Work out like a cover model

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Q. Glen, How can I get a body like a magazine cover model?

A.Before Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, and Jason Statham, there was Owen McKibbin—the most popular cover model in the history of Men's Health. He inspired thousands of guys to strive for a six-pack by following these fitness rules. Listen up.

Rule 1: Cardio and strength training are equally important. You can get washboard abs without doing a single situp, but you can't get a rippling stomach without consistent cardio work. Choose any machine—or mix up several—and do some interval work to start burning fat.

Rule 2: Sprint. It's the quintessential cover model exercise—perfect your form, raise your resting metabolism, and start getting lean with all-out, hard-as-you-can-go, straight-ahead effort.

Rule 3: Hidden muscles need as much work as the big ones. When guys get hurt, they don't hurt the big stuff—they injure a rotator cuff, or their lower back, or the tendons around their knees. Work those, too, and you'll stay in the gym—and progress towards your goals.

Rule 4: It's about looking good, but it also isn't. Strength training strengthens your bones, pumps up your natural testosterone release, and sharpens your mind—meaning a sweat session can get you a raise and put hair on your new, bigger chest.

Reference: Men's Health

Glen's Bottom Line: Cardio, Weight Training and Intensity

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health
Any questions ?

Ask Glen!

The 2 Most Effective Ab Exercises!

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Q. Glen, Are There Any Effective Ab Exercises?

A. Yes Are you an ab-oholic?

Do you constantly fret over a flatter stomach? Are you obsessed with achieving a six-pack? Maybe you spend countless hours doing crunches, only to see no results whatsoever. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about...

You’re gonna have to face it: You’re addicted to abs!

Don’t worry. That’s not a bad thing. Unless you’re wasting precious time on ineffective exercises when you could actually be getting more (results) for less (time). You heard it right. For those of you doing hundreds of sit-ups a day, you’re probably spending a lot of time doing exercises the wrong way.

More than half my clients come to me and say they’re doing 300 sit-ups and 100 bicycle kicks a day and nothing is happening, "They feel a little is good, so more must be better. In the process they abandon good form and the proper way of doing the exercise.

"My whole change for these people is to inform them of what really works and dispel the myths."

The first misconception Glen puts to rest is the notion that you can spot reduce. FALSE. FALSE. FALSE. It takes more than ab exercises to tighten that tummy. A firmer physique requires a one-two punch of cardio exercise and strength training. And don't forget a healthy diet, as well. Here is Glen’s ultimate workout checklist.

• CARDIO TRAINING: three to five times a week, exercise in your target heart rate zone with some form of sustained aerobic activity (i.e. walking, jogging, swimming) for 20 to 30 minutes or more

• STRENGTH TRAINING: two to four times a week, perform anywhere from eight to 12 sets of properly performed progressive resistance movements (i.e. weight training, nautilus, pushups) that works the entire body

• FLEXIBILITY TRAINING: Perform at least five to 15 minutes of stretching exercises (i.e. simple stretches, yoga) at the end of every workout

Even if you follow a well-balanced fitness regimen to the letter, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get washboard abs. Genetically, we’re not all set up to have a toned tummy, Glen says.

“Save yourself time, energy and possible injury... lose the obsession with things you can do nothing about," he says. "Focus on things you can change. Eat right and exercise, but don’t obsess about either.”

One thing you can do to improve the appearance of your midsection is to practice better posture. Poor posture often gives people the potbellied look. To improve your posture: keep your head balanced on your neck, not leaning. Shoulders should be relaxed and down, rolled back. Make sure abdominals are contracted, tailbone pointed to the floor. Knees are kept soft, not locked. Ears, shoulders, ribs, hips, knees, ankles should all stay vertically aligned.

"Within reason, if you work on your posture and you do the cardio and strength-training exercises, it is possible to affect the stomach and flatten it," Glen says. "Not everybody will have a super flat stomach, but it is possible to improve your stomach."

Glen recommends a simple strength-training regimen that can be done in a matter of minutes. Perform two sets of 20 for each exercise. Rest one minute between sets. Do this routine two to three times a week.

