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Top 5 Stomach Toning Myths

A toned stomach is one of the most desirable physical features amongst men and women. However, this desire has led to a number of incorrect myths circulating when it comes to stomach toning advice. In this article I’m going to be addressing some of the main stomach toning myths that are currently circulating and revealing the truth behind them.

Myth 1 – You Can Spot Reduce Stomach Fat

One of the biggest stomach toning myths around is that you can aim your fat loss efforts solely at just your stomach and by doing lots of core exercises, you can blast away the body fat from your midsection. While it would be great if this were the truth, unfortunately it’s not that simple.

If you want to lose stomach fat and make your abs visible, then you need to focus on lowering your overall body fat percentage. To do this, make sure you’re sticking to a calorie controlled meal plan that’s rich in natural, unprocessed foods and make sure you’re exercising at least three times per week with a combination of cardiovascular training and resistance training. If you do this consistently, your body fat levels will naturally drop, your muscle tone will improve and your stomach will look and feel flatter and tighter.

Myth 2 – You Can Exercise Your Way To Abs

Another popular stomach toning myth is that you can eat what you like as long as you follow a solid, intense workout program. While working out certainly does help you burn body fat, you can’t out exercise a poor diet.

So if you’re mainly eating high calorie processed junk food, start making some changes today and ensure that your diet is clean, low in calories and high in nutrition. Doing this will kick start the fat burning process and provide you with a solid nutritional foundation on which you can base your workouts.

 

Myth 3 – You Can Train Your Abs Daily

Many people are incorrectly taught that the abdominal muscles respond differently to training than the rest of the muscles in their body and that instead of training them once or twice per week, they need to train them daily. Not only is this myth true but training your abs this frequently can actually limit your progress, increase your injury risk and prevent you from getting the six pack abs you desire.

So instead of training your abs on a daily basis, treat them like any other muscle group in your body and train them once or twice per week. Doing this will strengthen your core and give your stomach a strong, well defined appearance without you risking overtraining or injury.

 

Myth 4 – High Rep Ab Exercises Are The Best

A similar myth to the one above is that your core muscles also respond differently to volume training than the rest of the muscles in your body and that instead of limiting your ab exercise sets to 8-12 repetitions with added resistance, you should perform as many repetitions as possible with no added resistance. While high rep exercises with no added resistance do have their benefits, if you’re only performing these types of exercises when training your core, you’re not going to optimal results.

To get the most out of your ab training, make sure your ab routine includes a combination of high rep – no resistance exercises and lower rep – added resistance exercises. This powerful combination will tone up and flatten your abs while also adding the strength and definition that’s required to build a strong, sexy stomach.

 

Myth 5 – You Can Get Six Pack Abs With The Right Product

One final myth that many people fall victim to is that they can magically get six pack abs by investing in the right product. They’re taught that ab belts or fat burning gels are all that’s needed to melt away the stomach fat and that they don’t need to focus on eating the right foods and sticking to a consistent workout program. The truth is that very few of these products work at all and even the ones that do work, give you very limited results and aren’t worth the money.

So instead of investing your money in these stomach toning gimmicks and gadgets, invest your time in developing a solid diet and exercise plan. This will give you the toned stomach you’re after without the heavy financial investment in worthless products.

 

Summary

 I hope this article’s helped you better understand the type of information you should listen to and the type of information you should ignore when it comes to toning your stomach. To get lean abs, you need to be combining a range of fat burning exercises and muscle sculpting exercises with a solid fat burning diet. Any advice that goes against this should be taken with a pinch of salt.


Top 5 Cardio Exercises For A Leaner Stomach

Getting lean, washboard abs is a two-step process. First, you need to tone up your stomach muscles to get the tight, well defined, muscular outline. Then you need to reduce your body fat percentage so that your toned abs are visible. However, many people neglect this second step and end up disappointed with their ab toning results. In this article I’m going to help you stop making the same mistakes as everyone else and provide you with five of the best fat burning cardio exercises for a lean stomach.

