Crunches Do Not Work For Six Pack Abs

Crunches should be eliminated from our exercise program if your goal is to have ripped six pack abs. In order to have visible, tone and lean abs, we must focus on diet, increasing our metabolism and stress reduction.

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.

If we want to achieve defined abs, we need to eat a balanced diet of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. By increasing the frequency of our meals to 5-6 times a day, we can maintain our energy levels and avoid spiking up our blood sugar levels.

Resistance training increases our metabolism by increasing lean body mass, which increases the muscles’ metabolic activity. Active muscles use up more fuel so our bodies can now use the excess body fat and convert that into fuel.

The body’s metabolism is also increased as a result of interval training. The exercise demands of anaerobic training causes the body to adapt by increasing muscle mass. The increased muscle mass makes the body’s efficiency to utilize body fat as fuel greater and increase the body’s overall fat burning capacity.

Stress has a way of increasing the amount of fat that is stored in our stomach area. In a stressful situation, our body releases Cortisol, which then stores fat in our abdomen. The stored fat is then kept there as a fuel source for the body during an emergency situation.

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. If you’d like to lose belly fat and get six pack abs please visit these links for a free video.