CRUNCH
Lie on your back on a mat or padded carpet with your knees partially bent, feet flat on the floor, arms folded across your chest (least intense). Be sure the feet are not too near your buttocks. Exhale as you press the lower back into the floor and begin to raise your head, shoulders and chest off the floor in one unit, concentrating on bringing the ribs towards the hips. Pause briefly as you feel your abdominal muscles contract. The movement need only be a few inches. Inhale and slowly curl back down, trying not to let your head and shoulders touch the floor, maintaining tension in the abdominal muscles for the entire set. Repeat to muscle fatigue.

Trainer's Notes:
Be sure to keep the knees only partially bent with the heels at least one foot from your butt. This engages the oblique muscles as well as the rectus abdominus. To increase intensity, lengthen the pause when the abs are flexed to two seconds, or place your hands behind your head (as in the bicycle kick). Extend the arms overhead to maximize intensity levels.

Goal: two sets of 20 to 30 repetitions

BIKE KICK
Lie on your back on a mat or padded carpet with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Press the lower back into the floor, engaging the abdominal muscles, as you put both hands behind your head (don't pull on the head). Bring the right elbow over to the left knee, and then bring the left elbow over to the right knee in a twisting, bicycle pedal motion. Continue to breathe naturally. Alternate opposite elbow to opposite knee with hands interlaced behind the head in a slow and controlled manner, and to muscle fatigue, with full extension of each leg on every repetition.

Trainer’s Notes:
Be sure to breathe naturally and not hold your breath at any time during this exercise. Full extension of the legs will increase intensity (as shown), as will performing the motion very slowly. Keep the knees bent throughout the movement, while you tap the feet to the floor (instead of extending the leg straight out), to decrease intensity.

Goal: two sets of 20 to 30 repetitions

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Unleash Your Abs

Ask Glen!





Q. Glen, How can I change my work out , eating habits and get better more noticeable abdominal muscles?

A.Here are 7 Steps to a 6-pack that will get you noticed........

Forget for a moment that the shape of your midsection largely determines how good you'll look in and out of your clothes this summer . I will get back to that in a minute.

The pursuit of abs goes deeper. You strive for a six-pack as if your life depended on it, and now science proves that it does. At a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, research was presented declaring that waist circumference is more conclusive than either weight or body-mass index (BMI) as a measure of disease risk.

Miami cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., author of The South Beach Diet, puts it this way: "Abdominal fat is different and more dangerous than fat elsewhere. Unlike fat directly under the skin, belly fat, which adheres to organs, is associated with increases in C-reactive protein (CRP) and other markers of inflammation that can lead to heart disease."

Motivated yet? Good. We trust you'll lay off the fries and onion rings. Remember, if your body fat is too high, it doesn't matter how wisely you work your abs--they won't show. (For most men, anything over 10 percent body fat keeps your abs in hiding.)

For the next month, work your abs according to the following steps and try this eating tip from Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook: "I make two peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches every day; I eat one for lunch at 11 and one for my second lunch at 3," Clark says. Notice that the 3 o'clock feeding is a "second lunch," not an "afternoon snack." Too many men equate snack time with, well, snacks--junk food. You'll eat smarter (whole grains and muscle-building protein) and not need as big a dinner if you allow for a second lunch. Plus, you'll have more energy for a better workout in the afternoon or evening.

This, in turn, will keep your insulin levels steady. When insulin is in excess (from too much sugar and not enough exercise), it can turn on you, depositing fat into your gut. Or worse. "When the pancreas burns out after years of producing excess insulin, that's when buildup begins in arteries; that can cause heart attacks and strokes," Dr. Agatston says.

But enough scary stuff. Time to hit the gym--and then the beach.

1. Train your abs with two types of exercise

Some abdominal exercises are based on movement. Others focus more on balance, so your abs contract harder to keep your body stable. "Most men have difficulty with either stabilization or mobilization," says Carter Hays, C.S.C.S., a Houston-based personal trainer and a performance-enhancement specialist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Include both types of moves in a workout to challenge your abs.

For instance, try performing a Swiss-ball rollout (mobilization), followed by a Swiss-ball crunch (stabilization). To do the rollout, kneel in front of the ball with your forearms pressed against it. Keeping your knees and feet in place, roll the ball in front of you so your hips, torso, and arms slide forward. Advance as far as you can without arching your back, then pull back to the starting position.