1 – Intense Cycling (20mph) = 1,000 Calories Per Hour

Cycling’s an excellent cardiovascular exercise for a number of reasons. It’s low impact and gentle on your joints, it gets you outside and allows you to top up your vitamin D levels and exploring the outdoors on a bike is plenty of fun. It’s also a highly effective fat burner and if you cycle with maximum intensity you can blast through 1,000 calories per hour (which equates to 0.3lbs of fat loss).

2 – Intense Running (10mph) = 1,000 Calories Per Hour

If you don’t own a bike, running’s an excellent alternative to cycling. It burns off plenty of calories and by running a few times per week, you’ll see start to see your toned stomach muscles showing through very quickly. As well as being an efficient fat burner, running also strengthens your heart, boosts your immune system, protects against chronic disease and much more.

3 – Intense Kettlebell Class = 1,000 Calories Per Hour

Kettlebell classes are one of the best workout options around for developing six pack abs. The exercises themselves are performed at a high tempo and burn through an impressive 1,000 calories per hour. However, since all kettlebell exercises engage the core, kettlebell classes allow you to tone and tighten your stomach muscles as you burn body fat.

4 – Intense Zumba Class = 1,000 Calories Per Hour

Zumba is a relatively new fitness craze but it has quickly established itself as one of the most popular exercise classes in the world. Like the other suggestions above, Zumba is a potent calorie burner and an intense hour long class will allow you to work off up to 1,000 calories. In addition to this, Zumba’s also incredibly fun and social, so is a great option if you prefer more relaxed workouts or don’t like working out alone.

5 – Intense Jump Rope = 800 Calories Per Hour

The jump rope is a simple but effective piece of fitness equipment that helps you shed body fat through the simple act of jumping. Jump rope based workouts are incredibly versatile and can be performed anytime, anywhere and anyplace for as long or as little as you like.

Summary

 By practicing some or all of these exercises on a regular basis, you’ll blast through body fat and reveal those washboard abs in no time at all. So if you’ve been struggling to get a desirable stomach for some time, add these exercises to your routine and uncover those tight, toned stomach muscles now.



HIIT Bodyweight Workout

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a fast, efficient style of fitness training that involves alternating between periods of high intensity and periods of medium to low intensity exertion for between 5 minutes and 30 minutes. Bodyweight training is a simple but effective form of fitness training that boosts your cardiovascular fitness and strength levels without using any equipment. This HIIT bodyweight workout combines these two styles of training and allows you to enjoy all the benefits they provide.

It contains 10 exercises and each exercise should be performed for 20 seconds at a high intensity and then followed by a 10 second rest. The standard workout can be completed in 5 minutes but if you want a longer or more challenging workout, simply repeat the 10 exercises as many times as you like. The section below contains instructions for each of the 10 exercises.

Exercise 1 – Push Ups

Push ups are a great bodyweight exercise for strengthening the muscles in your arms, back, chest and shoulders. To perform push ups, follow the instructions below:

  1. Kneel down and put your hands on the ground, making sure that they’re in line with your chest and about a shoulder width apart.
  2. Straighten your legs out behind you, support your body on your hands and toes, tighten your core muscles and straighten your back.
  3. Bend your elbows and lower your body down toward the ground, stopping when your nose touches the ground.
  4. Straighten your elbows and lift your body back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat steps 3-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  6. Rest for 10 seconds and move onto the next exercise.

Click Here For A Video Demonstration Of Push Ups

Exercise 2 – Burpees

Burpees are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises and help to boost your cardiovascular fitness while also strengthening all the muscles in your body. To perform burpees, follow the instructions below:

  1. Bend your knees and put your hands on the ground, making sure that they’re in line with your chest and about a shoulder width apart.
  2. Kick your legs out behind you and bend your elbows, stopping when your nose touches the ground.
  3. Straighten your elbows, kick your legs back in, stand up and jump in the air.
  4. When you land, repeat steps 1-3 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  5. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise. 

