The Health and Fitness Channel

Mar, 2002 Issue

Your Truth In Fitness Source

ALL ABOUT ABS

Six-pack, washboard, ripped, and flat abs.

Everyone wants them, but not many know how to truly get them.

What is the real secrets of getting tight, firm, defined abs?

Like changing your body, there is no one "magic bullet" that will suddenly and magically transform a big gut to set of six-packs.

However, that doesn't stop America from spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the latest fat loss pills, ab exercisers, and now even electronic muscle stimulation devices that work your abs for you while you sit back and watch tv.

Do any of these things really work?

Yes and no, mostly no.

The Truth About Ab Gadgets

You've no doubt seen them on television and may even own a set of them yourself. The latest incarnation are the electrical muscle stimulation devices. Most of the time pure hype is what sells these products. It's only after using these devices do the realities of their ineffectiveness and sometimes even danger become apparent. Here are some unsolicited testimonials from users of some of the popular electrical muscle stimulation devices:

Kevin of North Carolina, USA writes:

I have purchased both the Fast Abs and the Ab Energizer. I must say that today I used the Fast Abs for the first time and it has a MUCH stronger contraction than the Ab Energizer. Also the programs are more detailed from pulse to random pulse/massage. Also the Fast Abs comes with a smaller belt that allows easier use on arms and legs. The Ab Energizer is too bulky and has a tendency to cause burns if constant contact is not kept with the skin. This can be very painful.

Ruwan of Maryland, USA writes:

I purchased the Fast Abs after seeing the ad on TV. I tried it out for a week and found it to be ineffective. Also it "burned" my skin even having the gel applied. I don't recommend it to anyone as it is a waste of money.

Holly of California, USA writes:

I used this product the first few days I received it in the mail. I was left with small burns on my entire abdominal region. I wasn't able to see any of the promised results. I am going to give my skin a chance to heal and may try it again to see if it will work. I can't believe I am the only person who has burned themselves. I have four small circular burns...I think Fast Abs should have notified consumers of this possibility.

Kevin of Maryland, USA writes:

This thing is truly a piece of junk. I bought mine at the mall for $40, and took it home. The very same day I used it, the battery died. Day 2, I was already using the second battery! RIP OFF! Also, the main reason I got it was for my back. I workout all the time, and really don't mind doing sit-ups, however, due to a previous injury I have severe back pain when I do sit-ups. When I attach the product to my back, I don't feel a thing! Please, do not waste your money on fast abs. It's truly is a cheep piece of crap!

These testimonials were garnered from this website (in case you want to see some more testimonials of this device) - testimonials

Electrical stimulation devices have been used for years by the medical community for bedridden patients that couldn't get out of bed to exercise. Used in this fashion they worked at preventing muscle tissue breakdown and even in some cases, promoted small amounts of muscle growth. But the medical electrical muscle stimulation devices in use today are a far cry from the ones typically available on the consumer market. They have a much stronger electrical pulse (which if properly applied by a medical professional doesn't cause burns as many people report with the consumer brands) and cost a heck of a lot more.

However, in the end they are a poor substitute for hard work in the gym and proper dieting.

The Real Problem

Lies in the fact that so many are lazy and looking for an easy way out.

Please believe me when I tell you there is NO easy way to get a great set of abs. It takes work and sacrifice to build a truly impressive set of abs.

Three Keys To Great Abs

Diet, Exercise (done the right way), and Time..that's it. These 3 in conjunction will cause the metabolic shift in your body that will strip fat away from your abs and cause the underlying ab muscles to get bigger (this is a good thing - trust me - more in a second).

First -- Diet...

Unfortunately this is one of the things most people don't want to hear when they ask how to get a nice set of abs. Why? Because it's hard to diet for the length of time usually required to allow the layer of fat over the abs to be reduced. But unfortunately, dieting is the number one thing you must concentrate on in order to "get those abs."

