Nearly everyone wants to lose inches off their waist and there are many schools of thought on how to accomplish this. Many people believe that the best way to trim your waist is to do hundreds if not thousands of sit-ups or crunches, but in reality, this method will not do much good. In fact, you may end up actually thickening your waist as a result.
Another common misconception is that you can target specific areas on your body for weight loss. While it would be great if it were true, there are absolutely no proven techniques that will allow you to lose weight only from your waist. It simply is not genetically possible to target only one area on your body for fat loss.
A trim waist is best achieved by using the right kinds of exercises in the right amount. We'll get to the second way in just a minute, but let's focus first on the types of exercises you should be doing. We already mentioned that crunches can make your waist bigger, so let's look into that a little further.
If you are just doing crunches and you're not working on a fat loss plan, you are essentially building up muscles underneath a layer of fat. While it is true that some calories can be burned with these exercises, it is not enough to burn that fat away from your midsection.
So, you are essentially building up those muscles under that fat, which will increase the volume of your waist, not decrease it. In addition, chances are you may not be doing your crunches effectively. They are only effective when you are using your abdominal muscles, not your back muscles to pull yourself upward. The abs are only in use from the time you lift your shoulders off the ground until you get a few inches up in the air. After that, your pelvic muscles take over and you're not getting much benefit.
The best exercises that you can use to isolate your waist are the ones that require cross over your body. This twisting motion will reduce the size of your waist much more effectively than crunches. Whether you're standing or on the floor, cross body movements are the most effective means of whittling your waist.
In truth however, the absolute best way to make your waist smaller is to burn the fat that is deposited there. Once you do that, you'll be able to see the actual results in your muscles and you'll be able to peel off inches from your body. In order to burn up that fat, you're going to need to reduce your calorie intake and increase your aerobic workouts.
Pumping iron without an aeorobic component doesn't do any good here. True you are using energy to lift the weights, but you need to ramp up that heart rate and get your body working to burn that fat. If aerobics aren't your thing, find exercises that do get your heart rate up and stick with them. Even spinning can help you burn abdominal fat if you do it long enough.
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Originally posted 2008-06-02 05:07:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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6 comments ↓
(kinda giggling at the above comment
it’s nice but a little NOW BACK TO *ME* FOLKS )
thank you for saying this
I do think Im a bit too old school but I really only do ab exercises when my low back needs it—-as far as aesthetics? the six pack is built mainly in the kitchen with the kardio following closely behind…
I think that comment was spam and I removed it… No offense meant… BJ, if you are a real person you are welcome to leave constructive comments anytime you want…
I’d love to do those cross-over twisting ab exercises – if only I could reduce my waist enough to be able to do them!
“The six pack is built in the kitchen”? That would make a great tagline Mizfit. If you coin phrase that and put it on a t-shirt, I will definitely wear one:-) All of the experts, including weightladder, say that one of the keys to a great looking midsection is the diet that one has. Diet along with cardio and exercise. Why that concept hasn’t been internalized by the masses is beyond me.
I agree, unless a man is down to atleast 12-14 percent body fat, there is no point delivering yourself pain through endless crunches to achieve a sick pack, as it just won’t show through the blubber.
Kitchen cardio followed by a 2 week hard line abdominal routine before a holiday will work best for those results on the beach.
We must reduce body fat before even thinking about crunches. Rowing does high CV and core strength simultaneously. throw this on the menu.
Good posting guys
Rusty Rambo
Anyone know of a good tuna based dinner, i’m sick of chicken
I’m a ACE certified personal trainer with over 17 years of experience in the fitness field and I absolutely agree with what you said. This is what I “preach” to my clients everyday, thanks for your article.
This is great.
Darvis Simms
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