2. Get more from your cardio

Strip away abdominal fat by switching around your cardio routine so you run hard early. In a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, eight men ran for 30 minutes on 2 separate days.

In the first session, the men ran at a relatively high intensity--80 percent of their maximum heart rate--for 15 minutes, then slowed to 60 percent for the final 15 minutes. In the other session, they ran the slower part first.

The men burned 5 to 10 percent more fat when they ran faster at the start of the workout. "And this is only a 30-minute workout," says Jie Kang, Ph.D., the study's lead author. "If you extrapolate that to a longer workout three to five times a week, things can add up."

Here's why it works: To burn fat, your body first breaks down fat tissue into fat molecules. "Our study found that this works better when you exercise at a relatively high intensity," says Kang. Next, molecules go to your cells to be burned, which Kang says can occur at relatively lower intensities.

The best part: You'll feel as if you're burning fat easier than ever. Kang measured the participants' perceived exertion--how hard they felt they were working. Turns out the body feels fatigued late in a workout, regardless of what you do.

3. Stay hydrated

This one's almost too easy, but drinking plenty of water not only helps you burn fat, but also builds more muscle. "All creatine does is force fluid into the muscle," says Hays. "Your body will do that itself if there's enough water available."

4. Skip the bonus abs routine

Edging closer to sharp abs can tempt you to work them every day. Don't. Training more can actually make your abs show less. "You don't need to overwork your abs--they're no different from any other muscle," says Hays. "If you're always in a state of overtraining, you're going to get more laxity in your muscles."

In other words, they'll appear soft. Instead, add resistance to make moves you already do more challenging. For instance, hold a light weight plate during a Russian twist or Swiss-ball crunch. Then give your muscles time to rest.

5. Do more total-body exercise

Isolation moves like crunches are great for developing your muscles, but they don't burn much fat. You're better off training multiple muscle groups at once, says Hays. Total-body exercise burns more calories and also causes a greater release of muscle-building hormones.

Try combination moves, like the reverse lunge to cable chest fly. Stand between a cable station's weight stacks and grab a pulley handle with each hand. Hold your arms straight in front of you. Then step back with one leg, bend your knees, and let your arms move out to the sides. Pause when your back knee is just off the floor and your upper body looks like a T, then push yourself back up while you pull your arms together. Repeat the move with your other leg in the back position.

6. Get off the floor

Define the lower portion of the rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscle) with a Swiss-ball reverse crunch, but instead of doing the move on the floor, hop on a bench. "It allows for a greater range of motion," says Gregory Joujon-Roche, C.P.T., president of Holistic Fitness, in Los Angeles.

Lie faceup on the edge of a bench with a Swiss ball pinched between your heels and hamstrings. Keeping your abs drawn in, roll your pelvis off the bench and, maintaining the same knee angle, bring your knees toward your chest. Slowly lower the ball. As soon as your back begins to arch on the way down, that's the end of your range of motion. Pause at this point for a few seconds before finishing your set. Try five sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.

7. Go deep

Abdominal muscles are multilayered, but most men focus only on the outermost layer with exercises like the crunch. So look for moves that work the abdominal muscles closest to the spine, such as the plank. Strengthening these tiny stabilizers will provide a solid foundation to allow your six-pack muscles to grow stronger and bigger.

Reference:
Arthur Agatston M.D
Gregory Joujon-Roche
Jie Kang Ph.D
Nancy Clark R.D
Carter Hays C.S.C.S

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You A Healthy Life Style!

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Hard Abs Made Easy

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Q. Glen, How can I make my ab exercises more effective?

A.You can make your exercises more effective by using the "drawing-in" maneuver while doing them. "Focus on pulling in the portion of your abs below your navel," Don't confuse this with the way you normally suck in your stomach. It's lower-and tougher-than that.

Contracting the lower abs activates muscles that are attached to the spine. This makes your core (your abdominal and spinal structures) more stable. "When the brain senses that the core is stable, it allows for optimal recruitment of the muscles that are most associated with producing the movement," So pushups and crunches can be done more effectively to work the targeted muscles while reducing your risk of injury.

Lie on your back and place your hands just below your navel. Push your stomach out as much as you can, then contract lightly and hold for 5 to 10 seconds, or as long as you can. Repeat a few times to get the hang of it. Then do it before and during all exercises.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You A Healthy Life Style!