Exercise 3 – Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are a simplistic bodyweight exercise and also very efficient at burning body fat. To perform jumping jacks, follow the instructions below:

  1. Stand up straight with your feet together and your hands by your side.
  2. Jump in the air, kick your feet out to the side, lift your hands above your head and hold this position as you land.
  3. Jump in the air, bring your feet back together, lower your hands back down to your side and hold this position as you land.
  4. Repeat steps 2-3 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  5. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.

 

Exercise 4 – Squats

Squats are the ultimate bodyweight exercise for strengthening and toning your legs and butt. To perform squats, follow the instructions below:

  1. Stand up straight with your feet a shoulder width apart and your arms out straight in front of you.
  2. Bend your legs and lower your body down, stopping when your butt is parallel with your knees.
  3. Straighten your legs and lift your body back up to the starting position.
  4. Repeat steps 2-3 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  5. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.

Exercise 5 – Jump Squats

Jump squats are an explosive alternative to regular squats that add a jump to the end of the movement. To perform jump squats, follow the instructions below:

  1. Stand up straight with your feet a shoulder width apart and your arms out straight in front of you.
  2. Bend your legs and lower your body down, stopping when your butt is parallel with your knees.
  3. Straighten your legs and lift your body back up to the starting position, then jump in the air as high as you can.
  4. Repeat steps 2-3 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  5. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
  6. Exercise 6 – High Knees

High knees are a top bodyweight exercise for enhancing your cardiovascular fitness levels. To perform high knees, follow the instructions below:

  1. Stand up straight and then lift your right leg up to hip height and your left arm up to shoulder height.
  2. Lower your right leg back down to the ground and your left arm back down to your side.
  3. Lift your left leg up to hip height and your right arm up to shoulder height.
  4. Lower your left leg back down to the ground and your right arm back down to your side.
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  6. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.

 Exercise 7 – Planks

Planks are a fantastic bodyweight exercise for tightening and toning your core muscles. To perform planks, follow the instructions below:

  1. Kneel down on the ground and then put your forearms on the ground so that they are parallel with your head.
  2. Straighten your legs, raise your knees off the ground and balance your body on your toes and forearms.
  3. Once you have your balance, tighten your core muscles and hold the plank position for 20 seconds.
  4. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise. 

Exercise 8 – Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers strengthen and tone the muscles in your lower body while also improving your cardiovascular fitness. To perform mountain climbers, follow the instructions below:

  1. Bend your legs and put your hands on the ground, making sure that they’re about a shoulder width apart.
  2. Straighten your right leg out behind you, bend your left leg and point your butt up toward the ceiling.
  3. Jump both feet off the ground simultaneously and switch your leg position so that your left leg is now straight out behind you and your right leg is now bent.
  4. Jump both feet off the ground simultaneously and switch your leg position so that your right leg is now straight out behind you and your left leg is now bent.
  5. Repeat steps 3-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  6. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.

Exercise 9 – Sprints

Sprints help to develop your speed and reflexes while also blasting through calories. To perform sprints, follow the instructions below:

  1. Find an open space of at least 50 meters.
  2. Sprint across the open space, then turn and sprint back.
  3. Continue doing relay sprints for 20 seconds.
  4. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.

 Exercise 10 – Lunges

Lunges are another excellent bodyweight exercise for your legs and butt. To perform lunges, follow the instructions below:

  1. Stand up straight and place your hands on your hips.
  2. Take a long step forward with your left leg, bend both of your knees and lower your body down toward the ground, stopping just before your right knee touches the ground.
  3. Slowly straighten both knees and step back to the starting position.
  4. Take a long step forward with your right leg, bend both of your knees and lower your body down toward the ground, stopping just before your left knee touches the ground.
  5. Straighten both knees and step back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat steps 2-5 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
  7. Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise or complete the workout.

