What Is The Biggest Reason Most Males and Females Can’t Seem To Get Six Pack Abs?

When trying to get a flat stomach people focus too much time directly training their abs. 1000s of crunches WILL NOT directly burn belly fat. There is no such thing as SPOT REDUCTION. If you have love handles, doing continuous side bends WILL NOT burn the fat from this area. Doing direct ab training CAN strengthen your core (when done with proper form) but it does not create enough of a metabolic fat burning response to actually burn the layer of body fat that covers your abs.

The funny thing is we all have abs. The majority of people just have layers of body fat covering them. Therefore, the number one way to get six pack abs is to reduce overall body fat. Losing body fat is all about combining a proper nutrition plan (abs are made in the kitchen), a solid full body workout program that creates a fat burning metabolic and hormonal response, and LASTLY, a core strengthening and sculpting abdominal program.

Should Men Train Differently Than Females To Get Six Pack Abs?

The best exercises to get six pack abs and reduce body fat are not gender specific. Compared to males, typically females lift weights less frequently and with less intensity (if at all). I always recommend females incorporate more intense lifting sessions, using heavier weight, if they want to get a flat stomach. Females tend to be afraid to lift heavy weight because they don’t want to grow big muscles. Well guess what…females don’t produce enough natural testosterone to build large bulky muscles like men. By lifting heavy, females will develop more toned muscle (not bulk). And the great thing about muscle…it burns fat. So guess what ladies, the more muscle you have, the less body fat you will have. It’s that simple.

What Form Of Cardio Should I Be Doing To Burn Fat?

Typically people waste way too much time doing slow/steady pace cardio. Since your goal is to lose fat, HIIT cardio, in combination with a full body resistance training program, is the quickest way to do this. If your goal is to quickly lose fat, stop thinking about your fat burning zones and the amount of calories burned DURING the workout. Think BIG PICTURE. The combination of a full body resistance training program and HIIT cardio creates the greatest metabolic response in your body (so you’ll actually be burning more fat after your workout as well). Remember “high intensity” is all relative to your specific heart rate levels. So if you’re a beginner, a high intensity interval may just be a brisk walk as long as it elevates your heart rate to the correct zones. Therefore, HIIT can be completed by people regardless of their fitness level.

Are Sit Ups Bad For You?

Everyone seems to have their own opinion on sit ups. Some say they aren’t good for the spine, others say they are the best exercise for overall abdominal development. To be honest, I’m on the fence. I don’t recommend doing 200 sit ups every day but I do incorporate them into my programs. Like other muscle groups, it’s important to train your abs with variety.

Should I Train My Abs Everyday?

Even if you’re not directly training your abs, a full body workout program containing compound exercises like squats and deadlifts require a lot of core stabilization. This means you’ll still be strengthening your abs whether you know it or not. Another thing about your abdominals is they’re made up of muscle fibers that can quickly repair themselves. So unlike other major muscle groups, like the chest and legs, your abdominal muscles don’t need 24-48 hours of recovery time.

So technically, yes you can train your abs everyday but just be aware, that by following a full body workout program, you’re already getting a good abs workout. In the beginning, focus more of your time and energy on completing a full body resistance training program with lots of intensity. Then, when you notice you’re really starting to lose belly fat, you can directly train your abs for 5-10 minutes (with no breaks) after each workout.

What Is The Most Important Factor In Getting Six Pack Abs?

Without a doubt, it has to do with your diet. I have the following quote printed on my kitchen wall, “Abs are made…in the kitchen.” I believe abs are 80% diet and 20% training. The most important thing about your diet is it has to be maintainable and something you can incorporate as a lifestyle…not just a short-term fad diet.

Here are a few more quick tips to lose belly fat and get six pack abs:

1. Focus your diet on consuming foods that are whole and in their natural state: You’d be amazed at how much better you’ll look and feel just by getting rid of the processed and packaged foods out of your system.

2. Eat More High Quality Protein: I could go on and on about this but here’s the quick rationale.

A) protein builds muscle, muscle increases your metabolism, and muscle incinerates fat.

B) protein has a much higher thermic effect than carbs and dietary fat, meaning your body uses up a lot of the protein’s calories (up to 30%) just to digest it.

C) protein keeps you satiated longer so you’ll end up eating less calories.

3. Focus On Consuming Carbs That Are High In Fiber: vegetables, fruits, and unrefined sprouted whole grains are all high in fiber. Two major causes of body fat are overconsumption refined sugar and unnatural trans fat (more on trans fats below). Foods like white bread, white rice, and white pasta are all considered processed and unnatural foods. Choose carbs that have more than 5 grams of fiber and less than 5 grams of sugar. An even more restrictive approach is to only consume carbs that have 3 grams of fiber per 10 grams of carbs. Consuming foods high in fiber will also slow the glycemic response of insulin (the fat storing hormone) within your blood stream.

