Toned Abs & Compound Movements
As people in developing countries become more affluent and westernized, they get more access to the same products and services long-enjoyed by folks in North America and Western Europe. Fast food is the most obvious cultural import from the West and its proliferation is causing obesity in more countries across the globe.
The most common mistake the figure-conscious make is relying on exercises that isolate the muscles of the midsection to lose excess fat. Though sit-ups, crunches and leg raises may be effective in strengthening the abdominal muscles, they don’t do much in melting belly fat and toning the abs.
Exercises that isolate the muscles of the abdomen are not totally useless of course- they serve to strengthen and develop the muscle tissue under the stubborn layer of belly fat. The only way to lose belly fat and get really toned abs however is to do exercises designed for fast body fat burn.
Studies have proven cardiovascular exercise that involves the whole body is most effective in losing excess body fat. The more muscles involved in movement, the more calories burned from stored fat. Eliminate enough body fat and that flabby belly disappears resulting in nicely toned abs.
Whole body exercises that get all the major muscle groups to exert effort get the cardiovascular system to work at high intensities. This not only strengthen the heart and lungs, they also dilate the blood vessels- improving elasticity and blood flow. It also elevates the body’s metabolism resulting in even more calories burned long after you’ve left the gym.
The human body’s ability to prevent fat-gain is improved significantly when our metabolism goes up. The higher our metabolism is, the more calories we can burn even while away from the gym. Everyone knows that weight-loss results from burning more calories than we consume from food each day.
Muscle building resistance exercises can also help fight body fat by enabling us to burn more calories. Muscles burn calories even while were not using them. The more muscular a person is therefore, the less time he has to spend in the gym working out.
Doing cardio exercises that employ compound movements are not only more effective in burning body fat, they are more fun to do as well. Dull, repetitive exercises cause people to get bored with their workouts and stop exercising after a month or so. Keeping your workouts fun and exciting is the secret to staying consistent with exercising and reaching your goal of toned abs with good definition.