You might remember a while back an article by Tom Venuto on the front squats.
Today I’ve got a new take for you – from Mike Geary. I’ve been doing front squats for a while now, and I’ve gotta agree with Mike about how amazing front squats are as a full-body exercise. Here’s what he has to say:
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
The Front Squat is a surprising exercise not only for legs, but also rock hard abs!
As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Squats and deadlifts use hundreds of muscles throughout your entire body to move the load and also to stabilize your body while doing the drill.
Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.
In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution.
If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment.
Squats can be done with (more…)
New to WorldFitnessNetwork.com?
Download a copy of this 100% free e-book about how to change your body type within 90 days: 3 Months to a New You.
We all want nice abs.
But let me tell you, if your belly sticks out farther than your chest, then you are wasting your time with abs exercises.
As a guy, if you are 15% bodyfat or more, you aren’t going to see your abs even if you spend 1 hour a day on crunches, planks, leg raises, swiss-ball what’s-it-called, or blow-torch-ab-belly-scissor sprints. (Ok, I made that last one up, but you’ve probably seen some over-hyped exercises by some fitness model promising that you’ll have a beautiful stomach if you just do 8 minutes a day of this special exercise – it’s a lie!)
Seriously, and honestly, stand up next to a mirror. Without sucking in your gut, does your bellow stick out farther than your chest? No cheating now!
(Of course, this test only applies to guys. For women, well, I guess your belly shouldn’t be sticking out farther than your chest unless you are pregnant, but you can still read on…)
Does Your Stomach Stick Out More Than Your Pecs?
If not (meaning, your stomach is not too flabby now), then adding abdominal exercises could be worthwhile. Because you are likely lean enough that you can start to see your abs.
But if you’ve got a big belly, all that time doing abs work is a waste because your fat is covering it up!
And no, doing abs exercises (no matter which ones) isn’t going to help you lose fat.
For fat loss, you need a good diet, a good muscle-building program so you burn more fat even while resting, and a decent cardio program.
I’d like to think that continuing to read WorldFitnessNetwork.com will help you make consistent progress. But let’s face it – this is a free blog and people aren’t as motivated by things they get for free (unless you are part of the LeanLifters premier membership). You might benefit more, and faster, from something like Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.
I mentioned yesterday that he’s having a special deal that includes lots of additional free reports but that expires today – July 17 – so if you learn best from a 300+ page ebook by a true expert that I am humbled to be associated with, do it quickly. You can learn more here: http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/burn-the-fat-feed-the-muscle/
But this post isn’t about Tom.
This is about you.
And your time.
Just like I tell guys “Don’t Do Biceps Curls Until You Can Do 15 Consecutive Chin-Ups“, I’m saying to you now…
“Don’t Do Abs Exercises If Your Belly Sticks Out Farther Than Your Chest!”
Said differently, if you have belly fat, your time is better spent on learning how to eat right to lose fat, lifting weights to build muscle in the rest of your body (especially legs), and increasing the intensity of your cardio.
Ok, you probably understand that you can’t see your abs underneath fat.
But I bet you are clinging onto some hope that doing 100 (more…)
Continue reading about Belly Protrude Farther Than Chest? Don’t Do Abs Exercises!
Some of you may have already purchased Mike Geary’s outstanding book, The Truth About Six Pack Abs. Others of you might be on the fence. A few of you sent personal messages asking me for an “unbiased” review of his book. I think that’s a great idea, and I’ll occasionally offer reviews here of products, even those I don’t recommend. [If you have products you'd like to see me review, fill out a request at http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/contact/ .]
I’ve recently reread it, and while I do have a few small negatives (see below), I can say without hesitation that it is worth every penny. Read below for highlights and an objective critique.
