The Truth About Abs : Ab Workouts

Looking for the right ab workouts to get that flat stomach or those 6 pack abs? Am I right? Did you know there are well over 100 abdominal exercises you can do?

Before you dive into all this information there are a few misconceptions nearly all people fail to realize that you should know about first.

Truth About Abs

"Why is it that people who never do exercises for their abs seem to get 6 pack abs? I always work on my abs and no matter what I can't seem to get the ripped abs I want."

I hear this a lot and unfortunately people waste a lot of time, effort, and hard work trying to get more defined abs. Truth is, you don't have to do any ab workouts to get defined abs and burn all that belly fat.

There is one word that you should know in order to get those defined abs. It is "Cardio."

This is the key to getting defined abs. Why? Well its very simple. Ab workouts will not burn the fat off your stomach region. Cardio does this and cardio is the key to getting your 6 pack abs.

So Why Bother With Ab Workouts Then?

Ab workouts have a very important purpose. They strengthen our core muscles. In case you didn't know our abdominal muscles are our core muscles. These muscles are very important. They are used in almost every exercise or activity we do. We need them for everything we do. When we exercise we almost always workout our core muscles each time. This is why it is crucial to strengthen them out so they can withstand the amount of exercise we put them through each workout.

Another great reason to workout these muscles is to get them ripped. Listen, we all have a 6 pack. We just need to burn that layer of fat almost completely for it to show. Ever see someone with a very small 6 pack? Well, they don't do ab exercises to strengthen a grow those muscles. If you strengthen them in combination with cardio you provide a perfect balance of making them fit well in your stomach region and giving you the perfect size 6 pack that fits your body.

To explain this better I'll use an example...

Joe does an intense cardio workout throughout the week. Joe also weight lifts for an hour, 5 times a week. He also has a strict diet plan for each day he follows. He does not do any abdominal exercises. Joe is 5'11" and weighs 180 lbs. Going by this Joe has developed a nice buff body with a 6 pack. However Joe may find his 6 pack looks a little small. It doesn't look right on him. He may also notice that his posture is a little crooked and he frequently has more injuries(pulled muscle) than the average person when weight lifting.

If Joe incorporated some simple ab exercises he would notice his posture improve, he would have injuries less frequently, he would also notice feeling less fatigued in his workout and his 6 pack would be more ripped and fit his body size well.

See the difference? This is why ab exercises are so important.

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Finding the Right Creatine Supplement

Taking a Creatine Supplement is useful for people who want to build muscle mass fast. It is used by a lot of sports athletes and bodybuilders. It is one of the fastest growing supplements.

Many bodybuilders in the gym like to use a creatine supplement with a protein supplement. They are good to build muscle mass fast if you’re consistent in taking it and working out.

Remember to read the instructions on how to use it because you are supposed to take a break after a certain timeframe of using it. This is to prevent your body from being immune to its effects.

The Different Methods of Taking a Creatine Supplement

There are two main ways you can take a creatine supplement. Heres a breakdown of the creatine comparison.

One way is to take a creatine powder. It usually comes in fruit flavors. Another way is to take creatine supplements in pill form.

I recommend if you take creatine you go for creatine powder rather than pills for several reasons.

1. You need to "load up" on creatine when you first take it. It is much easier to "load up" on creatine in powder form than taking several pills.

(Loading up means to take high volumes of it first for it to take effect)

2. Its more cost effective. You get much more creatine in powder form than you do in pills for the money.

3. Creatine powder is much more convenient. You may think pills are more convenient but you have to take several at once, many times a day. For creatine powder you just take a couple scoops usually one time a day unless your loading.

Why are Creatine Products Used by So Many Body Builders?

Well, if more nutrients our delivered to our muscles, we can then do more repetitions and then we can ultimately build more muscle mass. Because you’re able to work your body harder you can build more muscle. That is why creatine is used.

Sidenote:

In the articles below you will find information on how to use creatine, when to use creatine, if you should take a creatine supplement, the benefits and dangers of creatine, best creatine supplement for you, information of specific creatine supplements, and much more.

I highly recommend you read some of the articles below if you are seriously considering to use creatine as a workout supplement. These articles, along with the information of specific creatine products above will ensure you pick the best creatine for your needs.

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Should I Take Creatine?

Many people are looking for an edge in building muscle and stumble across the question... Should I take creatine?

Well if you are a healthy individual with no health problems and want to get bulked up then the answer is usually yes.

Why Not Always?

Well creatine’s effects may not be for everyone. When asking, “Should I take creatine?” you need to realize what creatine does. I have several separate articles that go into detail about this, however the plain and simple fact is that creatine won’t make you stronger.

Well if it must bulk you up then it must make you stronger…right? Wrong. It bulks up your muscles and makes you look stronger but it is actually just water weight. My other articles go more in depth about this if you want to read up more on it.