Workout Summary Chart

 

Phase Exercise Time (seconds)
1 Push Ups 20
2 Rest 10
3 Burpees 20
4 Rest 10
5 Jumping Jacks 20
6 Rest 10
7 Squats 20
8 Rest 10
9 Jump Squats 20
10 Rest 10
11 High Knees 20
12 Rest 10
13 Planks 20
14 Rest 10
15 Mountain Climbers 20
16 Rest 10
17 Sprints 20
18 Rest 10
19 Lunges 20
20 Rest 10

 

With this HIIT bodyweight workout you can build up your muscles and blast through calories. The best part is that since it requires no equipment, it can be performed anytime and anywhere. Simply memorize the 10 exercises and then whenever you have a few minutes to spare during the day, complete a quick HIIT bodyweight workout routine. You can use the recommendations below to find a workout duration that’s right for you:

  • For a 5 minute workout, complete phases 1-20 once
  • For a 10 minute workout, complete phases 1-20 twice
  • For a 15 minute workout, complete phases 1-20 three times
  • For a 20 minute workout, complete phases 1-20 four times
  • For a 25 minute workout, complete phases 1-20 five times
  • For a 30 minute workout, complete phases 1-20 six times



Top 5 Healthy Hydration Tips

If you’ve been interested in health and fitness for a while then one piece of advice that you’re likely to have heard over and over again is to ‘drink at least 8 glasses of water per day’. While this is sound advice, there’s a lot more to staying healthy while you hydrate than just drinking water. In this article I’m going to be taking a deeper look at healthy hydration and listing five of the best tips for staying healthy as you rehydrate.

Tip 1 – Consume The Equivalent Of 8 Glasses Of Water Per Day

As mentioned above, many health and fitness publications recommend drinking eight glasses of water per day. However, what most of these publications fail to state is that you can consume this water in any form. So if you’re finding drinking eight glasses of water per day difficult, try getting some of your water from other sources such as black tea, coffee, green tea, water rich fruits or water rich vegetables. Not only does this add variety and stop you getting bored when trying to hit your water target but it also allows you to fill up on plenty of other health boosting nutrients in the process.

Tip 2 – Mix Up Your Water Intake With Coffee & Tea

Black tea, coffee and green tea are all excellent ways to top up your water levels and stay hydrated. In addition to this, all of these drinks contain a number of health boosting nutrients. Black tea and green tea contain high levels of flavan-3-ols which fight allergies, boost your blood heath, protect against chronic disease, strengthen your immune system and much more. Coffee on the other hand is rich in hydroxycinnamic acids which reduce inflammation within the body, strengthen your bones and your heart, relieve chronic pain and much more. Therefore, by drinking coffee and tea you’ll not only prevent dehydration but you’ll also be able to enjoy all these health benefits.

Tip 3 – Avoid All Types Of Soda

Although it contains water, soda is something you need to avoid if you want to hydrate in a healthy way. Regular soda is loaded with sugar and by drinking it continuously, you’ll gain unwanted body fat. Diet soda doesn’t contain the calories or regular soda but it’s packed full of harmful chemicals which have numerous negative implications when it comes to your health. So if you’re currently drinking lots of soda, make some changes today and replace it with coffee, tea or water.

 Tip 4 – Enjoy Water Rich Fruits & Vegetables

Water rich fruits and vegetables are another excellent way to fill up on water while also benefiting from numerous health boosting vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Most fruits and vegetables contain a good amount of water but if you’re looking for the best options in terms of hydration, go for broccoli (89% water), grapefruit (90% water), lettuce (96% water) and watermelon (91% water).

 Tip 5 – Get A Drink Alarm App

One of the biggest reasons people find consuming the equivalent of eight glasses of water per day difficult is that they simply forget. They’re not used to drinking this volume of water and then once the day gets going, they get wrapped up in their usual routine and don’t follow through with their plans to stay hydrated. The good news is that there is a relatively simple solution to this problem – drink alarm apps.

Drinks alarm apps are simple smartphone applications that log your daily water intake and remind you to drink water throughout the day. They’re incredibly easy to use and once set up, all you have to do is confirm that you’ve drank water with each reminder and the app will take care of the rest. So if you find that your poor memory is often the reason you don’t get enough water, grab a drink alarm app today.

Summary

 By following the tips above, you’ll not only provide your body with all the water it needs but you’ll also fill up on a range of health boosting nutrients and avoid excess liquid calories. In addition to this, you’ll be getting your water from plenty of different sources, so you’ll never get bored.



