subject: Ab Workout Routines That Actually Work [print this page] Are you looking for a really good ab workout routine? Great! I have got some really good information for you. But, let us take a look at the science of getting great abs.
The first thing that you need to know is that if you want to see your abs but are packing a few extra pounds traditional ab workouts like situps are not going to help you lose that weight. A lot of people do crunches and other ab workouts to lose weight. However, you just cannot spot reduce fat and even if you could exercises that single out the abs do not generate enough calories to make a difference.
To see your abs you need to get down below 10% body fat if you are a man and 16% if you are a woman. To do this we are going to do special types of exercises called compound or multi joint exercises because they work multiple muscle groups at the same time. These are whole body workouts and the benefit is that they actually work your abs while you are working other muscle groups. The other added benefit is that they cause you to exert so much effort that they actually raise your metabolism for a few days after.
These exercises are as follows.
The clean and jerk. This is a great whole body exercise that will really cause you to burn calories. It will also work your abs because they will be involved in stabilizing your body.
Dumb bell swings. This exercise looks like it is working your shoulders however you will really feel it in your abs.
Renegade rows. Again, this looks like it is working your shoulders and back however your abs play a major role in stabilizing your body.
There are many other exercises like this that you can do and they are much more effective at burning fat and building muscle than traditional stomach exercises or even running.
Another of these exercises is the kettlebell swing. A kettlebell (KB) looks like a cannonball with a handle on it and, because of the design, is ideal for swinging between your legs with either one hand or two. The KB swing really targets your abs and when you use a KB there is an added cardiovascular element to weight lifting that is absent with barbells. Because of this you can actually burn up to 20 calories a minute by using a KB and I have heard stories of people losing a hundred pounds in a year just by doing KB swings.
