Freetrading Articles

Pilates, the exercise specifically tailored to work your mid-section or core, have become extremely popular all over the globe. Gone are the days of working out your core, or abdominals and any muscles surrounding them, by doing laborious, back breaking sit-ups and exhausting crunches. To obtain the rock hard abs made popular by the movie "300" and hunky Spartan warriors shown on the big screen, many people are concentrating solely on their abs and not much else in order to obtain the ever elusive and hard to get "six-pack".

Pilates, the exercise specifically tailored to work your mid-section or core, have become extremely popular all over the globe. Gone are the days of working out your core, or abdominals and any muscles surrounding them, by doing laborious, back breaking sit-ups and exhausting crunches. To obtain the rock hard abs made popular by the movie "300" and hunky Spartan warriors shown on the big screen, many people are concentrating solely on their abs and not much else in order to obtain the ever elusive and hard to get "six-pack".

But the truth about core training is that most people will never obtain the abdominal muscles they desire simply by doing crunches or other core work. In reality, most people won't see a speck of improvement in their midsection if all they do is core training. This is a dirty little secret that any Washington, DC fitness coach or personal trainers are aware of. But they let people, even encourage them to keep doing crunches because they are selling the fantasy of the six-pack, and fantasies are very popular as well as profitable.

Why you can't get a Flat Stomach with Crunches

People should really work towards having a flat stomach instead of the almost impossible six-pack. Most people do not realize the hard work and dedication that comes with having a six-pack, plus the maintenance in keeping it up. Those people that do have the abs that we all dream about have normally worked for years in order to obtain them at the gym and eating correctly. They are also blessed with the good genes that allow them to acquire this asset. It really is much simpler and more realistic to concentrate on having a healthy stomach instead of a picture perfect one.

The stomach, as you are likely aware, is a problem area for most people. It seems to collect fat more quickly, especially in men. We all know about beer bellies and how they make men look like, well, their fathers. It is no wonder that most men are desperate to shed some pounds from this definitive area, and more often than not they turn to core training to help them do it. But to be blunt, core exercises are an incredible waste of time.

The truth about core training is that while they may indeed make your core muscles a little stronger, nobody will notice them. You see, everyone is born with abdominal muscles that you can't see because they are covered by a layer of fat. So, if you want a flat stomach or you want to shoot for that elusive six-pack, you must take off the fat. Core training will not help you do that.

There are so many people that believe the myth that working out one particular area of the body will result in weight loss in that zone. This is defined as target weight loss and it is simply not true. Our body is programmed to function as a whole unit, not in individual sections so weight loss happens all over the body, not just in one place.

Cardiovascular workouts have been proven to be the most effective in burning fat and helping you lose weight. More calories are burned doing things like running, biking, swimming, walking, jumping rope or anything that gets your heart beat up. Burning calories is what gets rid of fat so the goal is to get rid of as many calories as one can!

Core training can actually be quite dangerous, especially if you are tired. If not done correctly and with perfect form, core training can cause damage to your neck and spine and injury is even more likely when our form isn't exactly right. Those suffering from back and/or neck problems should not participate in core training because of the risk of further injury.

So if the only kind of exercise you do is core training, stop! They will not help you flatten your stomach and they are a waste of time. You would be far better served taking a run around the block or riding on you bicycle than you are doing endless crunching in pursuit of an elusive dream.