By
Jes Reynolds
Leg lifts, crunches, sit-ups, planks, and various exercise ball movements have each been touted as the perfect exercise for abs,
and certainly each of these movements does strengthen the abdominal
muscles. But have you ever wondered why, after hundreds of crunches, you
still don't have the results you're working for?
The truth is, it not only takes abdominal and core strengthening workouts to achieve a lean and tone stomach, but also the right combination of total body strength training, cardiovascular exercise and a good nutrition program.
While most people have a basic understanding of strength training and healthy nutrition habits, one of the major flaws in their fitness plan is the type of cardio they perform. If you're goal is to achieve leanness to the point where you can actually see your abdominals, it's important to incorporate the appropriate type of cardio into your routine.
Are you wondering how 4 minutes of exercise can burn more than 60 minutes and be considered an exercise for abs? At first glance it doesn't make any sense at all, but including high intensity interval training (HIIT) in your workout regimen will deliver the added benefit of burning calories after the workout is complete. This raises the overall calories you burn in a day while also limiting the effect on your appetite which in turn, causes you to burn more fat as fuel and become leaner.
Intense exercise boosts oxygen consumption (called excess post-exercise consumption, or EPOC for short) and calorie expenditure after exercise to a greater extent than moderate-intensity activity. One of my favorite types of cardio is guerrilla cardio, a high intensity, short duration cardiovascular workout based on a study done by Dr. Izumi Tabata, Ph.D..
Dr. Tabata, a researcher at the institute of Health & Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan, conducted a study comparing cardiovascular endurance training vs. high intensity cardiovascular training. Group 1 completed a full 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 5 days per week, group 2 also trained 5 days a week, but performed up to eight 20-second sprints of high-intensity cycling with a 10-second rest (pedaling at a slower rate) in between. They performed these sprints after a 4 minute warm-up and then completed a 4 minute cool-down.
Tabata concluded that HIIT Group 2 athletes got fitter faster than group 1 athletes who focused on endurance training despite the large difference in time spent working out (each day group 1 did 60 minutes & group 2 did 4 minutes). After this study was released, Muscle Media magazine published an article in October 2001 entitled: Guerrilla Cardio, which suggested a cardio program based on these findings.
Guerrilla Cardio
Minutes 1-4: Warm-up 50% perceived exertion
Minutes 5-8: Sprint- for 20 seconds; Rest- 10 seconds; Repeat
Minutes 9-12: Cool-down at 50% perceived exertion
This protocol does have some limitations when it comes to incorporating it into a fitness routine. The cardio session really only contains 4 minutes of actual challenging exercise and EPOC is tied to both exercise intensity (how hard you work) and exercise duration (how long you work for). If you are only exercising for 4 minutes, no matter how intense, there is a limit to the number of calories (and therefore fat) you can burn in that short period of time.
My advice is to add guerrilla cardio to your repertoire of training methods, especially if your goal is to reduce body fat percentage. As you perform this workout, challenge yourself to keep abs slightly tightened, maintain your posture, and a neutral spine even when working at 100% of your perceived exertion. Adding the challenge of maintaining your posture and refusing to hold onto the cardio machine side rails (if you're indoors) will be an awesome exercise for abs and postural muscles. Once you're finished, go straight into the crunches, leg lifts, ball sit-ups, and planks that you normally do.
Although it may sound like an easy four minutes, combining this method of cardio with total body strength training and proper nutrition is a definite challenge. If followed properly, a program like this will give you the benefits of leanness, improved cardiovascular conditioning, and a better set of abs.
Leg lifts, crunches, sit-ups, planks, and various exercise ball movements have each been touted as the perfect exercise for abs,
and certainly each of these movements does strengthen the abdominal
muscles. But have you ever wondered why, after hundreds of crunches, you
still don't have the results you're working for?The truth is, it not only takes abdominal and core strengthening workouts to achieve a lean and tone stomach, but also the right combination of total body strength training, cardiovascular exercise and a good nutrition program.
