Lose Belly Fat – 4 Tips to Get Ripped Abs Without Sit Ups and Crunches

Author: Rena Wong

Do you spend hours doing crunches or sit ups and yet, you are not getting ripped or six pack abs? Chances are you’ve been doing it all wrong!

It’s a common mistake in most people who want visible abs to do abdominal exercise only. Sure, you develop abdominal muscle but it’s only hidden under a layer of fat. In fact, you may find your ab getting bigger as a result of the increased muscle mass.

If you want visible abs, your focus should be on reducing excess body fat.

Low body fat = ripped abs

You achieve low body fat by burning more calories than you consume.

Here are 4 tips for losing belly fat effectively and permanently.

1. Interval training

Research has shown that interval training is more superior to slow, steady cardio for fat loss. Your metabolism remains elevated post workout, thus resulting in the after burn effect. Effectively, you continue to burn calories even after an interval workout but not after a long, steady cardio workout.

Also, if you don’t have long hours to spare in the gym, interval workouts enable you to achieve the most fat loss in the least amount of time. Some examples of interval workouts are wind sprints, hill sprints, swimming sprints and speed rope jumping. You can also do intervals on a treadmill, stationary bicycle, stairclimber, rower and elliptical machines.

2. Nutrition

Proper nutrition is the key to fat loss. No matter how much or hard you train, you’ll never get visible abs if you live on crisps, sodas, fast food, cookies and other crap. Don’t fall for any of the low carb, low fat, high protein and other fad diets. Instead, eat a healthy and well balanced diet that includes various food groups – carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Eat 5-6 small meals a day to keep your energy levels stable. Choose wholesome, natural foods, preferably organic, and avoid processed foods. Avoid refined and simple carbs that contain white flour and white sugar. Your main sources of carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Include a source of high quality, lean protein with every meal. There are several benefits to consuming lean protein. Your body burns more calories from digesting protein than carbs or fats. Protein keeps hunger at bay and gives you a feeling of satiety. It is also necessary for building lean muscle that controls your metabolism and burns calories.

Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and to speed up fat loss.

Consume healthy fats from avocado, flax seed (or flax oil), nuts, seeds, fish (or fish oil), etc. Essential fatty acids help to regulate appetite and burn fat.

3. Resistance training

Resistance training not only sculpts your body but is important for building muscles. Like interval training, it raises your post workout metabolism so your body continues to burn calories even when you are doing nothing.

Aim for low rep resistance training, i.e. 8 reps per exercise, as it has been shown to boost metabolism after the workout.

If your goal is to burn fat, don’t isolate your body parts by training certain muscle groups using single-joint movements. Isolation exercises such as leg extension, bicep curl and tricep kickback burn little body fat. Shift your focus from single-joint to multi-joint muscle movements such as squats, lunges, split squats, pushups, chinups, rows, step ups and deadlifts. These are full body movements that work many muscles at one time, burn more calories during each workout and increase your metabolism post workout.

4. Reduce stress

Stress has been associated with belly fat. In stressful situations, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Excess cortisol production leads to build up of belly fat. A fat belly is more than ugly looking. Accumulated fat in the abdomen increases your risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Be aware of your stress level and learn to manage it through yoga, meditation, qi gong, tai chi and other stress reduction techniques. The truth is there’s no quick fix for losing belly fat. Forget about ab gadgets, diets or magic pills that promise to give you lean abs. They are nothing but scams.

The good news is that you can attain a set of lean or six pack abs through a healthy diet plan and effective training program that promote fat loss.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/lose-belly-fat-4-tips-to-get-ripped-abs-without-sit-ups-and-crunches-241877.html

About the Author

If you’re interested in taking your fat loss efforts to an entirely new level, grab a free fat loss ebook which details 27 unique methods for boosting your metabolism and losing belly fat

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Ab Exercises – Why Sit Ups & Crunches are Bad for You

Author: Rena Wong

Sit-up is the most popular AND yet, the worst ab exercise. Most people don’t know that sit-up is not a true ab exercise. When performing a sit-up, your main trunk flexor, the iliopsoas muscle, often does the majority of the work while the abs are not fully recruited.

The iliopsoas muscles originates on the lower back so it pulls on the lower back during every repetition of sit-up, especially when your feet are held down or anchored, or repetitions are performed in a jerky manner. Too many sit-ups can lead to strength imbalance between iliopsoas and abs, poor posture and lower back pain.

People who hold weights while doing sit-ups think that helps to build their abs. Unfortunately, they increase the chances of lower back injury significantly. The iliopsoas muscles work much harder and place even more strain on the lower back than bodyweight sit-ups. Additional weight may lead to poor exercise form, thus amplifying the likelihood of injury.