I won't go into a detailed discussion of the diet I feel is most effective at doing that as it would take too long. However, if you want to know what diet is effective at stripping the fat from your body you can get my Ultimate Results program available at THE HEALTH AND FITNESS CHANNEL.

I will give you one quick tip -- concentrate on reducing your meal portion sizes. The biggest roadblock to reducing fat is, of course, excess calories. Most people know that. However, one easy way to help you avoid going overboard on your daily calories is to concentrate on reducing your portion sizes in every meal you eat.

After reducing your portion sizes correctly you should actually feel like you should be eating more at every meal. If you just wait 1/2 hour or so after eating this feeling will go away. And the end result will be less fat on your body. So concentrate on reducing portion sizes.

Exercise

This is the other problem most people have when trying to get their abs to "show". Somehow, the idea that doing hundreds and hundreds of repetitions of their favorite abdominal exercises will reveal hidden "six-packs" has been promoted and practiced by virtually everyone trying to "get some abs."

This error in ab exercising has caused much frustration when little to no results are obtained even after furiously exercising this way for months on end.

Let me ask you this? Are the abdominal muscles a muscle group just like other muscle groups on your body? Aren't they composed of the same types of muscle as your arms, or legs, or shoulders, or chest?

If you wanted to build up those areas of your body with lean muscle would you do hundreds of repetitions for your arms, or shoulders, or legs, or chest? Of course not, you know better, right?

Then why do so many people suddenly think their abs are a completely different muscle and perform such high repetitions for them?

Because of the mistaken belief that high repetitions will somehow "BURN" the fat away from their abdomens. This is one of the biggest fallacies still in existence today. High repetitions will NOT, and I repeat, not burn any fat away from your stomach.

Think about this scenario for a moment and you'll see how ridiculous it sounds. Picture an overweight man with a large belly. This person is not only fat in the belly but everywhere else on his body too, right? Now think how ridiculous this man would look if all he did were hundreds and hundreds of ab exercises and SOMEHOW, this caused him to eventually sprout a ripped set of six-pack abs. Yet, the rest of his body was still fat -- his face, his chest, his arms, his legs -- all still fat except for his ripped abs.

Is this possible? Of course not. The only way for this man (and everyone for that matter) to allow his abs to show is to reduce OVERALL fat throughout his body. And the way to do that is, as I've already talked about, by dieting.

Going back to exercising the abs and the right way to do it, remember how I said you want your underlying ab muscle to actually get bigger?

You probably thought I was crazy when I made that statement earlier in this newsletter but I assure you that is EXACTLY what you want.

Here's why - Let's use the scenario of a man or woman losing fat throughout their body. As they lose fat their underlying ab muscles start to show through the fat still left on their stomach. Now, if your ab muscles were "bigger" to start with then they would start showing sooner than if you were sporting a smaller set.

Your ab muscles are composed of rows of distinct sets of muscles. When all fat is completely stripped away you get the familiar rows of "blocks" or proverbial "six-pack" set of abs. Now, here comes the important part -- if your ab muscles are less than developed you will have to achieve a lower bodyfat level in order for them to "show" through your skin (and remaining fat). On the other hand, if you have well-developed ab muscles you can actually "see" your abs at a much higher bodyfat percentage.

So the trick to creating the illusion of a ripped set of abs is to BUILD the underlying abdomen musculature. AND, the only way to do this is to work them just like you would work any other muscle group you were trying to build.

This means lower reps and heavier weight -- exactly the opposite way most people are exercising for a flat stomach. This is what you should be concentrating on in conjunction with your dieting efforts. This is what will eventually give you an impressive set of abs you can be proud of.

The Kind of Ab Exercise You Should Be Doing

What I have found is 99% of the people trying to target and exercise their abs are actually stressing and exercising their hip flexors instead. The range of motion for the ab muscles is 30-45 degress. Anything more and you're exercising primarily your hip flexors. And trust me, you don't want to overstress your hip flexors as this can cause a wide range of back problems.

