval Training Guide.com website.  Get instant access to the Interval Training Guide Secrets Mini Course for FREE at http://www.IntervalTrainingGuide.com/?tid=bl302.  In this mini course you will discover how to burn 3x more fat in 1/3 the time.  Get it now!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Killer Ab Work Out You Can Do At Home

Are  you searching for a killer ab work out?  I am sure that you’ve found plenty of abdominal workouts all over the internet.  Enough advice is obtainable that it becomes challenging to narrow down a good ab work out.  You definitely do not want to waste your time with work outs that do not work.  Well, here is a circuit type ab work out that you can do at home with little or no equipment.

You should always begin with a warm up that will get your blood pumping throughout the muscles that will be doing most of the work.  For example, focusing a warm up on your arms if you are going to work your legs is not the most effective way to warm up. 

Perform this circuit of exercises in 3 sets.

1.  Plank on a Swiss Ball.  Beginners can begin by kneeling on the floor and placing your forearms on the top of the ball.  Maintain this position for at least 30 seconds.  As you become better and need more of a challenge, stand on your feet instead of being on your knees.  From there, hold a push up position on the ball instead of using your forearms.  If you want to add a little upper body challenge you can do a push up on the ball.

2.  Spiderman Push Up 10x.  Begin in a push up position.  Imagine how Spiderman climbs a wall and move your left hand forward about 6 inches while moving your right knee just outside of your right elbow.  Simultaneously perform a push as you move your hand and foot forward.  Return to the starting position.. 

3.  Cross Body Mountain Climber 10x per side.  To perform this exercise, start out in a push up position.  Lift your right knee and move it toward your left elbow and return to the push up position.  Now lift your left knee and move it toward your right elbow and return to the push up position.

4.  Woodchopper 10x per side.  Begin in a 1/4 squat position with your arms to outside of one of your knees.  In a diagonal direction raise the weight to above the opposite shoulder and return to the starting position.  Complete a set on this side and then switch to the other side for a set.

To make this a killer cardio work out in a addition to a great ab work out, progress quickly from one exercise to the next without rest.  Take a 1 minute recovery between sets for a total of 3 sets.

For more information on a killer ab work out, go to the Interval Training Guide.com website.  You will also be able to instantly access your 10 Day Interval Training Secrets Mini Course at http://www.IntervalTrainingGuide.com/?tid=bl301

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Exercises for Abs - How to Uncover the Best

Who else is frustrated and confused about all the contradictory information about the best exercises for abs?  You may be wondering what you can do about it.  What if you could find out for yourself a way to uncover whether specific exercises can be regarded as the best exercises for abs.  In this article, I am going to give you a few ideas you can use to uncover the quality of an abdominal exercise. I will also give you examples of the best exercises for abs.  By the time to finish reading this article, you will be armed with the resources you need to design your own exercises that are best for the abs.

Now, the abdominal muscles carry out a specific function.  Understanding these roles and how the abdominals work will give you a benchmark to use when selecting the most effective exercises for working your abs.  The best exercises for abs should combine as many of the tasks of the abdominal muscles as possible into one exercise.

Here's how they work.  The abdominal muscles stabilize the spine.  This provides a solid base from which the arms and legs are able to anchor in order to move effectively.   For example, a standing figure 8 with a weight plate or kettlebell requires the abdominal muscles to stabilize the spine and trunk so that the arms can perform the figure 8 movement. 

What else?  Stabilization also helps to prevent movement of the trunk.  One example of an exercise that trains stabilization is the plank.  Strong abdominals help to prevent hyperextension of the back when in the plank position.

Now wait…there’s more.  In addition to stabilization, your abdominals have to rotate or slow down the rotation of the spine.  They may even need to prevent rotation.  Any motion involving rotation can be used to train this particular abdominal movement.  One of my favorites is sometimes referred to as a landmine.  This involves holding the end of the barbell at shoulder level with the opposite end of the barbell planted on the ground in the hole of a weight plate or at the corner of a wall.  Swing the barbell from side to side while bracing your abdominal.

This is one of the most commonly overlooked functions of the abdominals.  Abdominal muscles prevent hyperextension of the spine.  Not only do the abdominal muscles flex the spine, bend forward, but they prevent excessive extension of the spine.  It isn't that difficult to flex the spine, especially when you are standing up.  However, lift a weight above your head and behind your head and see what your abdominals do. 

So think about this.  How much effort is required to lean backward with a weight overhead under control and without falling backward?  So, one of best exercises for abs to train this movement is to stand with your back to the wall about a foot’s length away with your hands overhead.  Slowly reach back and as high as possible to touch the wall.  You can also use a medicine ball and throw it against a wall with your hands above your head.

Now that you have discovered the most critical functions of the abdominals, you can determine the best exercises for abs by deciding how many of these functions the exercise trains at the same time.

Finding the best exercises for abs doesn’t have to be complicated if you follow the criteria I give you in this article.  For more information on the best exercises for abs and to get FREE instant access to our 10 day Interval Training Secrets Mini Course go to http://www.IntervalTrainingGuide.com?tid=bl304 now.

Exercises For Abs - The Best and Worst

Do you find this to be somewhat annoying too?  All of the experts seem to say different things about the best exercises for abs.  So much of the disagreement comes because some personal trainers and experts just don’t take the time to ask themselves what the abdominal muscles really do and how to train them most effectively.  In this article I am going to list the 3 worst exercises for abs and the 7 best exercises for abs.

The best exercises for abs involve 3 important characteristics: 1. stabilize the trunk; 2. slow down trunk extension; and 3. rotate or slow down rotation of the spine and trunk.

So, here are 3 of the worst exercises for abs.

