Getting in shape : Level 2 – Part 3

OK, so I’m assuming your arms are quite sore after Part 2. If you are harbouring bitter thoughts about me, a gentle reminder – you’re doing this for yourself.

Okay, so down to the last exercise, at least for now.

CRUNCHES

Okay, so I’m pretty sure you know what these are. This is what you’ll have to do to get a good set of abdominal muscles (abbreviated to abs). You can call it the rectus abdominis muscle if you want, but I won’t.

A crunch is simple, not easy. Simple, because it’s uncomplicated. Depending on the current development of your abs, you have an option of two stages.

• If you’ve never done anything about your abs till now, for the first few days, just start with some basic ab warm-up exercises. There are not proper crunches.
  • Lie flat on your back, with your hands behind your head.
  • Attempt to curl your shoulders (not head) towards your knees as far as possible. While doing this, do not use your hands to push your head forward, because your neck muscles are supposed to be relaxed at this point.
  • For maximum output, and so that you don’t hurt yourself, be slow. If you do it to quick, you might pull a muscle.
  • Once you’ve gone as far forwards as possible, just slowly return to the starting position.
• If you had trouble with this, most likely you’d have noticed that your legs seem to rise automatically. To counter this, if you can get someone to help you out, by standing on your feet or something would be a good idea. Since this is unlikely, unless you workout with a buddy. As a rule, you can’t just go and ask a stranger to stand on your feet. They’ll just stare. Alternatively, find some large bricks or paving stones in the park. Keep them on your feet to stop them from rising.
• If you’re abs are in a reasonable state of development, you can start with crunches.
  • They’re quite similar to the exercise I mentioned. Just, that instead of lying flat, fold you legs, so that your knees are bent, but your feet remain planted firmly on the ground.
  • Then attempt to raise your shoulders as far as possible.
  • As a rule, it will be hard to do pure crunches till you’re abs are well-developed. So, you’ll have to find a counterweight to keep on your feet. Luckily, I’ve got some pretty heavy kerbstones lying around in the park, which I use.
  • Again, make sure you’re gentle and slow. Not only does this develop your muscles better, but if you just jerk about, you’ll rupture something or the other.
• Another version of the crunch, one I don’t use right now involves no counter-weights. Your knees are supposed to bend and rise to meet you as you pull your shoulders up. You can choose whichever one you want.

But this must be taken with a pinch of salt : crunches are not an effective way to lose abdominal fat. However, they will develop the abdominal muscles below the fat. So you might just end up looking bulkier for a while.

Which brings me to another important point: my fitness routine is a mixture of cardio and muscle-building exercises. There is a critical difference between them. Running qualifies primarily as a cardio exercise i.e. your heart will be beating much faster than usual, and your body will be burning more calories, which translates into a use of fat. Cardio is the way to go to burn fat.

And remember, there’s nothing like spot reduction i.e. you just exercise one part of your body and expect the fat from there to disappear. It will be harder than that.

Muscle building exercises don’t quite work that way. They’re supposed to put strain on your muscles, so that they develop. Now if you do a mix of this, as my routine suggests, you may not lose that much weight. Because your flab will just be replaced by muscle, which is denser. So don’t fret if your weight scales don’t register that much of a difference. Your stamina and endurance will reflect the true story.

That marks the end of the current exercise routine. But I’ve got more to say on the topic, so watch out for the next one… Remember, if you want to access the other posts in the series, just click on the ‘Fitness’ tag in the tag cloud on the right, or alternatively, click here.