Get Great Washboard Abs Without Performing Crunching Movements
washboard abs, six pack abs, toned abs, crunches, planks
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The hard way to get washboard abs is to perform set after set of crunching movements. I see people spend 15-20 minutes per workout trying to get great washboard abs. These people are doing machine crunches, leg raises, crunches on a Swiss Ball, etc. The funny thing is that many of these movements actually increase the muscle mass in the abdominal region.
Great Washboard Abs are a Product of Muscle Density -Not- Muscle Size!
The bodybuilding approach to washboard abs is to work them like other muscles. The most common approach is to work the ab muscles to failure and aim for "the burn". This is a great approach to increase the size of a muscle group, which is a bad idea if your goal is washboard abs. If you have ever seen a ripped bodybuilder with abs that stick out past his chest, then you have seen the results of the bodybuilder approach.
You Need a Different Approach if You Want Washboard Abs.
So how do you increase density of a muscle? A great way to increase density is isometric movements. Isometric movements are the key to amazing washboard abs. So what is an isometric movement? An isometric involves flexing the muscle with no actual movement. This can be done with or without any resistance.
A Couple of Great Isometrics to Get Washboard Abs.
The plank exercise is a great isometric exercise. It increases the density of your washboard abs and helps you maintain a healthy back at the same time. It is hard to describe in words, so do a Google search for "plank exercise" and you will be able to see photos of the exercise. I do planks after cardio as a way to increase muscle density to get washboard abs. This is the only ab exercise I do in the gym. Another great exercise is to flex your abs as hard as you can 5-6 times per day. Take a deep breath and exhale as you tighten your abs up as hard as possible for 10-20 seconds. Tightening up of the abs is what causes boxers to have such great wa... read entire entry
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on 2/26/2008
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43.8
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Is Diet The Key to Burning Body Fat or Is Exercise the Answer
diet, exercise, cardio, hiit, lose body fat
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So when it comes to losing unwanted body fat, is diet or exercise more important? If you were to ask me 20 years ago, I would have told you that exercise was the key to a sexy body. While exercise is important, I think the real key to burning body fat and looking great is the result of a clean diet. If people ate properly, there would be many more toned people in gyms all over the world.
The Best "One Two" Weight Loss Combo is Both Diet and Exercise
Everyone knows that exercise along with a good diet is a great approach to losing weight. The challenge with exercising is that often times life gets busy. There isn't always time to exercise, but you always have time for a proper diet. My suggestion is to keep your diet clean at all times, and exercise when time allows.
"You Can't Out-Exercise a Big Mac"
A Big Mac has 540 calories. Do you realize how much exercising it takes to burn those calories? Well about an hour on the elliptical trainer at a moderate pace would do the trick! So after an hour of boring cardio, you are back to square one. You probably won't lose weight at all especially if you added the fries and soft drink. Large fries would be an extra 570 calories and a large non-diet soft drink would be an extra 310 calories. So how much exercise would you have to do to burn 1,400+ calories? Let's not even go there!
It Is Much Easier to Create A Large Calorie Deficit With a Clean Diet
A simple approach to losing weight is to create a daily calorie deficit. Basically, the idea is for your body to use more calories each day than what you consume in food calories. So, there are two ways to create this deficit; either consume less calories or burn more through exercising. Each pound of fat on your body is 3,500 calories. So to lose 2 pounds per week, you need to create a weekly calorie deficit of 7,000or a daily calorie deficit of 1,000. In my opinion it is much easier to create this calor... read entire entry
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on 2/26/2008
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30.5
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Gaining Weight Quickly is 'Fool's Gold', A Lot Will Be Body Fat
bulking up, bodybuilder, gaining weight, quick weight gain
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Bulking Up is Becoming an Outdated Way to Gain Muscle
The big problem with adding weight quickly is that a large percentage of that gain is fat. I hear guys brag all the time that they put on 40 pounds of muscle in 6 months. Sorry, but much of that weight gain is fat. Not only is it unhealthy, but the body does not look as pleasing covered with a layer of fat.
Why Purposely Gain Fat?
Seriously...why would you want to make more work for yourself? Sure, I do understand that there is more leverage with bulk...large Sumo Wrestlers are strong because of this...but is this the look you are going for? Most people are after lean muscle mass, so they will have to work 3-6 months to burn off all that lard.
Why Not Look Good Year Round?
Unless you are a competitive bodybuilder who needs to slap on 10-15 pounds year after year, then you don't need to bulk up. Plus you probably don't want to take the "supplements" they inject to drop a lot of that body fat. I can't imagine working hard in the gym to only look good 3-4 months out of the year. Why not take a slightly slower approach to gaining muscle and look good the entire time?
