Your Abs
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The following is a brief guide to help you understand the basics behind burning excess abdominal fat, which exercises are the most effective for toning and tightening your mid-section, and how to utilizeproper nutrition to reveal the tight, toned abs everyone wants.
Body Type
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Before we begin, you should realize that there is no single eating plan or exercise routine that will benefit everyone.
What works for one, will not work for another.
According to Dr. George Watson, PhD, author of Nutrition and Your Mind and Psycho-Chemical Energy and Personality Strength, people’s body types describe much more.
In his research, he describes how metabolic body types [the oxidation types] affect the way people respond to food intake and the ability to handle carbohydrates and fats in the oxidation process.
In a geeky way, this explains why your friend can tolerate pasta and you can’t.
Your body oxidizes food intake differently (especially fats and carbs) than others, and being on a meal plan meant for other body types can lead to diet failure or, quite possibly, hurt your health and metabolism which inevitably slows down weight and fat loss.
In a worst-case scenario, it makes you more prone to weight gain and weight loss plateaus.
Once you understand how these body types work and determine which one best fits you, you can tailor your eating and workout routine to your individual needs and experience rapid results.[1]
A man by the name of William H. Sheldon, PhD, MD introduced the idea of various body types in the 1940s.
His theory stated there are three main body types that react differently to nutrition, environment and physical activity.
The theory behind these body types is still valid today, and utilized by many nutritionists, dietitians and personal trainers to help their clients achieve maximum results.
These body types are:
Ectomorph Body Shape
The main characteristics of an ectomorph are:
- Tall & slim
- Little body fat
- Rectangular shape
- Faster metabolism
- Smaller chest & bottoms
- Often have little muscle tone
- Hard to gain weights
Ectomorphs tend to have a difficult time gaining and maintaining lean body mass.
According to The Metabolic Typing Diet by William Wolcott, PhD, MD women with this body type tend to have a weaker appetite and find a little food goes a long way.
Your routine may be three meals a day or two meals and several smaller snacks. Whatever your routine is, food may not play a prominent role in your daily awareness.
As an ectomorph, what you need is a meal comprised of relatively small amounts of proteins and fats compared to carbohydrates.
More than any other body type, ectomorph women have the most freedom to eat a wide variety of carbohydrates including vegetables, fruits, starchy vegetables and grains.
However, it is still important to not overdo it. Of all three body types, ectomorph group is better suited for vegetarian diet.
Another popular diet that's close to ectomorphs' macro proportions is the Mediterranean Diet. Although it's not perfect, it's emphasis is similar.
According to Mayo Clinic, the Mediterranean diet is composed of primarily plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts and limited red meat in favor of fish and poultry.
In our 4 Week Bikini Body Express Plan, we cover the ectomorph body type eating in great detail with meal plans and recipes. Along with the ectomorph diet, the Bikini Express Plan includes body type "specific exercise plans" to tone and sculpt your gorgeous slender body.
Mesomorph Body Shape
The main characteristics of a mesomorph are:
- Athletic and lean appearance
- Well defined muscles
- Hourglass shape
- Efficient metabolism
- Faster workout results
- Gain muscles easily
- Gain and loses weight easily
Mesomorphs appear togain and lose weight equally easily:
They must watch their diet carefully to avoid gaining excess fat, which can cover their muscular features. Mesomorph woman does well on a mixture of High-fat, high-purine proteins and low-fat, low purine proteins and require relatively equal ratios of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
It's the most liberal body type that incorporates both ectomorph and endomorph characteristics.
This is all covered in our 4-Week Bikini Body Express Plan.
Endomorph Body Shape
The main characteristics of an endomorph are:
- Large bone structure
- Slow metabolism
- Gains weight easily, but loses it slowly
- Narrow shoulders and wide hips
- Stores fat on the upper arms and thighs
- Slim wrists and ankles
- Stores fat easily
Endomorphs gain weight easily, and must monitor their diets carefully.
Endomorph women often have a curvier, rounder body shape and tend to carry high amounts of total body mass and fat mass.
Some beautiful, sexy endomorph women we all know include Kim kardashian, Jennifer Hudson, Jordan Sparks, and model Katherine Elizabeth, a.k.a.. "Kate" Upton who is known for her cover appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Endomorph women do well on a diet composed of relatively high amounts of proteins and fats compared to carbohydrates.
This body type is considered to be afast-oxidizer who tend to oxidize carbohydrates at a faster rate than fats. In other words, endomorphs burn carbohydrates very fast, triggering insulin to spike.
According to Wolcott, endomorphs' best defense is high purine-containing foods such as red meat, salmon and crawfish. High purines in these protein sources help endomorph oxidize food (convert to energy) at a more appropriate rate, leading to optimal level of insulin.