Crunches are another common ab exercise. Doing hundreds of crunches alone and regularly can pull your head forward and leave your spine slightly flexed (leading to hunch back). You end up with poor posture and lower back pain.

If you don’t overuse crunches, they can still be an effective ab exercise. Vary your ab workout just like you vary your cardio and strength training exercise.

There are plenty of safe and effective ab exercises for conditioning and strengthening your abs, which many people are not aware of. They include total body exercises that work the abs and swiss ball workout.

Believe it or not, you can develop amazing abs without ever doing a single sit-up!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/ab-exercises-why-sit-ups-crunches-are-bad-for-you-523288.html

About the Author

Learn 2 types of ab exercises to develop sexy abs without compromising your back. These ab exercises work your abs and strengthen your core muscles at the same time. Lose the sit-ups and endless crunches before more damage is done!

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How to Get Firm Flat Abs Fast

Author: mikejan635

Are you looking to get Firm Flat Abs? Then it is the right place for you. Here you can find easy methods to get Firm Flat Abs.

Consistency

First you must do the right things consistently; for example, exercises, running and maintaining good diet etc. Consistency is the first secret to get flat and firm Abs.

You must know that Ab exercises are strengthening and toning Abs, not for Weight Loss

A lot of people doing Ab workouts to lose weight in that area. That’s not correct. These exercises are for whom they have low fat and want to build more muscle in that area. If you have low fat then only continue the ab exercises otherwise you just go for weight loss exercises such as aerobics.

Ab exercises

If you want ripped abs you must work hard at your gym. You must do extremely explosive Ab exercises, sometimes may be with weights. If you do crunches with dumbbells being on the chest gets your abs ripped fast.

If you have flat Abs, but you want to tone your Abs then do crunches for a period of time, pilates and cardio consistently. This way you can strengthen your abs and toned.

How to get rid of Abdominal fat

If you feel that you are excess weight and you really want to get toned Abs, then you must do things to lose fat such as cardio, pilates and dieting etc.

You should focus to lose fat all across the body not only on your Abs. Still you can continue Ab workouts. But do these workouts to strengthen your abs not for lose weight in your Abs. If you want rock hard Abs then doesn’t forget one thing that, strengthen your core and make your exercises easier and much more efficient.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/bodybuilding-articles/how-to-get-firm-flat-abs-fast-511436.html

About the Author

mikejan635
Get rid of your belly fat and be well on your way to having rock hard six pack abs. For more free tips and resources visit http://www.fitnessmadeeasy.net

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Lose Belly Fat Diet – Low Carb Or Low Fat?

Author: Rena Wong

Most people wrongly believe that a low fat diet is the way to lose belly fat. Several studies have shown that a low carb diet is indeed more effective for belly fat loss.

Since the early 70s, Americans reduced their fat intake from 40% to 34%. Yet, the obesity epidemic has been rising steeply since it began in the early 1980′s. Why?

Excessive consumption of carbohydrates.

Our primal ancestors lived on a hunters-gatherers diet of primarily meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Grain was not even part of human diet until agricultural started about 10,000 years ago. The increase in human population and decrease in hunted large game made it necessary for humans to adopt agriculture.

The evolution of human diet from mainly animal sources to grain products (refined carbohydrates) has led to a fall in the quantity and quality of human life. Diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease which were once non-existent, are now prevalent.

Take a look at your existing diet. Are you consuming lots of refined carbohydrates such as breads, pastas, cereals, cakes, biscuits and sugar? Excess consumption of refined carbohydrates prevents stored body fat from being used as energy. The body becomes adapted to burning sugar as fuel and forgets how to burn fat.

Everyone needs some carbohydrates. In the body, carbohydrates are converted into glucose as a main source of energy for the brain. Unused glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Only the glycogen in the liver can be converted back to glucose for use by the brain when necessary.

The body has limited capacity for storing carbohydrates. Although the muscles can store more glycogen than the liver, its reserves cannot be broken down when energy is required by the brain. Once the glycogen reserves are full, excess carbohydrates are converted into fat.

Eating a high carb meal can cause a spike in glucose levels. This prompts the pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream to lower the glucose levels. The bad news is insulin is a fat storage hormone. It tells the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat. Fluctuation in blood sugar levels causes cravings for more carbohydrates and hence, more fat storage in response to insulin.

