Want Abs

February 25th, 2007 webmaster

Training the abdominal muscles has recently been the subject of more misinformation and mythology than any other part of the human anatomy. Gizmos and gadgets allege that they’ll give you those coveted “six-pack” abs. But here’s how you can rationally train your abs to their absolute maximum limit of development using everyday gym equipment. There is nothing unique about abdominal muscles as far as their training and response to training is concerned. The principles that apply to biceps and triceps apply equally to abs. So the three critical elements of your abs workouts are:

1- High-intensity of muscular overload

2- Progressive intensity from workout to workout

3- Proper spacing of workouts to avoid overtraining or undertraining

Most people do sit-ups or crunches as an ab exercise. While these are basically good exercises that can satisfy point 1 above, how many people use them in a way that satisfies point 2? Muscles will only develop in response to overload that is above normal. So if you do 20 crunches every day for a year, why would your ab muscles develop beyond that capacity? They won’t.

To force new development, you need to increase the intensity. You could add a few crunches every day, but that really just increases duration; there is a better way to get fast results.

Abs exercises proven to work
1- Weighted crunches
2- Weighted incline sit-ups
3- Weighted sit-ups

The best way to do weighted crunches is to lie on the floor with your head close to the low pulley weight stack. Using the rope handle attachment, grasp the ends and pull the cable until it is tight and your hands are resting at the side of your head near your ears. Now contract your ab muscles in a crunch that lifts your shoulders off the floor and draws the weight stack up an inch or two. Choose a weight that is so heavy, you can only do 8 to 12 reps.

If you don’t have access to a low pulley, there is a good alternative. You can use the high pulley that is normally used for lat pulldowns. Kneel on the floor or sit in the seat directly under the rope handles that you attach to the high pulley. Lock your legs under the hold down. Pull the handles into position next to your ears, then contract your ab muscles into a crunch that raises the weight stack an inch or two. Again, choose a weight that is so heavy, you can only do 8 to 12 reps.

As a further alternative, you can lie on the floor and do a sit-up or crunch while holding a barbell plate against your chest. The limitation of this exercise is that, as you progress in strength, it will not be possible to hold enough plates on your chest safely. But that’s a good problem to have.

On each successive workout, shoot for a 5-15% increase in the weight you use. If you can’t get a 5% increase, it’s time to add more days off between your workouts.

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Weight Loss Article - Too Many Calories

February 24th, 2007 webmaster

How many calories do you need? Well, that depends on a lot of things. Your age, sex, type of work, physical activity, all come into play. There is no one answer for this type of thing. I have to warn you, I don’t believe the general ideas on how many calories a person should have. If you have a 2,000 calorie diet, you are starving yourself. I know that some people live and die by this number, but I just throw it to the wind. Why don’t I pay attention to a number such as 2,000? Only because it is stupid. Yes, you heard me right, stupid. How is a person who is very active going to live off of 2,000 calories? I mean, you would end up looking like those dying skinny kids in the 3rd world countries.

I think you get the drift though. I think those numbers are put in place by people who are so focused on health, that they are blinded by it. I mean, if you have 3,000 calories in one day, it won’t kill you. Though, they might want to make you believe that it will.

I’m not saying that you should throw all of this stuff to the wind. That would be foolish. What I am saying is, you should take it with a grain of salt. There is no reason why you should get bent out of shape if you go a few hundred or even a thousand over this limit. I mean, if you are going over by 5,000 then you should be worried. Some people do need to be concerned with such a thing. For example, people who are on a diet because of heart problems. You should be very focused on your diet. Also people with sugar problems would fall into this category as well.

If you don’t have some sort of health problem, I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape. Though, if you are eating from the drive through lane every day, then you might have a problem. What am I saying? Use common sense. Understand where your calories are coming from. If you are eating 3,500 calories and they are mostly from things that are good for you, don’t go ape shit on yourself. If on the other hand if it is all from candy and deep fried foods, I would be concerned.

You should be more concerned about where the calories are coming from. Ahhh, now I think you see what I mean. If you are eating 1,500 calories alone of fruits and veggies, that is better than eating that in fat. Isn’t it all the same? Not really. I would say that it isn’t the same. I know that some of you will argue with that. It isn’t the same because the calories are coming from a good source. They are coming from things that are good for you. The fruits and veggies will help you out in many ways. They will also help you fight off cancer and heart disease. This isn’t true if you are over eating on fats and sweets.

What to do? Well, all I know is what I have stated above. If you are eating over 2,000 calories and you are eating things that are good for you, I wouldn’t be too concerned. As always, you should talk to your doctor. That is the best advice I can give you. You should always talk to him before you go and do something new. You might have a health condition that will require you to go on a diet that he tells you to go on.

If you are healthy, base most of your diet on raw fruits and veggies. That is where the action is. That is where you will get the most bang for your calorie. Happy eating.

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Young adult fitness protects heart health in middle age

February 22nd, 2007 webmaster

The early bird catches the worm and the early jogger doesn’t have to worry as much later on in life. I know that this may sound like some half-baked self-help slogan, but it’s the truth. The sooner you start to take care of your body, the better your health will be.

A study conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute revealed that cardiorespiratory exercises performed in the early adulthood have a huge impact on the risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes in the middle age. Both of these conditions are likely to lead to strokes or heart attacks in the old age. Regular fitness sessions also lower the risk of developing the classic spare tire that nobody likes, high blood pressure and high levels of triglycerides (the bad version of cholesterol).

Just because you’re young and healthy it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be exercising at all. Preventive measures are always a good idea because it’s easier to put a little effort into improving your health than having to deal with the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in your middle age. Eating all sorts of good things is great, but after a certain age all those burgers and snacks will come back to you as high blood pressure.

Once you’re past your thirtieth birthday you no longer snap back the same way and excess eating coupled with excess TV watching equal fat, diabetes, hypertension and other unpleasant things that require frequent trips to the doctor and many pills. While the 30s and the 40s seem far away to a young man, time flies faster than we think and suddenly you’re no longer young. But you can still be healthy with a little exercising every day.

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