Endomorph women should also keep a close eye on calorie intake to avoid over eating and weight gains.
Body Fat Percentage
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Body fat percentage refers to the actual ratio of fat to muscle on your body. The lower your body fat percentage, the more visible your muscles will become. Because everyone’s genetic makeup is different, the actual percentage of body fat required to make your abdominal muscles visible will vary, but that's the general rule.
According to Tom Venuto, trainer and nutritionist stated in his livestrong.com article Body Fat Percentage for Abs, women need their body fat percentage to be under 15 percent in order for them to show their abs.
However, a good rule of thumb is 10 to 12 percent for men, and 10 to 14 percent for women.
Body fat percentage can easily be calculated by the use of skin fold calipers, which can be purchased at many health food stores.
There are also weight scales available that can measure body fat percentage by simply standing on them and entering a few basic body measurements.
Afterburn Effect
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Certain exercises not only burn calories during the time that you are actively performing them, they also burn calories for up to 24 to 48 hours post workout.
This is known as the afterburn effect, and is extremely important when trying to lose excess body weight.
Research has shown that lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest than fat.
By performing weight-bearing exercises that stimulate muscle contraction, you are not only building healthy levels of lean muscle, but are also stoking your metabolism to burn calories for hours after your workout has ended.
Building lean muscle mass also helps to increase your resting metabolic rate.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
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Your resting metabolic rate is the amount of energy (calories) that the body uses to sustain its basic functions while at rest.
All metabolic processes in the body require energy in order to function.
These processes consist of catabolic processes, which break down fat and tissues that the body uses for energy, and anabolic processes, which is the tissue creation process.
The rates at which these occur are measured in calories per unit of time, and are known as the resting metabolic rate.
A lower resting metabolic rate means your body burns calories at a slow pace, whereas a higher resting metabolic rate means your body burns calories rapidly.
Therefore, it is important to have a high resting metabolic rate.
Earlier, we discussed various body types, and the rates at which they burn fat and calories.
Ectomorphs have an extremely high resting metabolic rate and have difficulty gaining weight.
Mesomorph metabolisms generally fall somewhere in the middle.
It is neither hard, nor easy, for them to burn off excess pounds. Endomorphs have the slowest metabolisms of the three body types, and have the most difficulty losing excess body weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
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Your resting metabolic rate is only a small part of your overall metabolism.
Your metabolism is the rate at which your body breaks down food and drink, and converts those into usable energy.
During this process, the body assimilates the foods and drinks you consume, combines them with oxygen, and then burns this new fuel to provide you with energy.
If your body’s metabolism works slowly, you will have a harder time converting food into energy, which results in weight gain.
The faster your metabolism works, the faster your body converts the foods you consume into energy, giving it little time to be stored as fat.
Metabolism
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Whereas any exercise, from walking to swimming, is useful for enhancing the metabolism, compound exercises are the most beneficial.
Compound movements such as squats, pull-ups, and kettlebell swings are extremely demanding on the body, and boost EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), which is crucial for boosting the metabolism.
Compound movements work both large and small muscle groups, which makes the body work twice as hard in order to burn fat.
Once the exercise is over, the body must then expend energy to repair the muscles that were used.
It is much harder for the body to repair several sets of muscles of varying sizes than it is to repair a single set.
This increases your resting metabolic rate quite a bit, and increases your calorie burn up to 48 hours after you have stopped exercising.
Compound movements that involve the large muscle groups of the lower body also work the abdominal muscles. Moves such as squats force you to tighten your abdominal muscles in order to stabilize your torso while performing the up-and-down motion of the exercise.
This works to not only tone your glutes and thighs, but your stomach also.
Types of Fat
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Before you can attempt to burn off excess belly fat and reveal your abs, you must understand that there are various types of fat, and each one has very different effects on your health.
Certain exercises work on certain types of fat, as do various nutritional standpoints.
The term 'fat' has always brought about a negative image.
However, for researchers, fat is intriguing. Aaron Cypress, M.D., Ph.D., instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School put it "Fat is one of the most fascinating organs to study. We are now only beginning to understand fat.” on her WebMD article titled The Truth About Fat.
Cypress further emphasized how we must first understand fat before hating fat.
To begin exploring fat, let's first review the varying types of fat:
Brown fat: Brown fat is considered more like muscle than white fat.
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Scientists have discovered that lean individuals tend to have more levels of brown fat than overweight individuals, and that when this brown fat is stimulated, it can actually burn calories and help with slim down.
In fact, the same article from WebMD explains one reason you may have trouble staying slim as you get older is because your levels of brown fat generally decrease with age.
Another fat expert Pam Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP gushes the benefit of brown fat on her Women's Health Magazine article and explains the purpose of brown fat is to burn calories to generate heat. That's why brown fat is often referred to as the "good" fat, since it helps us burn, not store, calories.
