That is the question when you are trying to get into shape. We've all asked it and we've asked our fitness professional and sure enough....got opposing answers. Well, all I can do is tell you my story on crunches and sit-ups and side lifts and...... Exhausting. I used to be the queen of sit-up’s. I mean I could go all day proving how many I could do and how many different variations of them I could do. You just could not out crunch me! LOL. Well then I married Jason, Mr. Rockhard abs. I say one day when we first starting going to the gym together, "Hey I'm going to go over to the mats and do some crunches". He looked at me like I was on crack. "Why, why would you do that?" he said. Ummmmm because I'm supposed to, duh! Everyone does them if they want to have a washboard stomach. I sincerely thought for a minute Mr. personal trainer for 18 years was off his rocker and not such a great trainer after all....but I wasn't going to tell him that. I've gone to plenty of classes where we did abs for the last ten minutes or so and if that wasn't right then there we ALOT of instructors who were clearly misinformed...so nope that couldn't be the case. NO sir. So I walked over to the mat and did my crunches while he went and did free weights and machines. Weeks after weeks we would go and he NEVER did a single crunch with me. Yet he still had ridiculous abs. So I think once he got comfortable with actually telling me like a trainer what I am doing right and wrong, he went through the deal on what you are actually doing when you crunch and how you can do the same and even better workout simply by tightening your core when you do ANY other exercise. When you pull down the lat bar, suck your bellybutton in and your core instantly tightens. When your do a seated row, suck your bellybutton in. When you run on the treadmill, suck your bellybutton in (and don't stick out your butt)...get the idea? Everything you do, walking, running, swimming, when using free weights and machines, suck that bellybutton in and your core tightens up. What this does is strengthen your core (abs) and gives you exactly what you wanted in the first place. What is DOES not do is build up your abdominal muscles so fast (like sit-ups do) that it pushes out the fat layer that is still sitting on top of it. You need to lose the fat and you will see those washboard abs peeking out. Now, beyond that he told me most importantly I would never see what I want until I get my food in check and start to lose the stubborn little belly fat that I was still holding on to (my pooch). Well how the heck do I do that if I can't do sit ups too??? "Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym", he said. HUH??? What is that supposed to mean. Simple, get your food in line, lower your calorie intake and you will see your body transform like never before. Now, that core tightening you do instead of sit-up’s is obvious and you'll see a stronger looking stomach that is lean not bulky. I will admit it took me a few months to follow his instruction. I would sneak into the bedroom and do crunches when he was busy...until my daughter told on me. I finally did acquiesce and tried it for myself.
I have three pictures above. They were taking over the past few weeks. The first is how I looked when I started taking control of my food on January 4th, the second was taken the middle of the month, and the third about a week ago (not even a full month yet). What you see is a major change in my definition and leaning out. I have cut my caloric intake to be about 500 calories below what I exert for the day. And I do core stability training (Like balancing on the ball) instead of sit-up’s. I suck my bellybutton in when I walk and workout. It takes some getting used to but once you learn to do it, you will automatically do it without thinking.
REMEMBER, ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN not the gym.
