Crunches Should Be Eliminated
When it comes to the topic of six pack abs, crunches need to be discussed. The discussion on crunches should inform people that crunches are not effective to achieve six pack abs. Focusing on what we eat, helping our metabolism to burn faster and managing our stress will help us achieve six pack abs.
Doing crunches develops different areas of the lower back and abs. Actually, some crunches train the hip flexors instead of the abs. Focusing on doing crunches may create imbalances in our back and, consequently, cause back pain.
Achieving six pack abs requires eating a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, fat, and minerals. By eating small, frequent (5-6) meals a day, we can avoid causing spikes in our blood sugar level and keep our energy levels constant.
Increasing our metabolism can be done through resistance training. By increasing our muscle mass, we can affect our metabolism by increasing our muscle’s metabolic activity. In doing so, our body will be better able to utilize the excess body fat and convert that into fuel.
Interval training also increases our metabolism. Due to the increased demands of the interval training exercises, more lean body mass is built. This causes an increase in overall fat burning capacity in order to fuel increased activity levels.
Stress has been shown to increase the amount of fat stored in our stomach area. During stress, our body releases the hormone Cortisol, which causes fat to be stored in our stomach area. The excess fat is kept there for the body to use when there is an emergency.
There are many ways that we can reduce stress. Activities such as deep breathing, relaxation techniques, yoga and tai chi have shown to be effective at reducing stress in our body.
Since crunches do not work for six pack abs, we must focus on overall dietary changes, increase our metabolism and reduce stress in our lives to get lean, visible and toned abs.