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Abs In No Time!

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Q. Glen, How can I get great abs before next summer?

A. Grab a medicine ball for an intensified crunch workout that will flatten your belly before beach season.

Get Ripped Fast In these days of bogus infomercials, fat-burning concoctions, and fitness contraptions that promise incredible abs, there's something reassuring about a workout with a medicine ball. The heft of a vintage medicine ball makes us want to put on gray sweats and start heaving it around with the fellas, grunting contentedly. On the other hand, you can take the vintage thing too far. Leather is out; vinyl is in. Medicine balls now have easier-to-grab surfaces, and they come in many sizes and weights. (They still need a new name, though. Medicine?)

What Are You Waiting For? Here's a leave-me-alone, in-a-hurry, 21st-century set of exercises that uses the weight of a medicine ball to blast your belly from top to bottom, and your obliques on the sides--those all-important muscles you use when doing twisting, turning moves in sports. The workout was designed by Jacqueline Wagner, C.S.C.S., a strength coach in New York City. The added weight of the medicine ball will give you a more intense workout than you'll get with conventional crunches. Use a ball that's light enough so you can do one set of each exercise without straining or arching your back. A good weight for ab workouts is a 4 kilogram medicine ball (just shy of 9 pounds). Start with one circuit and build up to three sets of the circuit. Use a slow, controlled movement for the double crunch and reverse crunch.

Double Crunch Starting position: Lie on your back, with your hips and knees bent as shown and your feet off the floor. Rest your hands lightly on your chest. Position the ball between your knees. The move: Exhale as you lift your shoulders off the floor and bring your knees toward your chest. Grab the ball with your hands and bring it to your chest as you inhale and The finish: Return your shoulders and legs to the starting position. Transfer the ball back to your legs on the next repetition, and keep alternating ball positions for the entire set.

Seated Twist Starting position: Sit on the floor, your back straight but leaning slightly toward the floor, as if in the "up" position of a situp. Your knees should be bent 90 degrees, your heels about 15 inches apart and resting on the floor. The move: Hold the ball close to your chest, 2 rotate your torso to the left, and place the ball on the floor behind you. Rotate around to the right, pick up the ball, rotate left, and place it behind you. The finish: Repeat eight to 12 times, then do eight to 12 more starting with a rotation to your right; that's one set. Hint: Keep your head in line with your torso throughout the movement. Perform this move as quickly as possible.

Reverse Crunch with Knee Drops Starting position: Lie on your back, hands resting on the floor at your sides, hips and knees bent 90 degrees, and feet off the floor. Position the ball between your knees. Keep your lower back on the floor throughout the exercise. The move: Contract your abdominals and pull your knees to your chest, then return them to the starting position. The finish: Lower your knees to the left and return to the starting position. Drop your knees to your right on the next repetition, and alternate sides for each rep.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You A Healthy Life Style!

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Crunch Too Much?

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Q.Glen, What happens when you stop seeing results in your abs?

A. Stop doing so many crunches. Instead, add weights to your ab routine and bust your gut only three times a week. The result: You'll shock your muscles into growing and give them the downtime necessary to grow forth and multiply (by six). Try this Zercher situp from Mike Gough, C.S.C.S., owner of optperformance.com. Grab an EZ-curl bar (add weight if you can handle more than 25 pounds for 10 repetitions) and hold it in the crooks of your elbows. Lie on your back, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Slowly lift your torso to a sitting position. Pause, then slowly lower to the floor. Three days a week, do three or four sets of eight reps with a weight you can lift 10 times at most. See What Happens!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You A Healthy Life Style!

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

From Flab to Fab: Awesome Abs in Minutes!

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Q. Glen, I don't have time to work an Ab routine 45 minutes a day. Do you have any suggestions?

A. Yes you can have Awesome Abs in Minutes!

What’s the point of toning your abs if you can’t see past the fat?

That’s the issue at hand. Far too many of us waste countless hours in the gym or in front of the television working for awesome abs that never come to fruition. No, despite our efforts, we’re left with the same old pooching belly and sagging skin. All our efforts are in vain and we’re left wondering, "WHY?"