In order to lose belly fat, it is essential to manage insulin response by consuming less refined carbohydrates. You should increase your intake of healthy fats and proteins. They have little effect on insulin and slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. Choose healthy fat sources such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, fish and organically raised, free range animals. Avoid hydrogenated oils, refined oils and homogenized milk fat. Substitute vegetables and fruits for refined carbohydrates.

People on low fat diet have the impression that they can consume large amounts of reduced fat food products, resulting in excessive intake and weight gain. Unbeknown to them, most low fat or fat-free food products contain high carbohydrates.

It should be clear by now why a low carb diet is more beneficial than a low fat diet for belly fat loss. Excessive carbohydrates causes the body to make fat, screws up the hormone system to promote fat storage and prevents fat loss.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/lose-belly-fat-diet-low-carb-or-low-fat-1302885.html

About the Author

The optimal ratio of carbohydrates, fats and protein in your belly fat diet is determined by your metabolic type. Discover how to lose belly fat permanently by getting a FREE copy of “The Great Abs Mistake” ebook at http://www.shedthefat.com/great-abs-mistake.

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3 Core Strengthening Exercises for Killer Abs

Author: mikejan635

Rock hard abs are the hallmark of a sexy body today. No abs? So sorry… goodbye!

But developing that six pack belly doesn’t come easy. There’s no machine that can do the work for you. Abs must be developed the old fashioned way. You have to earn them — and you start with core training.

Before you attempt any of these exercises, if you have any kind of lower back problem be sure to check with your doctor. The purpose of these exercises is to strengthen your core, which form the foundation for killer abs.

The three exercises are:

1. The Plank
2. The Side Plank
3. The Superman

1. The Plank

Get into a pushup position. It’s important to have your body absolutely straight. Support your upper body by putting your forearms on the floor.

Remember to keep your body in an absolutely straight line. Don’t lift up your butt, drop your head, or arch your back because those things will make the exercise easier — and that isn’t the point! Hold this position for 30-60 seconds or as long as you can.

To make the exercise harder — so that you will get more benefit from it — lift and hold one foot a few inches off the floor during this exercise. Loading your core unevenly will make the Plank tougher, and thus more effective.

2. The Side Plank

If you thought the plank was tough, wait until you try the Side Plank! Lie down on one side. Now brace your forearm on the floor and lift your hips off of the floor. The only parts of your body touching the floor should be your forearm and your feet.

Remember to keep your body in a straight line… don’t bend forward. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds or as long as you can.

To get more benefit from the Side Plank, try lifting the top foot just a few inches while you are in position. It’s surprising how really tough this exercise is — but it is also a very effective exercise for strengthening your core.

3. The Superman

You’ve seen superman fly, right? SO lie down on the floor on your belly and stretch your arms out in front of you. Spread your arms so that they make a “V” with your head.

Now keeping your legs together, raise them off of the floor. Be sure to get your knees up OFF the floor! Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds or as long as you can.

These three exercises are just the FOUNDATION. By themselves they won’t give you killer abs, but they are a good beginning. Unlike wimpy weight machine exercises, they’re hard.

But remember what Vince Lombardi said, “The dictionary is the only place where ‘results’ comes before ‘work’.” That sums it up when it comes to conquering that belly flab — without core training, no results!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/3-core-strengthening-exercises-for-killer-abs-503412.html

About the Author

mikejan635
Get 6 more FREE tips on how to get rid of your belly fat and be well on your way to having rock hard six pack abs.

Visit http://www.fitnessmadeeasy.net to get more free tips and resources on how to lose belly fat, build muscle and have a perfect six pack abs.

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Lose Belly Fat With 2 Top & Effective Fat Loss Tips

Author: Rena Wong

Are you struggling to lose belly fat? Have you tried practically every method (from the magic fat loss pill to bogus ab gadgets like ab belt and ab roller) that claims to help you lose belly fat and yet, it just never seems to budge?

What if I told you that you’ve been scammed? Yes, unscrupulous marketers use gimmicks to make you believe that you can lose belly fat quickly and easily with little effort.

Let’s cut through the marketing scams and gimmicks, and get to the truths and proven techniques to lose belly fat forever…

1. Firstly, you must know how to structure your workouts. Stop wasting time doing all types of abdominal exercises including crunches, sit ups and torso twists if you are hoping to spot reduce your belly and love handles.

Spot reduction does not work at all! You may or may not have known this fact, but many people remain elusive of it. You don’t lose belly fat by doing abdominal specific exercises. Although most people already (or should) understand this, they are still spending too much time on targeting their stomach with high reps of ab exercises.

