Lately, the controversial question is, are crunches bad for six pack abs. No, they are not bad for six pack abs, but if your goal is to attain visible six-pack abs, then you need to focus on other aspects of exercise and diet. Concentrating on resistance exercises that increase our metabolism to burn fat, monitoring our diet and reducing the amount of stress in our lives.
Crunches do not target what needs to be trained. Crunches are good for stabilizing, strengthening and developing the muscles of the abdomen. But to achieve defined ripped abs, overall fat-burning activities must be done.
Overall fat burning exercises are activities that allow us to train our whole body to increase our metabolism. By increasing our metabolism, we are better able to burn fat and utilize the excess belly fat, which results in more visibility of the abdominal muscles.
Metabolic activity has been shown to increase through resistance training exercises. Increased metabolic activity allows the body to utilize the fat as a fuel source and reduce overall body fat. The muscles that we develop from resistance training makes our body become better able to use our body fat to fuel our activities.
Our diet plays an important role in getting six pack abs. Eating smaller portion meals more frequently throughout the day allows our bodies to maintain energy levels and stabilize our blood sugar. Also, eating better quality foods, well balanced in protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals and vitamins, will help us to achieve our goal of six-pack abs.
Stress affects our bodies in a way that makes our bodies react in an emergency mode. When our bodies are in a stressful situation, Cortisol is released and causes fat to be stored in the abdominal area.
There are activities that are effective in reducing our stress. Activities like yoga, tai chi and deep breathing have all been shown to decrease stress in people.
Are crunches bad for six-pack abs? No, crunches are not the answer to achieve defined six pack abs. We need to focus on activities that allow for overall fat burning, through resistance training, monitoring our diet and reducing the overall amount of stress in our lives. Having the discipline and understanding to change our daily habits, we will be able to achieve six pack abs.