Fitness expert and personal trainer Michael Stefano has the answer to this pesky problem. If you’ve never done circuit training, it’s time to put the intense workout to the test. The New York firefighter, who penned the bestselling Firefighter’s Workout Book (HarperCollins), says achieving fab abs is about following a proper diet and an effective cardio/strength training regimen.

Creating toned and sculpted abdominal muscles won’t do you any good unless you can burn the fat that keeps them hidden away," Stefano tells Glen. "Combine classic cardio or fat-burning exercise in short spurts at target heart rate levels, with compact and effective ab builders to cover all bases."

Over time, your regimen may become dull, weakening your motivation. Stefano notes that boredom is the number one killer of a workout program. That’s why it’s important to kick it up a notch every now and then, which is exactly what the Cardio Abs workout achieves. Combining cardio and strength training into one workout gives exercise enthusiasts the best of both worlds.

Stefano’s workout will also put to use the exercise equipment that’s been left untouched since you bought it. Treadmills and stationary bikes are ideal for the Cardio Abs Workout. But, even if you don’t own the proper machines, you can still march in place, jump rope or do step exercises for the cardio part.

CARDIO ABS ROUTINE

1. Begin with 5 to 10 minutes of brisk walking or jogging on a treadmill, or pedaling on a stationary bike. Two other in-home cardio options might include marching in place or jumping rope.

2. Stop and immediately get down on your mat for one set of crunches done to muscle fatigue. If possible, adjust intensity (as described below) so as to hit fatigue in the 20- to 30-repetition range.

3. Get back on your treadmill, bike, step, or continue stepping or jumping for 5 to 10 more minutes.

4. Stop and immediately get down on your mat for one set of bike kicks done to muscle fatigue. Again, adjust intensity so as to hit fatigue in the 20 to 30 repetition range.

5. Beginners quit here, but for a greater challenge do another stint of cardio before calling it quits.

Repeat this program 3 or 4 times each week, and work at extending the time on the treadmill (or whatever mode of cardio you chose) to 10 minutes or even 15 minutes. Combine with some weekly strength and flexibility training for the upper and lower body, as well as a sensible eating program to achieve the overall best results.

Crunch
Lie on your back on a mat or padded carpet with your knees partially bent, feet flat on the floor, arms folded across your chest (as shown). Exhale as you press the lower back into the floor and begin to raise your head, shoulders and chest off the floor, concentrating on bringing the ribs towards the hips. Pause briefly as you feel your abdominal muscles tighten. The movement need only be a few inches. Inhale as you slowly curl back down, trying not to let your head touch the floor, maintaining tension in the abdominal muscles for the entire set. Repeat to muscle fatigue.

Intensity Booster: To increase intensity, lengthen the pause to 2 seconds, or place your hands behind your head instead of across your chest.

Bike Kick

Lie on your back on a mat or padded carpet with the lower back pressed into the floor. Put your hands behind your head (but don't pull on the head). Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through the bicycle pedal motion. Touch your right elbow to your left knee and then left elbow to right knee. Continue to breathe naturally. Alternate opposite elbow to opposite knee in a slow and controlled manner to muscle fatigue.

Intensity Booster: Full extension of the legs will increase intensity (as shown), as will keeping the motion very slow and deliberate. Keep the knees partially bent throughout the movement to decrease intensity.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You Great Health.

Any questions? Ask Glen!

4 secrets to a flat stomach

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Q. Glen, How can I reduce the weight around my mid section?

A.If your goal is to thin your waistline and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs.

The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

1. You must do some form of progressive strength training
The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week.

You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.

2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism
Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes then:

• perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible)
• perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)
• repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes
  
  3. Stable blood sugar is the key
  And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).
  Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn't matter where they come from. If there's extra. where's it going? Yup, you guessed it. body fat!

This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn't have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to make healthy choices whenever possible, but don't feel like if you eat a cheeseburger it is guaranteed to be stored as fat.

4. Get the help of a professional

Unfortunately, most people don't know enough about the human body, nutrition, or effective exercise to meet their health and fitness goals. Ask yourself this one question, "Am I happy with my current progress or condition?" If you're not, you should consider getting the help of a qualified personal fitness professional . (http://www.kathymurray.com ). Don't depend on the information you get from magazines or from your local gym/ health club. A qualified fitness professional can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, ( I recommend Fitbodies in Buckhead Atlanta, Georgia ) and in less time than you would imagine. If you are serious about your health and fitness goals, and you are ready for that flat stomach, I recommend you start implementing the 4 strategies listed in this article. These 4 strategies can help you take control of your metabolism and burn off that excess body fat and having you looking and feeling great!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You Great Health!