This is so much more than an “abs book”. In fact, an argument could be made that I should NOT recommend you buy this book, because honestly, once you buy it, you may not have much need for visiting WorldFitnessNetwork much! He really does such an outstanding job covering everything you need to (more…)
Continue reading about The Truth About 6-Pack Abs – review and critique
A few days ago, I sent you the interview which discussed various training aspects to consider for stripping off stubborn belly fat and uncovering those six pack abs that everyone wants. Today, I have the rest of the interview with Abs-Expert Mike Geary dealing with the best nutrition secrets to apply if you want to have any chance of getting lean enough to see visible abs on yourself… ======================================================== CB: And finally Mike, 1 or 2 of your top secret nutrition tips for losing body fat to carve out those abs. Open your vault of info! MG: Well Craig, I think you’d agree that there has never been a more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every so called “expert” out there seems to disagree and contradict each other on (more…)
Last week Mike Geary had a post and we had a lot of interest, so I got Mike to give away his original e-book, Training & Nutrition Secrets For a Lean Body. Just for being a WFN subscriber, you can download it by clicking the link (the title itself in the previous sentence!) or the picture to the right: PLUS – if you’re interested in discovering some areas where you may be going wrong in your abs training and your attempts at losing stomach fat, I have an interview for you below that you’ll want to read. In it, Men’s Health Magazine writer Craig Ballantyne, grills Abs-Expert Mike Geary, author of the internationally popular book, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, on the topic of abs training and the biggest myths and mistakes he sees in this field. Here’s a copy of the first half of the interview below (of course, I got permission to republish it). In this part of the interview today, we’ll just deal with training aspects. In a couple days, I’ll send out the rest of the interview, which Craig and Mike covered the nutrition aspects we need to consider to lose stomach fat and get those hidden abs to show. Enjoy! =============================================== CB: Okay Mike, so where does the (more…)
Below is an article contributed by Mike Geary, the founder of TruthAboutAbs.com. I thought this was an important topic to share with you because the reality is that most people simply don’t realize how dangerous their excess abdominal fat really is to their health, nor do they know what they can do about it. Mike’s book is the #1 ab training book on ClickBank. He and Tom Venuto have a lock on the top positions there! I think Mike’s also got a free e-book that I’ll see if I can get him to let me share with you all… Stay tuned on that!
The Hidden Dangers of Your Excess Abdominal Fat – It’s More Serious Than a Vanity Issue!
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? The first thing that most people think of is that their extra abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and makes them self conscious about showing off their body. However, what most people don’t realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.
Two Types of Abdominal Fat
There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles. The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that “beer belly” appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels sort of hard if you push on it. Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Both of them greatly increase the risk your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases. Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that it apparently releases more inflammatory molecules into your body on a consistent basis. If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your abdominal fat should be one of your TOP priorities! There’s just no way around it. Besides, a side-effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive ugly abdominal fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you will be able to visibly see those sexy six pack abs that everyone wants.
So What Do I Do?
So what gets rid of extra abdominal fat? Is there actually a REAL solution beyond all of the gimmicks and hype that you see in ads and on commercials for “miracle” fat loss products? The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can’t spot reduce your stomach fat by using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn’t work that way. The ONLY solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for good is to combine a sound nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with a properly designed strategic exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well as your training program are important if you are to get this right. I’ve actually even seen a particular study that divided thousands of participants into a diet-only group and an exercise/diet group. While both groups in this study made good progress, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat than the diet & exercise combined group. (more…)
Image Credit: itsnickssister
WFN reader Richard asked the following question in the comments to a previous article:
Usually when I do situps/crunches, I would do like 3 sets and with each set I would do a different variation, like either crunches or legs in the air crunches etc etc. But which ab exercises do help burn that unwanted stomach fat?
This is a great question, because men tend to accumulate fat in the stomach area, whereas women get it more in the hips and thighs. Doing situps and crunches to work your abs seems like the logical choice to get rid of that gut.
Trying to take fat off of one part of your body only is called spot reduction of fat, and unfortunately, it doesn’t really work. You can decrease your overall body fat percentage, but there is no exercise that can help you take the fat just off your stomach.