1. Crunches:  There are far more efficient exercises than the traditional crunch.  When standing, it doesn't take much effort to flex the trunk.  And since most of the strength we need in our abdominals comes when we are standing, crunches don't seem to be the best abs exercise for functional activities.

2.  Leg Raises:  The biggest problem with leg raises is that it creates a tremendous amount of pressure on your hip flexors.  The hip flexors attach to the lumbar (lower) spine and can create low back pain.  The captain’s chair is a better alternative if done correctly, but still not one of my favorites.

3.  Ab Machines:  Most of the time a machine is only going to work one of the functions of the abdominal muscles.  In addition, it is hard to find a machine that matches your specific movement pattern.  In fact, you probably won't be able to.  So, avoid machines.

Now for the best exercises for abs, some of which you may never have thought of as abdominal exercises

1. Renegade dumbbell rows:  this is basically a pushup with a single arm horizontal row.  Not only do you have to perform a push up, which by itself is one of the best abdominal exercises, but you have to prevent rotation as you pull one of the weights to your chest while the other hand is on the floor.  Great exercise!

2.  Kettlebell Swing:  this one involves swinging a kettlebell, dumbbell, weight plate, whatever, from below your knees to shoulder height repeatedly.  To control the weight well require a lot of stabilization and rotation control.

3.  Front Squat:  The front squat is not normally the first on the list of best exercises for abs.  However, some say it should be at the top.  I happen to agree.  To perform this exercise correctly requires, again, a lot of core stabilization that comes from the abdominal muscles.

4.  Push Up Variations:  Just about anybody can do a variation of the push up.  You are only limited by your creativity.  It is one of the best exercises for abs because it require stabilization of the spine and trunk as well as prevention of excess extension of the spine.  Try lifting one of your hands off of the ground and you have now introduced an antirotation component.

5.  Mountain Climber or Cross Body Mountain Climber:  These two exercises stimulate all 3 of the functions of the abdominals:  stabilization, antirotation, and prevention of excess extension.

6.  Woodchopper:  The woodchopper combines the benefits of the kettlebell swing with a rotational component.  This is by far one of the best exercises for abs.

7.  Gymball Rollout:  This is probably one of the best exercises for abs to prevent hyper extension.  You also have the benefit of stabilization with movement.

Bonus.  Spiderman Push Up:  This is a combination of push up and mountain climber.  It requires stabilization with both upper and lower extremity movement.

Finding the best exercises for abs doesn’t have to be complicated if you perform exercises that train the true function of the abdominal muscles.  For more information on the best exercises for abs and to get FREE instant access to our 10 day Interval Training Secrets Mini Course go to http://www.IntervalTrainingGuide.com?tid=bl300 now.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

HIIT Cardio on the Elliptical to Burn Body Fat

After years of wasting as much as 60 minutes of my time training on the elliptical, I got bored.  Then I uncovered a way to finish my cardio routines on the elliptical by nearly 15 times faster.  I also found that I could burn extra fat for a much longer time even after my training had completed.

Would you believe me if I informed you I could show you a 4 minute workout that would be just as valuable as your typical 60 minute session?  If so, would it be worth spending 4 minutes to throw out your one hour training?

Well, the good news is that a 4 minute high intensity cardio workout on the elliptical to burn extra fat works.  In this article, I am going to uncover for you how to convert your typical cardio program on the elliptical and change it into a turbo-charged fat burning routine.  This training will continue to allow you to burn fat for up to 24 hours after you have finished your routine.

I am not going to uncover HOW this condensed high intensity interval training session is more effective at burning extra fat and getting you in to shape immediately.  That is going to be saved for another day.  However, let me just point out that current research shows strong evidence to support it.

There are 2 easy methods to convert your elliptical program workout to amplify the difficulty level so that you can finish it in such a short amount of time.  The important thing to remember with this type of high intensity interval training program is that it must be a maximum effort.  If you lower your intensity to the same intensity as your normal long duration program, then your benefits will not be as effective.

1. Crank Up the Incline:  Increasing the incline on the elliptical trainer to a level that makes your give a 100% exertion will exhaust your emergency energy stores. 

2. Increase the Resistance:  Increase the resistance so that you continue to train at the same rhythm but requiring a 100% effort to do so.

Obviously you are not going to be able to maintain this amount of difficulty for a long period of time.  If fact, the real secret behind this hiit cardio system is that you don’t have to.

Here is your 4 minute high intensity interval training cardio exercises on the elliptical to burn belly fat:
Begin with a 3-5 minute warm up that will elevate your body temperature enough so that you feel like you are beginning to sweat.
 
You will carry out 8 sets of high intensity interval training work sessions lasting 20 seconds with a 10 second active rest in between.  During your 20 second work exercises you will revise your incline or resistance.  You should not need to modify both together. 

During your active rest, reduce your incline or resistance back to a low difficulty level.  Continue this cycle 8 times for 4 minutes.  This is also known as a Tabata protocol.

If you did the program accurately and with enough difficulty you should feel ready to be finished.
Hiit cardio on the elliptical to burn extra fat is the most useful technique to build up your body’s capability to burn body fat throughout the day.  By altering your incline or the resistance on the elliptical trainer you are able to make your program intense enough that its doesn't require that you throw away an hour on your workout.  Now you will have time to do other things that you enjoy.

For more information on how an interval training cardio exercises is efficient at burning belly fat for up to 24 hours after your session go to Interval Training Guide.  You will learn other techniques to transform your training using a interval training cardio line of attack.  You can also get your FREE copy of Insider Secrets for a Lean Body.  Go to http:intervaltrainingguide.com/e104.