Any questions? Ask Glen!

Unleash Your Abs

Ask Glen!









Q. Glen. How can I get my Abs Blocked and looked at?


A. Here are 7 Steps to a 8-pack that will get you noticed

Forget for a moment that the shape of your midsection largely determines how good you'll look on the beach this summer -- and how well you'll play volleyball. We'll get back to that in a minute.

The pursuit of abs goes deeper. You strive for a eight-pack as if your life depended on it, and now science proves that it does. At a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, research was presented declaring that waist circumference is more conclusive than either weight or body-mass index (BMI) as a measure of disease risk.

Miami cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., author of The South Beach Diet, puts it this way: "Abdominal fat is different and more dangerous than fat elsewhere. Unlike fat directly under the skin, belly fat, which adheres to organs, is associated with increases in C-reactive protein (CRP) and other markers of inflammation that can lead to heart disease."

Motivated yet? Good. We trust you'll lay off the fries and onion rings. Remember, if your body fat is too high, it doesn't matter how wisely you work your abs--they won't show. (For most men, anything over 10 percent body fat keeps your abs in hiding.)

For the next month, work your abs according to the following steps and try this eating tip I make two peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches every day; I eat one for lunch at 11 and one for my second lunch at 3, Notice that the 3 o'clock feeding is a "second lunch,not an "afternoon snack." Too many men equate snack time with, well, snacks--junk food. You'll eat smarter (whole grains and muscle-building protein) and not need as big a dinner if you allow for a second lunch. Plus, you'll have more energy for a better workout in the afternoon or evening.

This, in turn, will keep your insulin levels steady. When insulin is in excess (from too much sugar and not enough exercise), it can turn on you, depositing fat into your gut. Or worse. "When the pancreas burns out after years of producing excess insulin, that's when buildup begins in arteries; that can cause heart attacks and strokes," Dr. Agatston says.

But enough scary stuff. Time to hit the gym--and then the beach.

1. Train your abs with two types of exercise

Some abdominal exercises are based on movement. Others focus more on balance, so your abs contract harder to keep your body stable. "Most men have difficulty with either stabilization or mobilization," says Carter Hays, C.S.C.S., a Houston-based personal trainer and a performance-enhancement specialist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Include both types of moves in a workout to challenge your abs.

For instance, try performing a Swiss-ball rollout (mobilization), followed by a Swiss-ball crunch (stabilization). To do the rollout, kneel in front of the ball with your forearms pressed against it. Keeping your knees and feet in place, roll the ball in front of you so your hips, torso, and arms slide forward. Advance as far as you can without arching your back, then pull back to the starting position.

2. Get more from your cardio

Strip away abdominal fat by switching around your cardio routine so you run hard early. In a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, eight men ran for 30 minutes on 2 separate days.

In the first session, the men ran at a relatively high intensity--80 percent of their maximum heart rate--for 15 minutes, then slowed to 60 percent for the final 15 minutes. In the other session, they ran the slower part first.

The men burned 5 to 10 percent more fat when they ran faster at the start of the workout. "And this is only a 30-minute workout,If you extrapolate that to a longer workout three to five times a week, things can add up."

Here's why it works: To burn fat, your body first breaks down fat tissue into fat molecules. "Our study found that this works better when you exercise at a relatively high intensity," Next, molecules go to your cells to be burned, which can occur at relatively lower intensities.

The best part: You'll feel as if you're burning fat easier than ever.Turns out the body feels fatigued late in a workout, regardless of what you do.

3. Stay hydrated

This one's almost too easy, but drinking plenty of water not only helps you burn fat, but also builds more muscle. "All creatine does is force fluid into the muscle, "Your body will do that itself if there's enough water available."

4. Skip the bonus abs routine

Edging closer to sharp abs can tempt you to work them every day. Don't. Training more can actually make your abs show less. "You don't need to overwork your abs--they're no different from any other muscle, "If you're always in a state of overtraining, you're going to get more laxity in your muscles."

