THOUSANDS OF CRUNCHES

By Frank Wall. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

I used to think that doing hundreds or thousands of crunches a day could guarantee me a ripped six pack. This was just another misconception to add to the list. In actuality, everyone has a six pack. Some people have a layer of fat covering up their abdominals. As a matter of fact, it is not necessary to do a single crunch to get your six pack to come out! You can simply do cardio. Even body builders will tell you they do cardio. Ab exercises sculpt your midsection. The cardio shows them off. You do not lose fat in one area but you burn it from all over. You can add thickness and deeper definition to your abs by working them out 2-3 days a week.

People will tell me all the time, “I do 400 crunches every night.” “ I do abs intensely everyday of the week”. Working out your abs is just like working out any other part of your body. If you over do it, you will not get any results. It’s just impractical. The only thing thousands of crunches day or night will do is build endurance for your stomach to perform a lot of reps. I only hit them hard once a week. It is usually during or at the end of my workouts throughout the week. I will touch on a few additional abdominal exercises. But if you are doing a specialty ab detail phase, then do them 3 times a week.

It takes time, motivation and a proper mind set to achieve the look and body of your dreams. In the past, I did not eat properly as a kid and had no results from any physical activity, even though I played soccer. At the age of 16, I weighed 225 pounds. I was able to slim down to 173 pounds in less than 2 ½ months. I spent my time running and taking fat burners, with no nutritional diet and had an excess of skin because my body did not adapt to the weight change properly. It took me almost 2 years but I finally transformed my mindset. On July 9, 2008, I weighed myself at 188 lbs. I was the leanest I had ever been and my muscle was getting leaner day by day. I remember having a huge gut and not being able to see anything down below. How embarrassing! My body has been adapting to the levels of intensity I put it through on a daily basis.

The bottom line is that your abdominals are your core strength. They are the center of power for doing your exercises. While doing a push up, you brace your abs for stability as you are rounding out your back. As you squat, you contract your abs for balance. As you row, stimulate your abs by pulling through the movement. Ab exercises are not meant for you to feel comfortable. You should feel a burn but not enough for medical attention. If you are sore the next day or the day after, then it is a job well done in my book!


FRANK WALL – FITNESS COACH / LIFESTYLE MOTIVATOR
FrankWallFitness@gmail.com
FRANKWALLFITNESS 2010