Having said that, a certain amount of abdominal exercises are good for strengthening the core and maintaining a healthy back. The fact remains that ab specific exercises should only form a small portion of your workout routines. Instead, you should focus on multi-joint exercises that work the largest muscle groups of the body such as chest, back and legs for majority of your time.

Now, this is one of the true SECRETS for getting rid of belly fat for good. When you perform multi-joint exercises that target large muscle groups, your metabolic rate is raised during and post workout (for 24-28 hours). This also stimulates an increase in fat burning hormones in your body. Such metabolic and hormonal response cannot be achieved by doing ab exercises only.

If you are serious about losing belly fat, do squats, lunges, step ups, chest presses and bent-over rows. As long as you are focusing on multi-joint exercises at high intensity, it doesn’t matter if you use barbells, dumbbells or bodyweight exercises. There should be no 5-minute rest periods between sets while you set out to socialise with others at the gym. It is necessary to stay focused and exercise at a high intensity in order to lose belly fat. Remember, consistent effort, time and discipline will get you in top condition. Anyone who tells you that you can lose belly fat by using an ab belt while watching TV is certainly lying to you.

2. Secondly, cleaning up your diet is important to getting rid of belly fat. Do you know that going on “diets” actually serves to work against your body in your effort to lose stomach fat? Fad diets such as low fat, low carb, high protein or cabbage soup diet restricts the consumption of certain macronutrient (carbs, protein and fat). Your body needs all macronutrients, minerals and vitamins to thrive and function efficiently. Cutting out an entire food group leads to loss of lean muscle and lower metabolic rate. When you eat normally again, you end up gaining weight in the long term.

Fat diets screw up processes related to your body such as hormonal balance, muscle glycogen, insulin and blood sugar which ultimately shut down your fat loss and muscle gain.

The lesson to take home is not to fall for fad diet gimmicks. We need to eat a natural, wholesome and balanced diet that include a variety of carbs, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. This ensures your body operates efficiently and stay in fat burning mode.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/lose-belly-fat-with-2-top-effective-fat-loss-tips-364067.html

About the Author

Get a copy of the FREE Abdominal Training Secrets report that reveals how to lose belly fat and the 5 best abdominal exercises for developing ripped or six pack abs at http://www.shedthefat.com/ab-report.

You’ll also learn what abdominal exercises are dangerous and ineffective, the truths about ab gadgets and the one piece of training equipment that makes your ab workouts more effective.

The Number One Fitness and Diet Prgram on the Internet Truth About Abs.
Click Here for the every Other Day Diet
Click Here for one of the best diet solutions on the Internet
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Lose Belly Fat Diet – Low Carb Or Low Fat?

Author: Rena Wong

Most people wrongly believe that a low fat diet is the way to lose belly fat. Several studies have shown that a low carb diet is indeed more effective for belly fat loss.

Since the early 70s, Americans reduced their fat intake from 40% to 34%. Yet, the obesity epidemic has been rising steeply since it began in the early 1980′s. Why?

Excessive consumption of carbohydrates.

Our primal ancestors lived on a hunters-gatherers diet of primarily meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Grain was not even part of human diet until agricultural started about 10,000 years ago. The increase in human population and decrease in hunted large game made it necessary for humans to adopt agriculture.

The evolution of human diet from mainly animal sources to grain products (refined carbohydrates) has led to a fall in the quantity and quality of human life. Diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease which were once non-existent, are now prevalent.

Take a look at your existing diet. Are you consuming lots of refined carbohydrates such as breads, pastas, cereals, cakes, biscuits and sugar? Excess consumption of refined carbohydrates prevents stored body fat from being used as energy. The body becomes adapted to burning sugar as fuel and forgets how to burn fat.

Everyone needs some carbohydrates. In the body, carbohydrates are converted into glucose as a main source of energy for the brain. Unused glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Only the glycogen in the liver can be converted back to glucose for use by the brain when necessary.

The body has limited capacity for storing carbohydrates. Although the muscles can store more glycogen than the liver, its reserves cannot be broken down when energy is required by the brain. Once the glycogen reserves are full, excess carbohydrates are converted into fat.

Eating a high carb meal can cause a spike in glucose levels. This prompts the pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream to lower the glucose levels. The bad news is insulin is a fat storage hormone. It tells the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat. Fluctuation in blood sugar levels causes cravings for more carbohydrates and hence, more fat storage in response to insulin.

In order to lose belly fat, it is essential to manage insulin response by consuming less refined carbohydrates. You should increase your intake of healthy fats and proteins. They have little effect on insulin and slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. Choose healthy fat sources such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, fish and organically raised, free range animals. Avoid hydrogenated oils, refined oils and homogenized milk fat. Substitute vegetables and fruits for refined carbohydrates.