In other words, they'll appear soft. Instead, add resistance to make moves you already do more challenging. For instance, hold a light weight plate during a Russian twist or Swiss-ball crunch. Then give your muscles time to rest.

5. Do more total-body exercise

Isolation moves like crunches are great for developing your muscles, but they don't burn much fat. You're better off training multiple muscle groups at once, says Hays. Total-body exercise burns more calories and also causes a greater release of muscle-building hormones.

Try combination moves, like the reverse lunge to cable chest fly. Stand between a cable station's weight stacks and grab a pulley handle with each hand. Hold your arms straight in front of you. Then step back with one leg, bend your knees, and let your arms move out to the sides. Pause when your back knee is just off the floor and your upper body looks like a T, then push yourself back up while you pull your arms together. Repeat the move with your other leg in the back position.

6. Get off the floor

Define the lower portion of the rectus abdominis (your eight-pack muscle) with a Swiss-ball reverse crunch, but instead of doing the move on the floor, hop on a bench. "It allows for a greater range of motion.

Lie faceup on the edge of a bench with a Swiss ball pinched between your heels and hamstrings. Keeping your abs drawn in, roll your pelvis off the bench and, maintaining the same knee angle, bring your knees toward your chest. Slowly lower the ball. As soon as your back begins to arch on the way down, that's the end of your range of motion. Pause at this point for a few seconds before finishing your set. Try five sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.

7. Go deep

Abdominal muscles are multilayered, but most men focus only on the outermost layer with exercises like the crunch. So look for moves that work the abdominal muscles closest to the spine, such as the plank. Strengthening these tiny stabilizers will provide a solid foundation to allow your eight-pack muscles to grow stronger and bigger. For more exercises, check out The Abs Diet Online. It also provides you with a nutrition plan designed by experts to target that pesky midsection.

Reference:

Cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You Great Health!

Any questions? Ask Glen

Fab Abs: 10 Best Exercises

Ask Glen!








Q. Glen, What are some good abdominal exercises?


A. Here are 10 great ab exercises!

There are many things that men and women disagree on. When to take the garbage out. Toilet seat, up or down? Action flick or Romance? But there's one thing we all want -- a slim midsection.

While you can't wake up to a washboard stomach at the end of this week, after you finish this article, you'll be happy to know that you're doing the most effective exercises to get you to that point some day very soon!

Follow Glen's lead and you'll see a transformation in your tummy in just a few short weeks. The first step you need to take is changing the way you view your ab work. It's a common misconception that you are going to trim the fat in your midsection. Ab exercises aren't going to reduce the area. But they do develop the muscles. You need to improve your diet to reduce the fat.

Another common mistake many people make is doing too much, too often, Glen says.

"One of the biggest misconceptions people have is the belief that they need to work five or six days a week to get their abs looking good. They also think they have to perform 15 sets. In reality, the muscles are like any other muscle group that needs to recover from any type of workout in order to make progress. Your ab workout shouldn't take you more than 12 minutes, three days a week."

If you don't know what you're doing, you can actually do more harm than good. Take sit-ups for example. This popular move can lead to back and neck injuries if you don’t have proper form. Sit-ups also work more of the hip area than the abdomen, Glen points out.

There are good reasons for building strong ab muscles other than "looking hot." The core of your body is the abs and the lower back.

"All of the strength of the rest of the body stems from the core," he says. "It also helps as far as improving balance and flexibility and reducing injury. Having weak abs and a weak lower back is an invitation for injury."

In addition to working the abs, Glen stresses the importance of healthy diet and regular cardio exercise. Before you can achieve a flat stomach, you need to reduce overall body fat.

Here the 10 most effective abdominal exercises. Glen suggests that beginners start with the Ab Crunch and Reverse Ab Curl.

1. Bicycle Maneuver (studies actually prove this to be one of the most effective)

Starting Position:

Lie on a mat with your lower back in a comfortable position.

Put your hands on either side of your head by your ears.

Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle.

Movement:

Slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion alternating your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee.

Key Points:

This can be a more advanced exercise. Do not perform this activity if it puts any strain on your lower back.

Do not pull on your head and neck during this exercise.

The lower to the ground your legs bicycle, the harder your abs have to work.

2. Ab Crunch

Starting Position:

Lie on a mat on your back.