HIIT Cardio Machine Workouts

One of the biggest complaints people have about cardio machines is that they find the long, steady state workouts boring and unchallenging. However, with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), you can add some pace and excitement to your cardio machine based workouts. Keep reading for 3 of the best cardio machine HIIT workouts.

1 – HIIT Exercise Bike Workout

This simple HIIT exercise bike workout is fast, fun and varied. One of the best things about this workout is that despite its high intensity, it places very little pressure on your joints and allows you to enjoy an efficient workout without experiencing pain or swelling in your ankles, hips or knees.

The table below contains instructions for this HIIT exercise bike workout:

Phase Intensity Time (seconds)
1 High Intensity Cycling 10
2 Low Intensity Cycling 20
3 High Intensity Cycling 15
4 Low Intensity Cycling 20
5 High Intensity Cycling 20
6 Low Intensity Cycling 30
7 High Intensity Cycling 30
8 Low Intensity Cycling 20
9 High Intensity Cycling 30
10 Low Intensity Cycling 20
11 High Intensity Cycling 20
12 Low Intensity Cycling 15
13 High Intensity Cycling 20
14 Low Intensity Cycling 10
15 High Intensity Cycling 20

 

The workout itself is highly flexible and can take between 5 minutes and 30 minutes depending on how much time you have available. Simply follow the recommendations below to adjust the duration of this HIIT exercise bike workout:

  • For a 5 minute workout, complete phases 1-5 once
  • For a 10 minute workout, complete phases 1-15 twice
  • For a 15 minute workout, complete phases 1-15 three times
  • For a 20 minute workout, complete phases 1-15 four times
  • For a 25 minute workout, complete phases 1-15 five times
  • For a 30 minute workout, complete phases 1-15 six times

 2 – HIIT Treadmill Speed Workout

If you want to increase your running speed, this HIIT treadmill speed workout is a great tool that takes only 15 minutes to complete. With just a couple of HIIT treadmill speed workouts each week, you’ll find that you’re able to sprint faster and longer than you ever have done before.

The table below contains instructions for this HIIT treadmill speed workout. If you can’t currently sprint at 15kph or can sprint faster than 15kph, begin the workout at your maximum sprint speed and adjust the other workout speeds accordingly:

Phase Speed (kph) Time (seconds)
1 15 10
2 5 30
3 15 20
4 5 30
5 15 30
6 5 30
7 14 10
8 5 30
9 14 20
10 5 30
11 14 30
12 5 30
13 13 10
14 5 30
15 13 20
16 5 30
17 13 30
18 5 30
19 12 10
20 5 30
21 12 20
22 5 30
23 12 30
24 5 30
25 11 10
26 5 30
27 11 20
28 5 30
29 11 30
30 5 30
31 15 10
32 5 30
33 15 20
34 5 30
35 15 30
36 5 30

3 – HIIT Treadmill Incline Workout

This treadmill HIIT incline workout is a fantastic alternative to the speed workout above that helps to develop your strength and stamina while running. It takes just 15 minutes to complete and is both fun and challenging.

The table below contains instructions for this HIIT treadmill speed workout:

Phase Speed (kph) Time (seconds)
1 15 10
2 5 30
3 15 20
4 5 30
5 15 30
6 5 30
7 14 10
8 5 30
9 14 20
10 5 30
11 14 30
12 5 30
13 13 10
14 5 30
15 13 20
16 5 30
17 13 30
18 5 30
19 12 10
20 5 30
21 12 20
22 5 30
23 12 30
24 5 30
25 11 10
26 5 30
27 11 20
28 5 30
29 11 30
30 5 30
31 15 10
32 5 30
33 15 20
34 5 30
35 15 30
36 5 30

Summary

 With these 3 HIIT cardio machine workouts, you can breathe new life into a stale cardio routine, fire up the amount of calories you burn and complete your workouts in 30 minutes or less. So pick your favorite routine and take your cardiovascular fitness to the next level today.