Six Pack Abs » ab exercises

Is Your Post Workout Meal the Most Important Meal of the Day?

Brian Hackettb — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:09:59 +0000

Here’s some recent research on post-workout meals: “A recent 12-week study says that those who failed to consume a post workout meal immediately after their workouts suffered a lower metabolism, loss of fat free mass, and had clear indications of muscle loss – while their counterparts (those who consumed a post workout recovery meal) significantly lost more fat, increased lean muscle, improved their metabolism, and increased dynamic strength.” I have noticed that many people are confused as to what actually makes a good post-workout meal. A couple common questions I receive about post workout meals: 1. Aren’t post-workout meals only important for muscle building? Do they matter at all for fat loss goals? 2. Is it best to use one of the fancy post-workout drinks or shakes that you see in the magazines or is a whole food meal better? What’s the best combo of carbs to protein to fat in a good post workout meal? 3. How soon after a workout is best to have my post workout meal? Answers: 1. Post-workout meals are actually vitally important for BOTH muscle building and losing body fat! Always remember that one of the most important considerations of long term body fat loss and maintaining a lean body for life is raising your overall metabolic rate by building and maintaining adequate lean muscle mass throughout your entire body. By consuming a good post workout meal after every workout, you assist your body in repairing and building lean muscle throughout your whole body. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate (even when resting)… hence, you lose fat easier and faster, and it is MUCH easier to stay lean in the long term. 2. Are whole foods or supplement shakes best? This can actually be done either way, but I am going to show you some guidelines why some post-workout shakes are better than others and some whole foods are better than others. Either way, it can work. First, keep in mind that your goal throughout the majority of each day is eating small whole food meals frequently that digest slowly with high fiber and a controlled glycemic response (blood sugar). These normal daily meals should also contain healthy fats and slowly digested proteins to maintain a steady supply of amino acids. When it comes to post-workout meals, you can just about use the exact opposite strategy of your normal meals. With post-workout meals, you actually want a faster digesting carb source to stimulate an insulin response. This helps to push nutrients and glycogen back into your muscle cells for repair. Remember, this is not just important for building muscle, but also for losing fat. So while I always preach high fiber for most of your meals, with post-workout meals, you actually want lower fiber, higher GI carbohydrates, and quickly digesting protein as well to kick start muscle repair. Another consideration to keep in mind… while I always preach healthy fats at most of your meals… with the post workout meal, you actually want almost all carbohydrates and protein, and very little fat. Fat in the post workout meal just slows the absorption and glycemic response which is not what you want at this key time. What about the best ratios of carbohydrates and protein? I have reviewed dozens of studies on this subject and most seem to agree that a ratio of approx 2 to 1 carbs to protein is optimal. This seems to be the best combo to maximize muscle repair to boost that metabolic rate for long term body fat loss. I usually make my post-workout shakes using a frozen banana, whey protein, water, and some real maple syrup (not the cheap high fructose corn syrup based maple syrups at most stores) and aim for about a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the shake. If you want to make things a little simpler, one of the best post-workout shakes that I’ve found that is already mixed in a 2:1 carb:protein ratio is Prograde’s Varsity Post-Workout mix. You can find it at the bottom of this page. 3. How soon should you eat (or drink) your post-workout meal once your done working out? As soon as you can after your workout (the sooner the better)! Studies have shown that the sooner you consume your post workout meal following your intense workout, the better your muscle recovery will be, and a higher quantity of the carbohydrates ingested will be used for muscle glycogen replenishment instead of other uses. The first thing I do when I get back from the gym is make my post workout shake, and this is about 10 min after finishing my workout.

Flat Abs

Brian Hackettb — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:03:32 +0000

Contrary to what many people think, flat abs are not a myth, nor are they something that only the elite of fit people can have. Everyone can get flat abs, as long as they conform to certain standards in their lives for them to be able to achieve this.