Bulking Up Makes You a Poor Athlete
My definition of a great athlete is a person who has a large strength-to-weight ratio. Someone who is bulked out normally has good overall strength, but a lesser strength-to-weight ratio compared to a lean person. A high strength to weight ratio is the foundation of an amazing athlete. Think about it.
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on 2/18/2008
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17.2
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Drink Beer, Have Fun, Enjoy Life, and Still Have a Rockin Bod!
keg stand, splurge, fitness tip, diet tip, junk food
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I have been torn apart on a few of the major diet and weight loss forums for putting a picture of myself on the front page drinking a beer. No other fitness site that I know of has a picture of the author drinking a beer. I have been called a bad "fitness role model" along with a few other things. I put that picture up for a reason. I'm just like everyone else in that I enjoy stuff that is supposedly "bad" for me.
I Firmly Believe that You Can be Extremely Fit in The Context of a Fun Life
I like beer. Let me rephrase that...I like beer a lot! I fell in love with the flavor of beer in my fraternity back in college. I drink it WAY less than I did back then, but I still crack open 1-2 beers a couple of nights a week. You may or may not like beer. Maybe you enjoy root beer floats, mixed drinks, banana cream pie, meat-lovers pizza, etc. I am here to tell you that you can have anything you want if you plan your diet properly.
People That Don't Splurge Are Dull!
It is crazy to diet while on vacation or trying to eat healthy during a family picnic. There are times when you should let yourself go and just "go for it". Seriously...see how much you can eat. You will feel kind of like a rebel when you do this. This past Christmas, I tried to see if I could eat 3 full plates of food...and then two plates of dessert. I probably ate 8,000+ calories in one meal...it was a blast!
When You Splurge, You Remember How Sluggish It Makes You Feel
I think eating a bunch of high calorie food is a bit like aversion therapy. You will feel extremely tired afterward with low energy. It will be a great reminder about how much better you feel when you eat healthy. The following days and weeks following a "pig out session", you will find it easy to remain on a strict diet.
So Don't Be Afraid to do the Occasional "Keg Stand"...Have Fun...Go Skinny Dipping (nothing to do with this post...I'm just a big fan... read entire entry
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on 2/8/2008
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24
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Lose Fat Quickly and Get In Shape, You Will
yoda, hiit, interval training, high intensity
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Do you remember that scene from Empire Strikes Back where Luke Skywalker is "trying" to get his X-Wing Fighter out of the water by using the force? Well if you are not as geeky as me, here is what happens...
Here is the link from You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-zD-RohzNY
He says he will give it "Okay, I'll give it a try"
Yoda says "Do Or Do Not…There Is No Try!"
Luke fails to pull his X-wing craft out of the water and Yoda shows him how it is done. Luke is absolutely blown away that Yoda could use the Force to pull such a big object out of the water.
Luke then says, "I don't...I don't believe it!"
Yoda replies back, "That is why you fail"
This scene has actually been life changing for me. It is a big reason that Empire Strikes Back is one of my favorite movies of all time. When you are "trying" to reach you fitness goal or any goal for that matter, remember what Yoda said..."Do or Do not...There is no Try!". If you are "trying" to reach a goal there is a good chance you won't reach it. Just write down your goal and do what it takes to reach that goal. You will accomplish a lot more in life...including your goal of getting a smoking hot bod!
I hope this makes sense, because it makes all the difference in the world in my opinion.
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on 2/6/2008
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18.8
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It is Okay to be Extremely Confident About Yourself
confidence, confident, sexy people
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I wish more people had a high level of confidence. Seriously, it is a great feeling!
Have you ever noticed how some people react to confidence? Many people are intimidated or try to shoot down confident people. If you have been guilty of this in the past, then quit it! All you are doing is proving that you have a low self-esteem. Whenever I see somebody try to tear down a confident person, I know they have some issues that need to be worked on.
Join the Party and Increase Your Confidence Level
It is great to feel good about yourself. Confidence comes from within...It is yours for the taking! What you will find is that it is something that builds upon itself. The more confident you get, the better results you get in life...which in turn makes you more confident, etc.
Why I am Talking About this In The First Place?
A guy threw out this comment on my main blog:
"You sure think a lot of yourself don't you?"
My response:
"I do think a lot of myself. You should think a lot of yourself as well. The world needs more confident and sexy people. It is easy to tear people down, I prefer to take the higher road…I want to help as many people as possible. "
Summary: Build confidence and help others increase their level of confidence. The world will be a happier place!
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on 2/6/2008
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1 |
12.5
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