Secret #3: Abs and Waist Exercises

Don't Burn Belly Fat

Abs and waist exercises and the machines marketed to perform them have been marketed for years as the best and quickest way to burn belly fat. Most people who want flat abs fast will immediately start doing sit-ups and crunches every day.

Because they feel a burning sensation in their abdomen the next day they assume they know how to lose belly fat. But this burning sensation has nothing to do with burning belly fat. It is actually caused from tears in the muscle fibers of the abdominal muscles. So, yes you are building your abdominal muscles with abs and waist exercises.

But this isn't the secret to getting flat abs. Your abdominal muscles will remain hidden if you don't learn how to lose belly fat properly. This requires a combination of a healthy flat abs diet and proper exercise program. Neglecting either of these will sabotage your efforts and prevent you from reaching your goal to have flat abs.

There is one thing you must absolutely do if you are to lose belly fat and keep it off: You must create a healthy calorie deficit. Most people hear this and immediately go on a crash diet. Read Secret #2 for more on this error. This will create a calorie deficit but not a "healthy" calorie deficit.

You simply cannot sustain the low calorie intakes of crash diets.

Abs and waist exercises can be very effective in developing the muscles of your abdomen. But they are extremely ineffective in creating a calorie deficit. That is because your abdominal muscles are relatively small muscles. You will expend only a few calories in exercising these small muscles to the point of exhaustion.

For exercise to create a sufficient calorie deficit you must involve the large muscles of your body. These muscles include the hamstring and quadriceps muscles of your legs and the chest and back muscles of your torso. This is not to say that you should completely ignore the smaller muscles of your body.

However, you do need to be very careful not to overwork these smaller muscles. Many times people trying to get flat abs fast will perform abs and waist exercises much too frequently.

Some people will actually do sit-ups and crunches every day in order to reach their goal. The smaller muscles of your body, when overworked, will be much more likely to suffer injury. Injuries keep you from doing what you really need to do in order to reach your goal.

Any program that you consider to help you reach you goal of getting flat abs should not include drastic and unhealthy calorie reductions. Nor should it rely on excessive abs and waist exercises. You want a program that creates a healthy calorie deficit and can be sustained for long-term results.

There are several good programs available that can help you reach your goal. One of these includes daily menus and meal suggestions in addition to the best exercises to help you burn belly fat. You will find the best abs and waist exercises as well as full body workouts in this program.

For more information about this program click here.

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