The whole beach body glamour definitely leaves those of us with a ‘one big round pack’ feeling — Is there ever going to be a time when I can proudly show off my six-pack? Well, let’s look at the whole six-pack subject in detail so our fitness drive can have the much-needed definition we sought after.
Firstly, we look at the anatomical angle. The popular gym lingo ‘abs’ is a muscle stretch from the lower chest region spanning across to the pubic region and the anterior hip bones. That being said, it’s clear that there is no direct joint and muscle combination in this muscle span like is found in our arms or legs. The presence of joints gives some direction to muscle contraction thus making the concerned muscles more frequently used. For instance, we can lift fairly heavy objects, climb heights or stairs, throw objects without necessarily thinking of the gym. But there is virtually no unintentional action as it were for our belly muscles that would cause them to contract in our everyday activities. So, the muscles don’t contract as often as they should under resistance of any sort and because idleness harbours vice, the unused energy readily stores there as fatty tissue. Repeated storage of such fatty tissues results in the appearance of ‘pregnant men’ as we have all around us today.
Ironically, the same muscle span under discussion, forms part of what is called the ‘CORE’ in fitness training, making it a very important aspect of everyone’s fitness aspirations. We draw strength from our CORE when we do anything with our hands and feet. When we kick, we feel a pull from our lower abdomen. When we throw or reach higher we feel the input of our upper abdominal muscles. With the importance placed on this muscle span, it’s high time we began looking at making it stronger for a more rewarding approach. We’ll begin with the most basic of ways to get our ABS to where we love them to be. Let’s start with Cardio.
CARDIO.
Old word for sure but let’s give it some new meaning here. Your running, jogging, brisk walking, skipping and all other exercise related activities that raise heart rate come in handy. They engage the working muscles which in turn require oxygen in increased amounts to sustain functioning. The oxygen deficit created by initiating a physical activity when sustained for a fair length of time initiates process that will lead to breakdown of fatty cells for the release of the much-needed energy. Remember that the abdominal region is one region in the body where the fat readily gets stored from our discussion, so why not get more active and push for this oxygen deficit that will take on a very established area of difficulty in your fitness drive? Be challenged. Commit yourself to a minimum of thirty-five minutes of conscious cardio activity daily from today. Start at whatever level you possibly can even if it’s a brisk walk. Intensity is something built with consistent training. Please stay tuned as we explore the many sides of this important discussion as your fitness is about to take a whole new turn.