Many people work out to bulk up first and strength second. They want to get that image of bulky muscular body that many women desire. They want that sex appeal. If you want that then creatine will help you attain that goal faster. However, you should read up on the creatine side effects before taking your first creatine supplement.

If however you workout just to stay in shape and get stronger and don’t care so much about your image as much as the type of person in the paragraph above then you may find creatine’s benefits a little lacking for what you want and may not be a worthwhile investment.

So when it comes down to, “Should I take creatine?” Just ask yourself this question, “Which comes first in my goals, strength or image?” If strength comes first then it may not be a worthwhile investment. If image comes first then you should definitely consider looking at my individual creatine supplement product information on the previous page and pick one of those to start taking.

Just remember that sometimes the bulkier muscles don’t always mean more strength.


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What Are The Best Protein Bars?

Almost everyone has tried a protein bar before, but which ones are the best protein bars for using with your workout plan?

Don't think all of them are exactly the same. There are many types for different situations. In here you will find out about a variety of different bars and what’s in them and which one you should take.

Sometimes it's good to take them and sometimes it is not. These are things you need to know when choosing one. As you continue to read you will understand which ones you should take and why; or maybe you shouldn't take any at all.

What's The Difference?

Not all protein bars are the same. Some of the best protein bars include several different types of protein.

For example whey protein will be digested at a different time than soy protein which can affect your muscle growth if you plan on taking it after a workout.

All the best protein bars also contain different amounts and different types of sugars. This can lead to different tastes and different nutritional levels. The best tasting protein protein bar may not have the nutritional value you are looking for. I'm sure you don't want a protein bar that is actually a candy bar with protein powder. (Some are actually like that!) Okay well...maybe it may sound good now but trust me, after eating it you will feel the same way you feel when eating a candy bar. So do you still want that?

In the end it all comes down to looking at the ingredients and picking the one that is right for you. Don't pick out a bar without looking at the ingredients.

This leads to my next question which is...

What Do I Look For In The Ingredients?

Since you're at this website you want get or stay fit. For this I suggest you get a whey protein bar and avoid soy protein.

...Why?

Because not much is known on whether soy protein helps muscle growth or not, amount of time it takes to digest, etc.

So I suggest just avoiding it. Don't take a gamble when whey protein is proven to work and get to your muscles within 30 minutes to 1 hour.

This is why I will mostly be covering protein bars without soy protein.

What I suggest is that you look out for artificial sweeteners and the amount of sugar in each bar. I don't believe anyone should have artificial sweeteners because of the controversy between them. Why gamble with your body when you only get one body?

Here is a little tip if you want to avoid artificial sweeteners. In the ingredients some of the well known artificial sweeteners are called:

* Sucralose
* Acesulfame Potassium (Mainly listed as Acesulfame K)
* Saccharin

Chances are a bar with more sugar will taste better but try to avoid a lot of sugar. Then again they could replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, so watch out.

So I Now Know What the Best Protein Bars Are. Should I Eat Them?

Honestly, if you're working out you should not eat protein bars. Instead, you should take a protein powder supplement. There are a few reasons behind this.

1. You won't find very many whey protein bars. Most are soy protein.

2. You will usually not get enough protein from one bar.

3. It will take longer to digest

4. It costs much more per bar than 1 protein shake

The only time you would want to take a protein bar is when you cannot make a healthy meal or have access to making a protein shake. If you plan on using protein bars as a snack at night I suggest getting a low carb bar. Keep in mind though low carb bars usually have artificial sweeteners. If you are trying to avoid those then I suggest trying something different in your diet for a night snack.

Overall you need to realize protein bars are not meant to be supplements after or before working out. They are meant to be a quick on the go snack. You should treat them exactly like that.

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Your Best Cardio Workout

Looking for your edge in getting the best cardio workout you possibly can? Well you've come to the right place. This section is all about cardio and you will find a lot of useful information that will help all different types of cardio workouts.

What is Cardio?

Cardio is short for cardiovascular. Cardiovascular refers to your circulatory system which carries blood, oxygen, CO2, and nutrients throughout your body. Your cardiac muscle (also known as your heart) is essential in making your cardiovascular system work.

Cardio in the fitness world simply means an exercise that is aerobic and that gets the blood flowing. A cardio exercise requires constant movement of the body and the results of these types of exercises includes building endurance and speeding up the metabolic process.

Why do Cardio

People do cardio for a variety of different reasons. The most obvious reason for many is that they do cardio exercises to lose weight. Did you know that cardio exercises are simply the best possible way to burn calories? The more calories you burn the more weight you lose.

Another excellent reason to do cardio exercise is to strengthen your heart muscle. By performing cardio exercises on a regular basis you can strengthen the heart and this can help prevent a variety of problems such as heart disease and heart attacks. It can also help lower cholesterol too and help prevent blockage in your arteries.