This particular type of fat derived from muscle tissue and is found primarily in hibernating animals and newborns.
One way to generate more brown fat is to exercise. Exercising converts the white-yellow bad fat to a more metabolically active healthy fat; as well as getting enough high quality sleep as a proper melatonin production which influences the production of brown fat.
White fat: Experts agree that white fat is more plentiful than brown fat.
White fat produces hormones that are secreted into the bloodstream, and helps to store energy. These fat cells help to produce a hormone called adiponectin, which makes the muscles and the liver sensitive to insulin.
This process helps to make us less susceptible to heart disease and diabetes
Subcutaneous fat: This fat is found directly underneath the skin, and is measured by using skin fold calipers in order to estimate your total body fat percentage.
Cypress states that in terms of overall health, subcutaneous fat located in the buttocks and thighs may not be as bad as other types of fats, and may also have potential benefits.
However, large amounts of subcutaneous fat cells stored on the abdomen are another story.
Cypress states that there is constant emerging evidence that proves subcutaneous fat around the abdomen can cause detrimental health effects.
Visceral fat: This deeply located fat wraps itself around your inner organs and spells major trouble for your health.
Rachel Whitmer, PhD, research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, states that this type of fat increases your risk for stroke, heart disease, diabetes and even dementia.
It also plays a large role in insulin resistance, which increases your risk of developing diabetes.
Subcutaneous fat is the stubborn fat that is hard to burn and often the last to go.
The main reason this fat is so stubborn is it doesn't get enough blood flow. By increasing blood flow in the area where the fat resides, it can encourage lipolysis and oxidation.
Stubborn Belly Fat
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In order to burn stubborn belly fat, there are two things that needs to happen: lipolysis and oxidation.
lipolysis is the process of getting fatty acids from the fat storage where they're hiding and making them available in the bloodstream.
Oxidation refers to transporting those fatty acids and getting them to the muscle cell for usage and burning.
Before all this can happen, you have to make sure your insulin level is stable and managed.
This can be done by eating low starch glycemic foods that don't spike your blood sugar and send a message of satisfaction and fullness.
Rectus abdominis
Rectus abdominis, this is the most well known set of muscles and is responsible for the popular ‘six-pack’. They help to support your spine and keep your body in an upright position.
When performing any bending motions or picking up items, these muscles engage.
External oblique muscle
External obliques, these muscles are responsible for helping your torso to rotate and bend sideways. They are located on the side of your abs, and are often referred to as ‘love handles’.
Internal oblique muscle
Internal obliques, these muscles lie directly underneath the external obliques. They work in conjunction with the external obliques to help your torso rotate and bend to the side.
Transverse abdominis
Transverse abdominis, this is the innermost of the flat muscles of the abdomen, and is located directly underneath the inner oblique muscles.
One study has shown that these muscles cannot be isolated, but by bracing and engaging your abdominals during exercise, you can strengthen and tone them.
When searching for exercises to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles, you may find workouts designed to either strengthen your core, or strengthen your abs.
There is a definite difference between the two..
Some of yourinner core muscles work with the outer core muscles to help provide support for your spine during everyday movement.
An example of this is if you were to open your car trunk and pull out a suitcase.
Your abs must engage to provide spinal stability so that you can maintain an upright posture.
Performing compound exercises are important for burning overall fat and calories.
However, it is also important to perform core exercises along with exercises to strengthen your entire torso as a whole.
Your core muscles help to keep your body upright and support your spine, whereas your abdominal muscles simply help you perform a few movements.
It is entirely possible to have toned abdominal muscles, but weak core muscles, which will cause back pain and poor posture.
Core Exercises vs Abs Exercises
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Core exercises engage several sets of muscles, not just your stomach. The American College of Sports Medicine and the United States Department of Health and Human Services advocate point out that core training is a way to improve stability and endurance, reduce injury and maintain mobility.
Harvard Health Publications also describes core muscles as the study cenral link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body. Whether you're hitting a tennis ball or mopping the floor, the necessary motions either originate in your core, or move through it.
A good example of core exercises are squats, deadlift, overhead presses, pull-ups, dips, lunges, glute bridges, planks, side plan, burpees and push-ups.
When performing any of these exercises, you must engage several sets of muscles in order to maintain proper form.
For example, your abdominals, legs, and arms are engaged when performing a plank.
These moves create a strong torso and strengthen several sets of muscles at once.
Abdominal exercises are usually performed on the floor, and have the sole purpose of isolating and tightening just the abdominal muscles.
8 Minute Abs Workout
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Upper Abs
Traditional abdominal exercises, such as crunches, isolate the upper region of the abdominals and provide a nice burn while tightening and toning this area.