4. Consume Healthy Fats: as hard as it is to believe, healthy fats are your friend and can help you fight fat! Healthy fats are key to maintaining hormone levels and can keep you satiated, thus reducing cravings. Sources of healthy fats include extra virgin olive oil, avocados, fish and fish oil, nuts, natural nut butters, and organic eggs and meat.

As mentioned above, stay away from all foods containing unnatural trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Ingredients to watch out for include, hydrogenated oil, margarine, shortening, high fructose corn syrup, and glucose-fructose. These ingredients are mainly used in processed, packaged and deep fried foods.

Brad Gouthro, a Certified Fitness Trainer and Certified Nutrition & Wellness Specialist, invites you to watch a FREE presentation that reveals 7 Secrets To Lose Belly Fat and Get Six Pack Abs. By watching the presentation, you’ll also have access to download the FREE popular reports, “9 Steps To: Healthy Eating” and “5 Abdominal Fat Burning Foods”.

http://www.awakentheabswithin.com

Calculate your basal metabolic rate and figure out how many calories your body burns daily just sitting on a couch. Then add in the calories you burn with exercise and daily activities. Calculate your weight loss goal, time frame, and amount of calories you need to cut out daily to reach your goal to lose your fat stomach.

Anti-Stress Tips to Lose your Fatty Stomach

When you encounter stress, including lack of sleep, your body will produce a hormone called cortisol. This will keep your appetite stimulated and also keeps glucose production high. The body converts excess glucose into fat, which is usually stored in the midsection for quick access by your body.

So, how do you neutralize the stress of daily life to lose your fat stomach?

Meditate for 10-20 minutes 1-2 times per day, once in the morning and once in the later part of the day. This will set the tone for your day and help curb the automatic stress response.

Exercise Tips to Lose your Big Tummy

Hold your belly muscles in to lose your fat stomach during the day whenever you can think of it. This will strengthen your abdominal girdle and create a flatter belly. You should also sit up straight and pull in your belly muscles when sitting. You might want to create physical reminders to do this such as a post-it note at your desk or a loose rubber band around your wrist.

I’ve struggled with my weight and have tried all sorts of methods to shed my extra pounds – from fancy ab contraptions to expensive diet pills. Finally, after years of mistakes and heartache, I realized that to lose your fat stomach effectively, I needed to take a holistic approach. This is it!

By: Claire P. Summers

Article Directory

A year ago, I stumbled across www.NiceFlatAbs.com. It gave me a total solution and a fully researched health regimen, which I used to lose 15 pounds in a month. It’s simply awesome! I’m now a much leaner, healthier and happier person (with a flatter belly too!). For in-depth expert guidance to lose your fat stomach, go look it up. All the best to you!

The holidays can be a hard time as far as health is concerned, with all of the good food to eat and the festive atmosphere. Eating a lot seems to be something that just goes along with the season — in many ways, it should. You should enjoy the good food and good fellowship. However, your 2011 new year is the perfect time to start getting back into shape!

The first step is to have a good weight loss plan that you can put into place immediately. Doing anything without a plan in generally, a bad idea that can lead to low productivity and efficiency, and the same is true of trying to work off a few pounds. You will want to establish what you need to do and how you are going to do it before you begin. This will make sure that you can measure your success and stick to it so that you get in better shape quickly.

The biggest part of any weight loss plan is just to concentrate on eating well. You do not need to cut out all of the carbs, all of the fat, or all of the meat; these lopsided diets may work for a time, but all of the body fat will come back if you do not stick to it forever. A better plan is just to replace the bad things in your diet with good ones. Instead of a piece of cake, eat a piece of fruit. Instead of bacon and eggs, have a bowl of oatmeal.

Another thing that is of great importance is exercise. This can mean running, biking, lifting weights, or just walking. Many people have jobs and lifestyles that confine them to chairs and couches. They get no exercise. You do not need to join the local football team, but you do need to get more exercise to compliment your diet.

Body wraps can be used to help you start on your new weight loss plan. These alone will not solve all of your problems, but they can really help when used along with diet and exercise. They give you a third option that will help to make it so that your whole lifestyle will have shifted for the better.

Overall, you really need to do a little bit of everything. With a balanced diet and exercise plan, you will be losing weight in no time.

If you want to slim down in 2011, then get yourself off to a super-charged start: Slimming Body Wraps

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Heffron
http://EzineArticles.com/?Your-2011-Weight-Loss-Plan!&id=5668654

By Mayo Clinic staff

Whether it’s because of heredity, hormonal changes or aging-related weight gain, many women notice an increase in belly fat as they grow older — and especially after menopause. Gaining fat in your abdomen is particularly unhealthy when compared with other locations in your body. Excess belly fat increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers. The good news is that a few lifestyle changes and some targeted abdominal exercises can help you battle your belly bulge.

When fat gathers in your abdomen

Belly fat (visceral fat) accumulates in your abdomen in the spaces between your organs. Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, is the fat you can feel if you pinch some skin and tissue around your middle. Too much belly fat puts you at greater risk of disease, such as heart disease, breast cancer and diabetes, than does excess subcutaneous fat.