There are other ways you benefit from cardio that you may not even know. One such way is that you will just feel good. Did you know by doing a cardio exercise your brain will release a chemical called dopamine? The released dopamine will make us feel good. This phenomenon is known as a "runner's high" which is why runners feel great after running. So if you feel depressed or are having a bad day you should go for a run.

Did you also know you can get smarter by doing regular cardio exercises? Studies have shown that running a few days a week can promote new neuron connections in the brain and can promote brain cell growth. What this means is not only can you retain more information, but you also become more alert and attentive to your surrounds and focus more. This is great for people with ADD or ADHD and could possibly prevent or slow Alzheimer's disease.

Another less obvious reason is that you will feel more energized throughout the day because you build physical and mental endurance. This along with the combination of all the other mentioned benefits makes you wonder why you wouldn't want to do a healthy cardio exercises each day.

What Now?
Now that you know the benefits of cardio and why you should incorporate it into your life; now it is time to build the best cardio workout that fits you. Do you know how to do that?

Well first you should read the articles below. After that you should try different cardio exercises. Some examples include running, bike riding, and swimming. Figure out which one you like doing the most and incorporate that into your best cardio workout. Next, find out if you are going to use running equipment such as elliptical machines or treadmills. Then do the best cardio workout you came up with and best of all, have fun doing it!

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The Best Cardio Exercises

Looking for the best cardio exercises? Truth is, you already know what they are, but I bet you didn’t know how great of a workout they could actually be.

One of the most common cardio exercises is actually the best. I am referring to running. Running is an excellent cardio workout. It stresses your body to its peak and you burn off a tremendous amount of calories doing it. It can possibly be the best cardio exercise you can do. It certainly is the most popular.

Another common cardio exercise is swimming. Swimming is a great cardio exercise. It is a great addition to any cardio workout routines. One of the great features swimming has is that it is easy on the joints and muscles. If you have a pulled muscle or joint problems and want to continue to work out you have no better option than to swim. The water puts our body into almost a zero gravity environment which puts a lot less stress on pulled muscles or damaged joints.

One great cardio exercise that is considered a sport is riding a bike. Bikes are a great exercise tool that can also be used for transportation. You can get a killer workout just riding a mile or two down to your local store to pick up something or to visit a friend. It also saves you gas and with the way gas prices go up it’s always a good thing to know. This is my personal favorite cardio exercise to do.

Then there are elliptical machines. These are a great addition to any cardio workout routines. They are a great alternative to running and you can do it at the comfort of your own home. They are good for people who are prone to joint problems. They are a smooth workout experience which means less pressure on joints than running.

The last cardio exercise I want to talk about is stair climbing. Yes, stair climbing is another great cardio exercise. Stair climbing is very hard to do and burns an insane amount of calories. You ever climb a 20 story building using the stairs? Most people will get very tired before reaching the 10th story. If you want to do this at home companies sell stair stepping machines that will imitate an endless set of stairs for you to climb.

When it comes down to the best cardio exercise you can’t go wrong with any of the exercises I mentioned. In fact, if you get bored and lose motivation it’s often good to try another exercise. Don’t be afraid to mix and match, just try to find a comparable workout level between each exercise and you’ll be okay.

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Cardio Weight Loss Program

Having a cardio weight loss program is almost essential if you are serious about losing weight. Losing weight is hard without some form of exercise and cardio is the best exercise to burn calories. Burning calories means losing weight.

Your cardio weight loss plan should be done at least 4 times a week. It is also best to do at least a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Adjusting the intensity of your workout is based on your level of fitness. Make sure you do enough cardio exercise to ensure you are getting a good enough workout.

Cardio is very important in everyday life, not just weight loss. The benefits of cardio aren’t all physical either. This goes for exercising in general as well.

You already know that cardio burns calories but do you know how? It speeds up our metabolism which results in burning more calories because calories are energy. We need energy for anything we do and the more energy we use up the more weight we lose. This is because calories are stored in the body as fat molecules.

That is reason enough to add cardio into your fitness routine. Not to mention you also are less fatigued, stay more alert and focused, and prevents almost all of the most common health problems such as heart disease.

In the end, just eating healthy doesn’t cut it. Yes, it is better if you eat healthy rather than eat junk food. Yes, you will lose weight if you just eat healthier. However, you will dramatically increase the amount of weight you lose by including a cardio workout and you will help diminish chances of problems occurring later on in life.

It’s no wonder why many doctors and organizations related to health recommend adults and teenagers of all ages add in some sort of cardio activity in our daily routines. Our body needs exercise just like it needs food. If we don’t exercise problems will arise that can easily be preventable. Of the top 5 killers in the world overall, they can be completely erased from the top 5 if the world ate healthy and exercised regularly. That is all it takes to ensure you won’t suffer many of today’s most common health problems.

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