Make sure that your lower back is relaxed against the mat during this exercise.

Bend your knees until your legs are at a 45-degree angle.

Keep both feet on the floor.

Place both hands behind your head.

Movement:

Contracting the upper abs, raise your head and upper torso off the floor until your shoulders are slightly lifted.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your head touching the floor.

Key Points:

Exhale as you contract the abs.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Keep your eyes focused on the ceiling to avoid pulling with your neck.

Your hands should not be used to lift the head or assist in the movement.

3. Reverse Ab Curl

Starting Position:

Lie on the floor with your back relaxed and your hands on the floor by your hips.

Keep the upper back pressed into the floor throughout the exercise.

Movement:

Contracting your abs, raise your butt and gently roll your hips off the floor, stopping when you feel a full contraction of the abdominals and can no longer lift your hips.

Slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting your hips.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

4. Double Crunch

Starting Position:

Lie on the floor face up.

Bend your knees until your legs are at a 45-degree angle with both feet on the floor.

Your back should be comfortably relaxed on the floor.

Place both hands behind your head.

Movement:

Contracting your abdominals, raise your head and legs off the floor toward one another.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your shoulders and feet touching the floor.

Key Points:

Exhale while raising up.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Keep your eyes on the ceiling to avoid pulling with your neck.

Your hands should not be used to lift the head or assist in the movement.

5. Cable Kneeling Rope Crunch

Starting Position:

On a mat, kneel in front of the cable machine with your body facing the machine. Hold a rope attached to the upper cable attachment keeping your elbows in toward your ears.

Movement:

Contracting the oblique muscles, curl your body downward on an angle rotating your right elbow to the left knee, stopping when you have reached a full contraction of your obliques.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the weight stack touching.

You can either alternate side to side or do 8-12 repetitions on one side and then repeat on the other side

Key Points:

Exhale as you lift the weight.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

6. Machine Hanging Knee Raise (should use spotter or have someone watch you)

Starting Position:

Grasp a chinning bar with hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing forward. Keep your upper body motionless throughout the exercise.

Movement:

Contracting the abdominal muscles, raise your legs with bent knees while gently rolling your hips under, stopping when you feel a full contraction of the abdominals and can no longer lift your hips. You may get your knees to 90 degrees or higher depending on your strength and flexibility.

Slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting your legs.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

7. Fitball Advanced Reverse Crunch (not for those with back injuries)

Starting Position:

Lie on the ball with your upper back supported by the ball and hands above your head, holding onto a solid support, such as the support for a cable machine in the gym or the footboard of your bed at home.

Bring your legs up until your hips and knees are each at a 90-degree angle.

Movement:

Contracting the abdominals, curl your legs up toward your body.

Slowly return to the starting position.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting your legs.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Lower your legs only as far as you can while maintaining control.

8. Lying Bent Knee Leg Lift (care needed for those with back injuries)

Starting Position:

Lie on your back with your feet on the floor and knees slightly bent.

Place your hands under your head for comfort, not support

Movement:

Contracting your lower abdominal muscles, draw your knees toward your chest until they form a 90-degree angle with the floor.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of the feet touching the floor.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting your legs.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Your back should remain comfortably against the floor during the entire motion.

Avoid this exercise if you have any back conditions.

Eliminate this exercise if you experience any discomfort.

9. Machine Angled Leg Raise

Starting Position:

Support your body on your elbows in a Roman Chair or by hanging from a chin-up bar.

Movement:

Contracting the abdominals and obliques, draw your knees up on an angle so that they move toward your right elbow. Stop when you get a full contraction of the obliques and abdominals.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping when the hips are almost fully extended.

Alternate side to side to complete the set.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting your legs.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Keep the upper body stationary throughout the exercise.

10. Incline Bench Leg Raises (care needed for those with back injuries)

Starting Position:

Lie on an incline bench and stabilize your body by gripping the bench above your head with your legs extended out.

Movement:

Contracting the lower abs, raise your legs up until your hips form a 90-degree angle.

Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your legs touching the bench.

Key Points:

Exhale while lifting your legs.

Inhale while returning to the starting position.

Point your chin toward the ceiling to avoid using your upper body.

To increase the difficulty, cross your arms over your chest

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

Wishing You Great Health!

Any questions? Ask Glen