The Truth about Ab Machines
Its a new year, and time for a fresh round of endless info-mercials touting the latest product that’s going to give you “rock hard, sixpack abs in just minutes a day, right in the comfort of your living room. Guaranteed or your money back!”
What you should know is that the makers of the all new Ab-literator (patent pending) have a few facts they would rather you not know. First, the average buyer will use their new Ab-literator for just under three weeks before parking it to gather dust, or maybe serve as a dryer rack for the laundry. Fewer than one tenth of one percent will return their Ab-literator ”for a full refund,” since they never really used it in the first place and don’t really know if it is effective or not.
But wait, there’s more! The truth is, there’s really not much of any way to get “six pack abs” just doing abdominal exercises. The abdominals are a very small muscle group, with limited potential for development. Plus, we really don’t want BIG abs, we just want them to show! As such, ab work by itself really doesn’t burn many calories. This is important because:
The real secret to the models’ taut waistline is low body fat, not highly developed abdominal muscles.
So how are we really supposed to get that ripped, rock hard sixpack like the models? Well, the truth is, if you are over 21, not an elite athlete, and never had sixpack abs before, you probably won’t get them now. Genetics make it very hard for most of us.
But, through a sensible plan of diet and exercise, we can all improve what we have and make ourselves a bit healthier in the process. The other good news is that doing some ab work is beneficial. Strong abdominals help the digestive elimination process and help us avoid injury while exercising. And lastly, an effective ab workout should only take 7-10 minutes several times a week, with no special equipment required!