But you know you want it
I understand the desire. The abdomen is the visual center of the body. Since the eye naturally draws first to the middle of the body, a big gut is like a bull’s-eye right on the center of you, while a tight stomach or six pack immediately shows an outstanding physique.
I get the feeling that if all of our fat cells were hanging out around our toes, we wouldn’t be too concerned… or maybe I’m just not realizing how nasty it would look…
But I know what the real question is: how do I really get that six pack?
Here’s the deal:
The rectus abdominus is a layer of muscle that is draped over your mid-section between the pelvis and the rib cage. Getting a six pack requires you to build up those muscles and strengthen them (I know you already know this part, but just in case). Your abs are worked especially in the stomach crunching movements and when they act as stabilizers for exercises like deadlifts.
The next step is to remove the fat that’s covering your six pack. Can you do this with ab-exercises? Well, kinda.
I won’t say that abdominal exercises don’t do anything to lower your body fat percentages. Each crunch you do does (more…)
All this time you thought those thousands of sit-ups were going to build you a six pack… only to have me tell you that you might have been wasting your time.
(And chances are, you have no business doing any abs work – unless your diet is great, you are doing compound weight training, and are already fairly lean.)
The truth is that sit-ups only work your abs indirectly. All that time that you spent doing those sit-ups was really a greater benefit to your hip flexors than for your abs. Were you not trying to build up tough hip flexors with your sit-ups? If not, I’m sorry to be the one to bring you the bad news. I’ll explain what all of this means.
How your abs work:
Muscles work through contraction. To put it simply, when a muscle contracts, it becomes shorter in length as the fibers pull together. So let’s think about what this means for your abdominals. What happens when your abdominals contract?
Again, when you abdominals contract, the muscles of your stomach area pull together and essentially become shorter, thereby moving the skeletal structure they are attached to. This contraction of the abdominals shortens your abdomen and pulls your rib cage and your shoulders toward your hips (see the picture up top).
Pulling your shoulders toward your hips is exactly the type of movement we see in the various types of stomach crunch exercises. A proper crunch will keep your lower back flat to the ground, and as your shoulders are pulled toward your hips, your spine will also inevitably bend and flex. This is what we call spinal flexion.
Crunches aren’t for sissies though. The range of motion for these is quite small, so they don’t look as impressive as a full sit-up, but a well-executed crunch will place intense stress on your abs and create a burn.
Focus on really pulling with the stomach muscles and squeezing them at the top of the movement for a moment. Like any other exercise, adding weight is important, but we’ll talk about ways to do that another day.
Why sit-ups don’t work (very well):
Here’s the bad news: all of that great spinal flexion and pulling with the abs doesn’t happen very much when you do sit-ups. Think about what’s happening when you do sit-ups. Your body is bending at the hips to pull your torso upward. This is called hip flexion, and it doesn’t use your abs nearly as much.
The beginning of the sit-up movement is the most effective part for your abs. The sit-up begins by pulling with the abs for about the first 30-45 degrees of the movement. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the rest of the movement is done by your hip flexors. The hip flexors are a little group of muscles that help connect your femur (leg bone) to your back bone/ pelvis (check out the picture on the left).
Once your abs have completed the first 30-45 degrees of movement in your sit-up, they then begin to act only as stabilizer muscles. They hold your upper body in that flexed position isometrically while your hip flexors do the dirty work to pull your body upward at the hips. So your abs are indirectly involved in the movement, and this explains why they can get a little sore when you do sit-ups, especially if you have weak abs.
Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself right now. Stand in a doorway and hold on with one hand for stability. Place your other hand on your abs to see how much they flex. Now, raise your leg straight up in front of you. You will feel tightness in the top of your thigh, but not your abs. Leg raises and sit-ups are essentially the same movement in reverse.
Loading ...