If you want to see more of your abdominals, don’t waste too much time with sit ups. Online personal trainer Andrew Cate looks at the latest research.
Abdominal exercise and belly fat
Unfortunately for men, the site where they are more likely to store fat, the abdomen, is associated with a number of lifestyle diseases. This may be one of the reasons why losing body fat around the belly is a popular health and fitness goal among men.
It has also given rise to a plethora of sit up gadgets and training regimes to help rid your tummy of that spare-tyre.
One training theory is that performing sits ups and other abdominal strengthening exercises will help to trim body fat specifically from your abdomen. Yet this theory is nothing more than a myth, according to a new scientific study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
The research
A 2011 study compared a control group (who maintained normal activities) with an abdominal exercise group, who performed seven abdominal exercises with 2 sets of 10 repetitions, five days a week for six weeks. Waist circumference, body composition, and abdominal muscular endurance were assessed in both groups before and after the 6 week intervention.
The study found that there was no change in measurements of waist circumference, body weight, abdominal fat or abdominal skin folds after performing abdominal exercises. In other words, a series of targeted abdominal exercise were totally ineffective at removing abdominal fat. According to the researchers, it’s unlikely that 75 minutes a week of an abdominal exercise regime (15 minutes a day over 5 days) would create a sufficient energy deficit to change body fat percentage and abdominal fat percentage.
This duration falls well short of the 150-250 minutes recommended per week for body weight management. Only exercising one body part is also unlikely to use a lot of kilojoules. It is important to note, however, that the abdominal exercise group did obtain significant improvements in abdominal muscular endurance and abdominal strength compared to the control group.
Practical tips on losing body fat off your belly
According to the study mentioned above, training your abdominal muscles for 6 weeks will make them stronger, but it won’t remove abdominal fat. Abdominal exercises alone are not enough to slim your waistline or reduce fat stored around the stomach. The following tips offer a guide on how to achieve more favourable results.
• Perform regular cardiovascular exercise – Participate in exercise that makes you puff for 150 – 250 minutes each week, including activities like walking, cycling and swimming. It’s also preferable if you can avoid missing two days in a row. As your fitness improves over a month or two, look to include more intense activities, such as running and interval training.
• Manage your kilojoule intake – Eat a healthy diet rich in nutrients and lower in kilojoules, including foods such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats and seafood. It’s also important to include small portions of plant fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil. Avoid high kilojoule foods that are low in nutrients, such as sugary foods, fatty meats, processed junk foods and alcohol. Replacing soft drinks, fruit juice and cordials with water will also keep your kilojoule intake down.
• Resistance train, but not at the expense of cardio – Resistance training helps to increase your strength and boost your bone density. It also helps to protect muscle tissue which might otherwise diminish on a lower kilojoule diet. Specific abdominal exercises are also important for posture and core strength. But if fat loss is your goal, resistance training should be included as an addition to, and not at the expense of, fat burning cardiovascular exercise.
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