6 Best Ab Exercises To A Get Ripped Six Pack Fast

Brian Hackettb — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:14:57 +0000

www.SixPackExposed.com – Discover the secrets for getting a ripped six pack in 90 days or less. Proven training and nutrition strategies! Download my free report today! I highly recommend “The Truth About Abs”! Go now www.SixPackExposed.com right now! 4 Tips To Lose Weight Successfully This article is for you if you are someone who has tried every single weight loss formula out there but are still unable to shed off a single pound. You are the kind of person who needs some straightforward …

Tone Your Abs

Brian Hackettb — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:55:44 +0000

Tighten your tummy and strengthen your core with this all-abs routine from trainer Joel Harper.

Lower Ab Exercises: Effective Abdominal Exercises for Beginners

Brian Hackettb — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:35:51 +0000

Beginners who are starting out in their quest for sexier abs tend to ignore lower ab exercises. They are more likely to go for sit-ups and crunches on the free hand side and may also use some machines for doing abdominal exercises at gyms. Unfortunately, what they miss out in the bargain is that none of these exercises are known to be helpful for lower abs and incidentally they will succumb to fatigue in early stages before they incidentally give up even before they think of doing the actual lower ab exercises. The following couple of suggestions are designed to help them look at lower ab exercises in a different light so as to fit in them.

In the scheme of things, it is difficult to think of quality ab exercises without working out lower ab exercises first. Working out from upper abs and then proceeding to lower abs will be useless as abs muscles will be already under stress subjected to sever fatigue. So, it’s a good idea to start with lower ab exercises and then proceed from there.

A good routine to your lower ab exercises must include reverse curls and leg raises in the core as they are specific to lower ab muscles. Beginning with these makes sure that you have begun on a positive note.

Reverse Curls

The first workout you need to fit into your lower abs workout is none other than reverse curls. Reverse curls entails lifting up your legs both bent at knees almost till they touch your stomach while holding your hands by your side. Repeat this from 10 to 20 times.

Leg Raises

The next exercise you will build in into your lower ab exercises is leg raises. A good practice to do leg raises is by first lying down on the back on the floor and then resting both of your hands by your side. Lift both of your legs simultaneously off of the floor to about 45 degrees taking care not to bend the legs at knee joints. Another thing to keep in mind is not to lower the legs so much as to touch the ground when you lower your legs. Repeat this from 10 to 20 times.

Make it a point to repeat these lower ab exercises 4-5 times a week.

Lower Ab Exercises: Are They Part Of Your Ab Exercises Routine?

Brian Hackettb — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:13:17 +0000

Lower ab exercises have to be incorporated as a part of your exercise routine. If you are looking to have a flat stomach, there is no way you are going to neglect the lower ab exercises, so to speak. They work the part of the muscle that connects to the pubic bone. So, however you look at it, lower ab exercises are critical for a successful flat abs campaign.

At first, you may feel that lower ab exercises are hard because the muscles respond slowly as they are not strong. And eventually you may feel tiresome to do because the stubborn layer of fat around there makes it appear that the progress is slow. In view of this, it is important to do the lower ab exercises correctly as there are chances to cheat by incorporating other muscles into the workout (like hip flexors and lower back muscles). Nevertheless, even the highly targeted lower ab exercises do require some effort from the upper abs. This emphasizes the importance of the need to concentrate during the routine.

Tips To Do Lower Ab Exercises

Lower ab muscles are the foundation of your core and are thus critical to overall strength and stability. Excessive momentum has the potential to negate the intended effect of the exercise and you’ll begin working out those muscles other than you want to. The e4xercises for lower ab in my website are aimed at training the two specific muscle groups that constitute the lower abdomen while minimizing the involvement of other abs muscles.

Don’t forget that abs are endurance muscles, so treat them like they are and keep the momentum going until you can’t do any more.

Inhale while your muscles are relaxing, lengthening, stretching out and exhale when you are contracting, shortening, tightening or crunching. So the abs exercises you do will work the entire set of muscles in some form.