Do you think that to lose fat, you have to do a lot of abs? If you want to slim your belly and refine your size, this is not the ideal solution.
Despite what we see on social media or on television, it is not possible to lose belly fat simply by doing abs. You need to tone your whole body and exercise with cardiovascular exercises.
The more you gain in muscle mass, the more you stimulate your metabolism, and therefore the more calories you consume! So, what are the benefits of abs for weight loss? What to combine them with to optimize your fat loss ? Can you target your weight loss?
We answer all these questions in this article, and we reveal the best fitness accessory to lose fat !
What are the benefits of abs for fat loss?
Doing core exercises is always important, such as abdominal movements. Crunches and sit-ups primarily strengthen the largest abdominal muscle (the rectus) which flexes and supports your spine.
This muscle compresses the abdomen to a point, but you have to be careful with other muscles as well. The internal and external obliques are located on the sides of the rectus abdominis. You must also work on these muscles to refine your waist, thanks to Russian twists for example. A related article: Ab wheel best abs accessory? Our opinion
On the other hand, do not use jerky movements if you have back problems. The abdominal muscles transverse are also located on the sides, but below the obliques.
Often referred to as the lower abs, these are the muscles women trying to lose belly fat after pregnancy should focus on. So if you don't overdo it, abs are effective for losing fat andtoning your bodyin general. These are important stabilizing muscles.
Can you target fat loss by doing sit-ups?
Making crunches by the hundred will not help you lose belly fat in particular. If your objective is to lose weight, it would even be counterproductive. The more you work your muscles, the bigger they get.
You will therefore have a more muscular stomach, but also a larger one. We advise you to work all major muscle groups: thighs, glutes, back, chest, triceps and biceps, calves, hips and shoulders. Muscle uses more calories than fat to maintain itself, and therefore more of your caloric intake will be eliminated.
A good cardiovascular system is also more efficient at burning calories, so you have the winning combo! But in any case, you can not eliminate fat in one place: it acts as a single organ, which must be touched in multiple locations for it to finally come off.We invite you to consult: Training Mask: Effective accessory to progress quickly?
What to do besides abs to lose fat?
Perform regular physical exercise
If you want to lose fat fast, you have to combine the abs with several forms of exercise to build muscle while burning calories You can alternate between:
- Brisk walking: walking works all the abdominal muscles. Make sure to swing your arms and contract your abdomen as you walk, and maintain a brisk pace.
Once you get your body used to daily walking, you'll hate going a day without it. Walk for at least thirty minutes each time to boost your cardiovascular system and be sure to drink plenty of water.
- Strength Training: Strength training not only speeds up your metabolism, but it also strengthens your bones. Gaining muscle mass also does wonders for your energy levels and self-esteem as you age.
- Yoga: Yoga is not only useful for gaining flexibility. It is also effective in strengthening your body, especially your abs and back. It dramatically improves your posture to make you look taller and slimmer. An article on this subject: Yoga and bodybuilding: a good combination for progress?
Pilates is also an excellent, more dynamic alternative. The important thing is that you find an activity that you enjoy doing. This will greatly improve your chances of sticking with it and being consistent!
Maintaining Flawless Motivation
Before even doing abs and to lose fat, you must first program yourself mentally. Don't rely on the number on your scale, because it's skewed: if you train with weights, you can put on a few pounds while losing inches off your waistline.
Indeed, muscle takes up less space than fat, even if it weighs just as much. Even if you don't technically lose weight, you'll fit into your jeans, you'll see! We also advise you to read: Skipping rope to lose weight: Your slimming ally
This will give you confidence. Stay motivated, and maintain your daily efforts: take the stairs, correct your posture as soon as you don't sit up straight, take breaks to walk as soon as you have the opportunity, etc. These small efforts combined can yield big results!
Follow a healthy and varied diet
We can't say it enough: exercise is useless if you don't extend your efforts to your plates.
To lose fat, abs are not enough: you must also respect a slight caloric deficit to destock fatand replace it with fat muscular. Here are some dietary changesthat you can easily implement on a daily basis:
- Avoid sugary drinks and sugar in general: Sugar affects your metabolic health. It creates an accumulation of fat around your liver and stomach.
Sweetened beverages are high in calories, and they're empty calories that don't give you any nutrients. So always favor whole fruits to get your optimal daily dose of sugar.
- Eat protein: the essential amino acids contained in proteins are crucial for building muscle. In addition, they help eliminate abdominal fat effectively, to regain a slimmer waist. If you want to know more: Top 10 best protein sources for building muscle
- Slow down on the carbs: Don't demonize carbs, as they're essential for fueling your body.
However, most athletes tend to eat portions that are too large for their daily needs. You must therefore be careful not to consume too many calories at each meal!
- Betting on fibre: it stimulates your digestive process and allows better absorption of different nutrients. In addition, fiber is usually present in healthy and nutritious foods, such as vegetables.
- Calculate and track your calorie intake: How do you maintain a calorie deficit if you don't know how many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight?
You must calculate your metabolic requirement (the vital minimum), to which you apply your activity level. You can find number of calculators or methods explained online.
Is it possible to lose fat while strengthening your abs?
There is a high-performance weight and cardio machine that allows you to burn a lot of calories while strengthening your abdominal area. This is the Fitness and Bodybuilding™ wave rope from Fitness Super-Humain™. Have you ever tried an exercise with this fitness tool? It's very intense!
The undulatory rope is accessible to all levels, beginners as well as advanced. With an adjustable length of 12 to 15 meters, this 3.8 cm thick battle rope is strong and durable. It has been designed in reinforced material for high intensity training.
There are many exercises you can do to build your abs, as well as lose fat: circular waves, core waves, whip sauteed, etc. Simply grab the ends of these weighted codes and move them side to side or up and down to engage every muscle in your body!
In summary: abs to lose fat
So you will understand: doing abs is not enough to lose abdominal fat. Despite popular belief, targeting fat loss is a myth. To lose weight, you need to maintain a calorie deficit while building muscle.
This way, you will only lose the fat that has been stored for all this time in your body! You will then have the thin and toned appearance you dream of.
We therefore advise you to perform a few abdominal movements a week, but also to walk, do weight training and yoga. All of these forms of exercise, combined with an adapted diet, will allow you to achieve your slimming goals.
To intensify your workouts, we recommend using the Fitness and Strength Training Wave Rope™ from Super-Human Fitness™, for fast fat loss and t1>effectively working your abs bonus!
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