Should You Do Crunches To Get Six Pack Abs?

Is there a point to doing a lot of crunches if you want to get six pack abs or is it true that you can get a flat stomach by ignoring ab exercises?

Although many people will spend more time doing crunches than any other exercises combined, it is important to know that this might be setting you back. Getting a six pack set of abs has nothing to do with crunches.

The factors you should consider:

1.having a diet low in fat
2.doing weight training
3.doing high intensity type cardio

These three factors are more important than doing crunches or ab work for core strength. The most important factor is eating less fat. Refined sugars and high fat diets will keep you from having ripped abs regardless of how many crunches you do.

Weight training a strong component as it has been shown to burn more calories when combined with cardiovascular exercise. Ideally you want to do weight training with every muscle group. Never neglect one muscle group and give priority to another.

High intensity cardio is the final piece of the puzzle. Sure steady state cardio like a good jog will help but your results will take longer to show. If you want to torch the fat faster than you ever thought possible then the best option is doing short burst of intense cardio, also referred to as interval training. Interval training can be done with any type of cardio workout: swimming, running, jumping rope, skating, you name it.

If you want to do crunches simply do 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions and you will be fine.

So there you have it. That is all it takes to get the six pack abs you have always wanted.

Why You Should Include Deadlifts In Your Workouts

If you have never tried deadlift exercises or are afraid to attempt them because you might get injured you should reconsider. Deadlift exercises should be a staple of your weight lifting workouts.

In order to avoid some of the fears of getting injured your best option is to start with light weight in the beginning and increase the load over time. You never want to start heavy, as this will surely cause injury. By strengthening the lower back area with this exercise you will be preventing future back problems.

Too often people working out will focus much of their attention on either the upper body or the lower body and of course the abs. However, doing deadlifts are very important as they strengthen the lower back area and are also excellent as a total body workout.

Another advantage in using this exercise is the fact that it stimulates muscle growth throughout the body, both the upper and lower. Multi joint workouts help trigger growth hormone and this in turn stimulates muscle growth. Single joint movements like leg extensions and bicep curls or triceps extensions do not offer this added benefit.

As you can see there are great benefits with performing deadlift exercises for lower back including: more muscle growth and the prevention of lower back injuries.

Next time you feel like skipping out on this workout think again. So go ahead and grab that barbell. Your body will thank you in the long run.

Are Resistance Bands As Effective As Weights In Strength Training?

Perhaps you have seen a piece of workout equipment called resistance bands at your local gym while you were busy doing strength training. These colored pieces of elastic tubing are popular among a small group of gym goers but are not as popular as they probably should be.
So is strength training with resistance bands as effective as some people claim they are?
Resistance band training is a good alternative to weights. Although many people think that resistance bands come in only one type of resistance the truth is they come in various.
These bands are colored coded and come in various thickness levels. The thicker a band is the heavier it feels as you pull on them. Using these bands give the same effect as using weights for strength training.

Advantage of Resistance Bands

One primary advantage to using bands is they are not stable. Although this may sound counter intuitive the truth is that this is a benefit as it forces the muscle to work on other muscles that help with stability.
The important thing to focus with strength training is putting muscles in constant tension so that the muscle breaks down and grows again. Resistance bands do exactly this the same way that weights do.
Try it some time and I'm sure you won't regret it.