Philosophies Behind 6 Pack Abs
December 10, 2009 by Dan Soalris
Filed under Fitness
Fitness experts have long discovered the potency of cardiovascular exercises in burning calories and eliminating fat from the body. Only by melting away enough body fat can stubborn body fat be trimmed off the midsection to expose the contours of the abdominal muscles- the much sought-after 6 pack.
It’s a well-known fact that a combination of body-building exercises and cardiovascular workouts are the most effective in developing the muscles and facilitating fat loss at the same time. Since there are two types of cardio exercises, the question here is which type is the best for getting 6 pack abs?
There’s low intensity cardio exercise and those done at high intensity (around 90% of the maximum heart rate). The low-intensity theory is has more followers because although workout sessions are longer, they’re relatively easier and so beginners, the aged and obese can execute them.
Another aspect the low-intensity cardio theory has going for it is that it’s a proven fact that exercises done at low-moderate intensity over an extended period targets body fat as the only source of calories used up. Exercising at intense levels actually cause the body to use up carbohydrates as well as fat for energy also.
Glycogen is a form of carbohydrate that is necessary for muscle repair and development. Since muscle helps in proper metabolism its retention is essential for losing body fat. For this reason, folks that belong to the low intensity cardio faction say high intensity exercises can lead to loss of muscle tissue- delaying the process of getting 6 pack abs.
Experts who swear by high-intensity cardio exercise for forming 6 pack abs say the sheer amount of calories burned working out hard offsets glycogen loss which can be replenished through post workout food. Of course, the faster the calorie-burn, the shorter the workout sessions.
High intensity theorists say that intense exercise in even help develop more muscle as a result of harder physical effort required to execute them. It’s also been discovered that a person’s metabolic rate stays at elevated levels hours after having finished with the workout. This means even more calories spent and more body fat curbed.
Another disadvantage of low-intensity exercises is it takes 10 minutes before the heart rate goes high enough to be able to start burning calories. It’s clear that choosing between the two cardio ‘schools of thought’ depends on how much time a person can allot to exercising each day to get 6 pack abs and how developed his cardiovascular system is.
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