If you can't see your abs, it's not a sign you need to do more crunches. You need to get rid of the fat layer over your abs. Simple as that. You can't spot reduce and you'll get plenty of ab work doing compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, push-ups and overhead presses. Check out this research study that showed this: http://www.ergo-log.com/sixpackcrunches.html.
Doing ab work is important but don't put your focus on it to give you that flat stomach as you're wasting your time.
Check out some tips below to help get that layer of fat off ;)
1. Are you looking a bit too happy when you are working out?
If you're not grimacing, grunting, or experiencing some sort of discomfort, you're not training hard enough. One good set where you have to fight for the reps is better than a week of half-effort sets.
2. Are you afraid of "bulky muscles" and therefore stick to the lighter weights?
Women, you need to put down those light pink dumbbells (operative word is "light" as there are some heavy pink weights, i.e. pink kettlebells which we'll be seeing in the gym soon :). Some women (none of those that read this blog of course ;) believe that the modest amount of strain will cause them to wake up looking like a bodybuilder in the morning. Nonsense. It's impossible for that to happen unless you're secretly injecting steroids between workouts (and I know you aren't...right?). You don't have enough natural testosterone in your blood stream to elicit such a large muscle building response. A female has 10 times less testosterone in their bloodstream at any one time than a male so there's no worries ladies. Use those heavy weight...trust me as you'll be happy you did.
Michelle doing some high box jumps...good work Mich! (sorry for the side tilt of the camera everyone)
Michelle performing a heavy deadlift
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Doing ab work is important but don't put your focus on it to give you that flat stomach as you're wasting your time.
Check out some tips below to help get that layer of fat off ;)
1. Are you looking a bit too happy when you are working out?
If you're not grimacing, grunting, or experiencing some sort of discomfort, you're not training hard enough. One good set where you have to fight for the reps is better than a week of half-effort sets.
 |
| Do you struggling in your workout and feel like this afterwards? |
 |
| ...or is your workout more like this? |
An intense workout...if I'd say so myself
2. Are you afraid of "bulky muscles" and therefore stick to the lighter weights?
Women, you need to put down those light pink dumbbells (operative word is "light" as there are some heavy pink weights, i.e. pink kettlebells which we'll be seeing in the gym soon :). Some women (none of those that read this blog of course ;) believe that the modest amount of strain will cause them to wake up looking like a bodybuilder in the morning. Nonsense. It's impossible for that to happen unless you're secretly injecting steroids between workouts (and I know you aren't...right?). You don't have enough natural testosterone in your blood stream to elicit such a large muscle building response. A female has 10 times less testosterone in their bloodstream at any one time than a male so there's no worries ladies. Use those heavy weight...trust me as you'll be happy you did.
 |
| No pink dumbbells here |
 |
| ...or here |
Michelle doing some high box jumps...good work Mich! (sorry for the side tilt of the camera everyone)
Michelle performing a heavy deadlift
3. Supplements for fat loss
Note: I have not personally used all the supplements listed below so I cannot speak from personal experience and therefore encourage you to speak with your physician first better using any stimulant.
Also for those that are fasting, fasting potentiates the effect of stimulants. Any stimulant ingested during the fasted phase will have a greater effect compared to it's ingestion during the fed state. Some caution should therefore be exercised for those not familiar with the use of stimulants.
Caffeine
If you're not a regular coffee drinker (I'm not a regular drinker), you're missing out by not adding caffeine to your diet when the going gets tough, i.e. trying to lose fat. It's cheap, suppressses appetite and has thermogenic properties.
Clenbutrx
The taste is supposedly not good however on the plus side, it has a quite potent stimulatory effect and works very well as an appetite suppressant.
VPX Meltdown
If you can't stand the horrid taste of Clenbutrx, VPX Meltdown is a great alternative. This one actually has legit scientific backing, which is a true rarity when it comes to fat loss products. You can read both (free full text) studies on Meltdown here and here. Note the effect on resting energy expenditure. Not bad.
Yohimbine HCL
This herb may be particularily useful for those trying to get rid of stubborn body fat - such as the fat covering lower abs and back in lean men and thighs and hips in lean women. Hokey as that may sound, there is a valid explanation for how this occurs. Lyle McDonald explains this in great detail in The Stubborn Body Fat Solution. In short, yohimbine inhibits alpha-2-receptors (and lower abs/back has a high density of a2-receptors) which aids with blood flow and fat mobilization from stubborn fat areas.
Yohimbine is another fat loss product that has been proven effective in clinical trials and this is perhaps the most widely cited study on the effects of yohimbine on bodycomposition.
AlphaBurn
Pure yohimbine may lead to feelings of anxiety and even panic attacks in predisposed individuals. A better alternative can be found in Alpha Burn, and other supplements containing rauwolscine, which is a stereoisomer of yohimbine. While it won't make you as jumpy and jittery as yohimbine, it seems to have a pretty potent appetite suppressive effect.
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is a precursor ("building block") to the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine. For this reason, it has been studied in the context of performance enhancement among other things. Although studies show mixed results, empirical evidence suggests that tyrosine has it's use as a pre-workout stimulant when combined with other substances such as caffeine. It seems to enhance the effect of other stimulatory substances. Tyrosine has also shown promise in alleviating the decrements in cognitive performance associated with stress and fatigue. For this reason, it might be useful for keeping your mind sharp during intense stints of dieting.
Tyron
PS. If you live in North or West Vancouver, BC and want to experience the boot camp in North Vancouver that GUARANTEES you'll lose at least a clothing size in 30 days or your money back AND will help you get fast results like this girl in the video below who lost 20 pounds, 6.5 inches off her waist and 4 inches off her hips, then click the link below:
===>Here's the video:
Thanks to Mark Berkhan of LeanGains.com for his insight and input. Mark works as a nutritional consultant, magazine writer and personal trainer. LeanGains.com is dedicated to his approach to intermittent fasting, which shatters peoples preconceived notions on how to eat for muscle gain and fat loss.