If you have been doing this in the past you may have chronically tight "psoas" muscles. A great stretch for this is found in my Ultimate Results "Exercise Companion" video (available when purchasing my Ultimate Results Program)

Although difficult to describe in words, the main thing is to feel a stretch in the muscles of the front part of your hip. And the way to do this is to get into a lunge position and drive your hips forward while feeling the stretch in your hips.

The best ab isolation exercise is one I've devised and performed on a decline bench. Again, verbally describing it is difficult. The best way to learn it is to get my "Exercise Companion" video where it is described and demonstrated there for you.

This ab exercise has you performing what initally looks like a decline bench crunch but with a twist. The change I use totally isolates the ab muscles and takes away the involvement of the hip flexors. Here's how you do it:

First, start in a fully contracted sit-up position on the decline bench. Next, slowly lower yourself. On the way down think of arching your back so that when you get close to the decline bench pad with your back, only your upper back should be close to touching it. But don't touch it! Stop just short of your upper back touching the bench. Your middle back should have a big arch in it. If you were able to see yourself in this position, and if you were doing it right, your back would be arched as much as possible, your butt would be on the bench, and your upper back almost touching the bench.

Next, you would contract your abs such that the only thing that happens is you no longer have an arch in your back and are now in a slightly "crunched" position. Your upper body will have traveled approximately 30-45 degrees while the angle between your upper legs and hip will have remained the same. You are also nowhere near a full sit-up position. Doing it this way will also allow constant "tension" to be put on your ab muscles. Also, if done correctly you will be able to perform less than 5 repetitions the very first time you try it.

If you can do rep after rep after rep don't congratulate yourself thinking you have strong ab muscles. On the contrary -- you're doing something wrong (most likely you're doing regular crunches using your hip flexors to assist you). Even after having done this exercise for quite some time now I still struggle to complete 15 full repetitions. The best way to learn this exercise is to see someone doing it. Again, a full demonstration of how to do this is available in my Exercise Companion video.

Time

Finally, time and a little patience (as long as you are doing the right things) will allow you to gradually strip the fat away and build up the underlying muscles to reveal YOUR perfect set of abs.

Follow this three-pronged approach and see if you too can achieve impressive abs.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS (EFA's)

EFA's is a group of fats categorized as "essential" because the body cannot make them from other fats you ingest. Also, specific substances found in EFA's are required by every cell in your body in order to function normally.

The two main groups of EFA's are the Omega 3 (alpha linolenic acid) and Omega 6 (linoleic acid) fatty acids.

If you get both of them in the right ratios your body will make important hormones called eicosanoids, or prostaglandins. These regulate everything that goes on in all the tissues of your body on a moment to moment basis. And, they can only be produced from EFA's. Reduce or eliminate your EFA intake and your body's regulatory process becomes less than optimal or even non-functional.

This can lead to a host of symptoms that can literally lead to your body deteriorating. In fact, you absolutely cannot live without EFA's they are that important. And the only way you can get get EFA's into your body is by getting it through your food intake.

Now that you understand how important EFA's are here are some of the positive benefits of EFA ingestion:

Lowers blood pressure
Makes blood platelets less sticky
Reduces the fat directly underneath the skin (subcutaneous fat)
Testosterone is increased the higher your fat intake (up to about 35% of daily calories or so)
Reduces appetite Improves skin conditions
Increases metabolic rate (you burn more calories)
Reduces degenerative diseases
Anti-diabetic
Anti-cholesterol
Antioxidant
Anti-inflammatory

Here are the best sources of the Omega 3's and Omega 6's:
Omega 3's:
Flax
Fish (mackerel, salmon, tuna, trout, sardines)
Green Vegetables (though you have to eat a lot of them)

Omega 6's:
Sunflower oil
Sesame oil
Walnuts

Best Omega 3/Omega 6 combo:

Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend (available at almost every health food store in the nation)
Fish oil capsules

Final Recommendations:

Harry "Hank" Johnson Jr, President
The Health and Fitness Channel, Inc.

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