As you age and your metabolism slows down, the amount of fat in your body slowly increases. Women experience an even greater fat percentage increase than men do. Then after menopause, your body fat distribution tends to shift — less in your arms, legs and hips, and more in your abdomen.

You may think belly fat is limited to the stuff out front that you can grab with your hand — but it’s the fat you can’t see that’s really a cause for concern. Visceral fat lies deeper inside the abdomen, surrounding the abdominal organs. Gaining this type of fat has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health problems. Subcutaneous fat, located between the skin and the abdominal wall, is more visible but also less likely to be a health risk.

While a slowing metabolism and decreased physical activity contribute to overall weight gain as you age, those factors don’t influence visceral fat accumulation directly. Heredity may be the culprit — you may simply have inherited a tendency to gain weight in your midsection. Hormones also play a role. Hormonal changes after menopause may change the way that your body breaks down and stores fat, leading to more fat accumulating in your belly.

Some women even experience a widening waist without gaining any weight. Although you may not be gaining extra fat, your abdominal fat is increasing as limb and hip fat decreases. Even in women of a normal weight, too much fat concentrated in the midsection is unhealthy.

The midsection matters

Gaining weight in your abdomen does more harm than simply making your waistband too tight. While putting on weight in general can have negative effects on your health, abdominal weight gain is particularly unhealthy. Too much belly fat increases your risk of:

• Heart disease
• Breast cancer
• Diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Gallbladder problems
• High blood pressure
• Colorectal cancer

Researchers also have found that abdominal fat cells aren’t just dormant energy waiting to be burned up. The cells are active, producing hormones and other substances that can affect your health. For example, some fat-cell-produced hormones can promote insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes; others can produce estrogen after menopause, which may increase your breast cancer risk. Researchers are still sorting out how the excess hormones affect overall health, but they do know that too much visceral fat can disrupt the body’s normal hormonal balance.

Measuring your middle

You know you’ve gained some inches around your torso, but how can you know whether it’s an unhealthy amount? You can calculate your body mass index (BMI) or waist-hip ratio, but researchers have found that simply measuring your waist can tell you whether you have an unhealthy amount of belly fat. In fact, BMI may not be an accurate measure of body fat percentage or fat distribution, particularly after menopause.

To measure your waist, run a tape measure around your midsection at about the level of your navel. Breathe normally, don’t hold your tummy in, and don’t pull the tape so tight that it presses your skin down. In a woman of healthy weight, a waist measurement of 35 inches or more indicates an unhealthy concentration of abdominal fat. Some research has shown that a measurement of 33 inches or more, no matter what your weight, increases your health risks.

Read more…

“I’m a 40 year old mom with 3 children, ages 11, 6 and 4. Before, I was 85 kg’s and 36.5% body fat, size 40.

I was fat, miserable, and my family life and relationship were suffering.

I wasn’t able to do anything with my kids, I was tired and constantly irritated.

My husband knew someone who did the Burn The Fat programm and it changed his life, so I decided to do it too.

I lost 15 kg in 8 months and kept it off.

In the next 3 months, because of my desire to be “hot at 40,” I took it to a new level.

Tom taught me how and I lost another 8 kg and competed in my first figure/bikini competition.”

- Bonnie VanNiekerk

***
“Tom, I purchased your plan last year, and as of today I have lost 40 lbs, I went from a size 18 to a size 10. My daughter got married this past weekend and I was amazed that I reached my goal of wearing a size 10 to her wedding. I am a nurse, my patients all ask me what my secret is and I tell them, “Burn The Fat.” I have even had a few patients ask me where “that other nurse” is, because I lost so much fat, they don’t even recognize me!

Linda Hyatt USA

“I am not a bodybuilder, but your techniques have helped me to transform my body. The program worked like a charm. From the very beginning I started to lose fat. After the first 3-month period, I have dropped my body fat percentage from 20% down to 13%. I have lost 13.3 pounds of fat and gained 3.3 pounds of muscle. Another measurement I could not believe was this: my waist went down from 97 cm to 85 cm! I wrongly assumed that at 46 years old, I was going to have a really hard time reaching this goal, if ever. Getting into your program was one of the best investments I made in my life. Many thanks Tom…

Roberto Paramo Bogota, Columbia

“Hey Tom, I just wanted to let you know that today I got my body fat tested using skinfolds, and I ended up hitting 4% bodyfat! Thank you for your guidance in your Burn The Fat manual, I feel like I owe you far more than I paid for the book.

Eric Spring Melville, NY

***
“Before: 296 lbs And 45% Body Fat. After Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: 174 Lbs And 6.7% Body Fat!”

“Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle” (BFFM) was exactly what I needed to break through and permanently burn off my unwanted fat.

I picked up the program during a weight loss plateau – exactly the point where I usually quit.

The mindset and goal creation exercises were exactly what I needed to get headed back in the right direction.

BFFM is a comprehensive text book of nutrition, training, and motivation all acting in synergy to produce results beyond what I ever dreamed possible.

READ MORE…