Four Tips For A Crunch Free Ab Workout Routine

Four Tips For A Crunch Free Ab Workout Routine

If you talk to an aspiring male body builder he'd probably tell you that he wants to have bulging biceps that he can show off at the beach. If you talk to an aspiring female model, she'd probably tell you that she wants slim, trim legs that look great in photos. But if you talked to the "average Joe", he'd probably tell you that he wants washboard abs. If great abs are what you want, here are four tips to send you in the right direction.

Choose Fat Burning Exercise Over "Traditional" Ab Exercises

The key to to having washboard abs is not ab exercises, it's getting the layer of fat off of your torso so your ab muscles will show. Besides, traditional crunches and sit ups are actually damaging to the neck and spine and really should be avoided. 

Actually, any exercise that brings your arms or legs closer to your waist or twists your torso contributes to ab development. You need to focus on exercises that burn fat such as a combination of interval training and circuit training to burn fat and build muscle. This type of workout routine will sculpt your abs and give you a lean, strong physique.

Keep Stress Levels Low

You are probably asking, what in the world does stress have to do with my abs? Plenty. In our fast paced, high stress society, stress is your enemy. During stressful situations, your adrenal gland produces cortisol, a hormone that has the goal of making you relax. Cortisol has the function of slowing your metabolic rate by adjusting your blood sugar and slowing your thyroid. The result is increased belly fat, fatigue, and decreased muscle mass, all which are counterproductive in your goal of washboard abs.

Control Your Snacking

An extremely important tip to getting to your goal is controlling your diet in general, but specifically, you need to control late night snacking. The best thing you can do is eat dinner early and go to bed early. In the evening, your body is not active enough to burn off the calories that you consume. So eat 2-3 hours before you go to bed. This way you won't have excess calories that will end up around your mid-section. A good night's sleep will also provide you the energy you need to workout hard and burn more fat.

Don't Drink Your Calories

News flash; drinking liquids is for hydration, not nourishment. Fruit juices are loaded with fructose. You are better off eating the fruit so you'll have the fiber. And though its obvious that sodas are loaded with sugar, its not so obvious that diet sodas are loaded with sodium. 

Not only will the sodium drive up your blood pressure, the sodium will cause you to retain water which will detract from the definition of that elusive six-pack. Additionally, the artificial sweeteners that are in diet soda will make you hungry! Last but not least, you must avoid alcohol. Why? They are high in carbohydrates. Remember, it's sugar that is converted to ethanol in the fermentation process.

Conclusion

These four tips are an easy solution for the busy person to get the toned, sexy abs that they desire. Remember, the key is not concentrated traditional ab exercises.

 It is a healthy diet and exercise that burns off as much fat as possible. Effective circuit and interval training will provide you with the muscle tone that you need for a fantastic abdomen.