People on low fat diet have the impression that they can consume large amounts of reduced fat food products, resulting in excessive intake and weight gain. Unbeknown to them, most low fat or fat-free food products contain high carbohydrates.

It should be clear by now why a low carb diet is more beneficial than a low fat diet for belly fat loss. Excessive carbohydrates causes the body to make fat, screws up the hormone system to promote fat storage and prevents fat loss.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/lose-belly-fat-diet-low-carb-or-low-fat-1302885.html

About the Author

The optimal ratio of carbohydrates, fats and protein in your belly fat diet is determined by your metabolic type. Discover how to lose belly fat permanently by getting a FREE copy of “The Great Abs Mistake” ebook at http://www.shedthefat.com/great-abs-mistake.

The Number One Fitness and Diet Prgram on the Internet Truth About Abs.
Click Here for the every Other Day Diet
Click Here for one of the best diet solutions on the Internet
[TEMPLATE]phpzon[/TEMPLATE]

Lose Belly Fat With 2 Top & Effective Fat Loss Tips

Author: Rena Wong

Are you struggling to lose belly fat? Have you tried practically every method (from the magic fat loss pill to bogus ab gadgets like ab belt and ab roller) that claims to help you lose belly fat and yet, it just never seems to budge?

What if I told you that you’ve been scammed? Yes, unscrupulous marketers use gimmicks to make you believe that you can lose belly fat quickly and easily with little effort.

Let’s cut through the marketing scams and gimmicks, and get to the truths and proven techniques to lose belly fat forever…

1. Firstly, you must know how to structure your workouts. Stop wasting time doing all types of abdominal exercises including crunches, sit ups and torso twists if you are hoping to spot reduce your belly and love handles.

Spot reduction does not work at all! You may or may not have known this fact, but many people remain elusive of it. You don’t lose belly fat by doing abdominal specific exercises. Although most people already (or should) understand this, they are still spending too much time on targeting their stomach with high reps of ab exercises.

Having said that, a certain amount of abdominal exercises are good for strengthening the core and maintaining a healthy back. The fact remains that ab specific exercises should only form a small portion of your workout routines. Instead, you should focus on multi-joint exercises that work the largest muscle groups of the body such as chest, back and legs for majority of your time.

Now, this is one of the true SECRETS for getting rid of belly fat for good. When you perform multi-joint exercises that target large muscle groups, your metabolic rate is raised during and post workout (for 24-28 hours). This also stimulates an increase in fat burning hormones in your body. Such metabolic and hormonal response cannot be achieved by doing ab exercises only.

If you are serious about losing belly fat, do squats, lunges, step ups, chest presses and bent-over rows. As long as you are focusing on multi-joint exercises at high intensity, it doesn’t matter if you use barbells, dumbbells or bodyweight exercises. There should be no 5-minute rest periods between sets while you set out to socialise with others at the gym. It is necessary to stay focused and exercise at a high intensity in order to lose belly fat. Remember, consistent effort, time and discipline will get you in top condition. Anyone who tells you that you can lose belly fat by using an ab belt while watching TV is certainly lying to you.

2. Secondly, cleaning up your diet is important to getting rid of belly fat. Do you know that going on “diets” actually serves to work against your body in your effort to lose stomach fat? Fad diets such as low fat, low carb, high protein or cabbage soup diet restricts the consumption of certain macronutrient (carbs, protein and fat). Your body needs all macronutrients, minerals and vitamins to thrive and function efficiently. Cutting out an entire food group leads to loss of lean muscle and lower metabolic rate. When you eat normally again, you end up gaining weight in the long term.

Fat diets screw up processes related to your body such as hormonal balance, muscle glycogen, insulin and blood sugar which ultimately shut down your fat loss and muscle gain.

The lesson to take home is not to fall for fad diet gimmicks. We need to eat a natural, wholesome and balanced diet that include a variety of carbs, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. This ensures your body operates efficiently and stay in fat burning mode.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/lose-belly-fat-with-2-top-effective-fat-loss-tips-364067.html

About the Author

Get a copy of the FREE Abdominal Training Secrets report that reveals how to lose belly fat and the 5 best abdominal exercises for developing ripped or six pack abs at http://www.shedthefat.com/ab-report.

You’ll also learn what abdominal exercises are dangerous and ineffective, the truths about ab gadgets and the one piece of training equipment that makes your ab workouts more effective.

The Number One Fitness and Diet Prgram on the Internet Truth About Abs.
Click Here for the every Other Day Diet
Click Here for one of the best diet solutions on the Internet
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