While most people have a basic understanding of strength training and healthy nutrition habits, one of the major flaws in their fitness plan is the type of cardio they perform. If you're goal is to achieve leanness to the point where you can actually see your abdominals, it's important to incorporate the appropriate type of cardio into your routine.
Are you wondering how 4 minutes of exercise can burn more than 60 minutes and be considered an exercise for abs? At first glance it doesn't make any sense at all, but including high intensity interval training (HIIT) in your workout regimen will deliver the added benefit of burning calories after the workout is complete. This raises the overall calories you burn in a day while also limiting the effect on your appetite which in turn, causes you to burn more fat as fuel and become leaner.
Intense exercise boosts oxygen consumption (called excess post-exercise consumption, or EPOC for short) and calorie expenditure after exercise to a greater extent than moderate-intensity activity. One of my favorite types of cardio is guerrilla cardio, a high intensity, short duration cardiovascular workout based on a study done by Dr. Izumi Tabata, Ph.D..
Dr. Tabata, a researcher at the institute of Health & Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan, conducted a study comparing cardiovascular endurance training vs. high intensity cardiovascular training. Group 1 completed a full 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 5 days per week, group 2 also trained 5 days a week, but performed up to eight 20-second sprints of high-intensity cycling with a 10-second rest (pedaling at a slower rate) in between. They performed these sprints after a 4 minute warm-up and then completed a 4 minute cool-down.
Tabata concluded that HIIT Group 2 athletes got fitter faster than group 1 athletes who focused on endurance training despite the large difference in time spent working out (each day group 1 did 60 minutes & group 2 did 4 minutes). After this study was released, Muscle Media magazine published an article in October 2001 entitled: Guerrilla Cardio, which suggested a cardio program based on these findings.
Guerrilla Cardio
Minutes 1-4: Warm-up 50% perceived exertion
Minutes 5-8: Sprint- for 20 seconds; Rest- 10 seconds; Repeat
Minutes 9-12: Cool-down at 50% perceived exertion
This protocol does have some limitations when it comes to incorporating it into a fitness routine. The cardio session really only contains 4 minutes of actual challenging exercise and EPOC is tied to both exercise intensity (how hard you work) and exercise duration (how long you work for). If you are only exercising for 4 minutes, no matter how intense, there is a limit to the number of calories (and therefore fat) you can burn in that short period of time.
My advice is to add guerrilla cardio to your repertoire of training methods, especially if your goal is to reduce body fat percentage. As you perform this workout, challenge yourself to keep abs slightly tightened, maintain your posture, and a neutral spine even when working at 100% of your perceived exertion. Adding the challenge of maintaining your posture and refusing to hold onto the cardio machine side rails (if you're indoors) will be an awesome exercise for abs and postural muscles. Once you're finished, go straight into the crunches, leg lifts, ball sit-ups, and planks that you normally do.
Although it may sound like an easy four minutes, combining this method of cardio with total body strength training and proper nutrition is a definite challenge. If followed properly, a program like this will give you the benefits of leanness, improved cardiovascular conditioning, and a better set of abs.
Jes Reynolds is a fitness professional who has been studying
health & fitness for over 12 years. In addition to actively
participating in health, fitness and athletics, Jessica received a B.S.
Kinesiology from Michigan State University. Her combined education and
experience working with all types of individuals, from the physically or
mentally handicapped to the elite athlete, allows her to understand
both the scientific and behavioral aspects of weight loss, fitness and
athletics.
Jes Reynolds is a leader in teaching proven strategies for reaching health, fitness, and athletic goals. If you want to learn more about exercise for abs [http://www.ExerciseForAbs.org], ab workouts or just general health and fitness, visit: [http://www.ExerciseForAbs.org]
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http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jes_ReynoldsJes Reynolds is a leader in teaching proven strategies for reaching health, fitness, and athletic goals. If you want to learn more about exercise for abs [http://www.ExerciseForAbs.org], ab workouts or just general health and fitness, visit: [http://www.ExerciseForAbs.org]
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