Does crunches burn belly fat
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- May 21, 2005
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- 96
Crunches strengthen abdominal muscles. Any exercise will burn fat once your available carbs are depleted, so diet is essential.
Just to add to the thoughts above. It is generally true that you can't spot reduce, but the fact is that certain parts of the body retain more fat than others. So, certain exercises may help give definition to your problem areas. For example, on men fat tends to accumulate around the waist and belly. With women, it tends to accumulate on the hips, buttocks and thighs. Also there tend to be different body shapes, Apples tend to put on weight in the torso, whereas, Pears tend to put on weight in the lower body.
Another thing to remember is that there are different types of fat also. I forget the terms used to describe them but one type of fat is more permanent and functions as a cushion for body organs, you really don't want to lose this kind of fat. The other type of fat is the soft fat that accumulates from a high calorie low exercise lifestyle. This type of fat retains large amounts of water, which really tips the scale. When a diet plan promises that you will lose pounds overnight, they are relying on the fact that getting rid of excess water weight will happen almost immediately. The fact is your water weight can vary by several pounds over the course of the day.
Now, what you really need to know. The fact is muscle burns calories, so if you want to lose weight you need to have a balanced exercise program and diet. Your diet should consist of low fat, low carb foods. Keep in mind sugar is a simple carb, but breads are also carbs and are worse than straight sugar. I recommend that instead on focusing on foods, focus on calories. The reason for this is that you will learn more by paying attention to the amount of calories different foods contain. For example, one sandwich roll will contain approximately 170 calories, but you could eat two bowls of rice and still only take in approximately 170 calories.
Later, as you start achieving results, you can alter your diet to meet your bodies demands, those demands will be dictated by how active you are and how much muscle mass you need to maintain. For starters, figure 1500 calories per day if you are serious about losing weight. You will find yourself hungry for about two weeks, but as your body adjusts, you will feel satisfied on 500 calories per meal. If your more casual, or want to incorporate an excercise plan into your weight loss then figure on a 2000-2500 calorie per day diet. You could also use an agressive caloric restriction in the weekdays and a more relaxed one on weekends. Don't skip meals, this only puts your body in starvation mode which means your brain thinks your staving so it responds by slowing down your metabolism and therefore retaining more fat. Also, try to get some exercise every day even it its just a 15-20 minute walk.
As already stated above, muscles burn calories, so if your serious about weight loss, incorporate a workout routine. Start out slow. low weights high reps will develope tone, medium weights that produce a "burn at 10-12 reps will build strength, going 12-15 reps will build endurance. Heavy weights that produce a burn at 7-10 reps will build mass. If you want to go for the Mr Olympic title, plan on mass building exercises for 2-3 hours per days minimum.
I only say that because many men and woman use the excuse that they don't want to bulk up so they don't want to work out, the fact is it takes real dedication to build and maintain huge muscles.
OK, sorry for the novel but in closing be sure to consult a doctor before jumping into a workout or diet. He will be concerned with your hearts overall health, and your blood pressure/cholesterol. If your under 40, you probably won't have any serious concerns but it won't hurt to know if your doctor has any concerns.
Finally these are only guidelines here. So keep in mind that it is your responsibilty to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Its always best to lose weight gradually, giving your body time to adjust. So be smart, figure out a plan that works for you and then stick to the plan..
Another thing to remember is that there are different types of fat also. I forget the terms used to describe them but one type of fat is more permanent and functions as a cushion for body organs, you really don't want to lose this kind of fat. The other type of fat is the soft fat that accumulates from a high calorie low exercise lifestyle. This type of fat retains large amounts of water, which really tips the scale. When a diet plan promises that you will lose pounds overnight, they are relying on the fact that getting rid of excess water weight will happen almost immediately. The fact is your water weight can vary by several pounds over the course of the day.
Now, what you really need to know. The fact is muscle burns calories, so if you want to lose weight you need to have a balanced exercise program and diet. Your diet should consist of low fat, low carb foods. Keep in mind sugar is a simple carb, but breads are also carbs and are worse than straight sugar. I recommend that instead on focusing on foods, focus on calories. The reason for this is that you will learn more by paying attention to the amount of calories different foods contain. For example, one sandwich roll will contain approximately 170 calories, but you could eat two bowls of rice and still only take in approximately 170 calories.
Later, as you start achieving results, you can alter your diet to meet your bodies demands, those demands will be dictated by how active you are and how much muscle mass you need to maintain. For starters, figure 1500 calories per day if you are serious about losing weight. You will find yourself hungry for about two weeks, but as your body adjusts, you will feel satisfied on 500 calories per meal. If your more casual, or want to incorporate an excercise plan into your weight loss then figure on a 2000-2500 calorie per day diet. You could also use an agressive caloric restriction in the weekdays and a more relaxed one on weekends. Don't skip meals, this only puts your body in starvation mode which means your brain thinks your staving so it responds by slowing down your metabolism and therefore retaining more fat. Also, try to get some exercise every day even it its just a 15-20 minute walk.
As already stated above, muscles burn calories, so if your serious about weight loss, incorporate a workout routine. Start out slow. low weights high reps will develope tone, medium weights that produce a "burn at 10-12 reps will build strength, going 12-15 reps will build endurance. Heavy weights that produce a burn at 7-10 reps will build mass. If you want to go for the Mr Olympic title, plan on mass building exercises for 2-3 hours per days minimum.
I only say that because many men and woman use the excuse that they don't want to bulk up so they don't want to work out, the fact is it takes real dedication to build and maintain huge muscles.
OK, sorry for the novel but in closing be sure to consult a doctor before jumping into a workout or diet. He will be concerned with your hearts overall health, and your blood pressure/cholesterol. If your under 40, you probably won't have any serious concerns but it won't hurt to know if your doctor has any concerns.
Finally these are only guidelines here. So keep in mind that it is your responsibilty to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Its always best to lose weight gradually, giving your body time to adjust. So be smart, figure out a plan that works for you and then stick to the plan..
"If you want to go for the Mr Olympic title, plan on mass building exercises for 2-3 hours per days minimum."
Hey lz2483 i thought you were only suppose to lift no more than 45 mins, the thing is im not fat im 6'3 185lb's but i have been lifting weight (chest and back,biceps) but never did crunches or situps for a year and half bcuz of hernias i had surgery on it felt like they were tearing. So with lifting i went on a high calorie drinking ensure and eating anything not watching the fat so i gained mostly muscle but from not crunching most of the fat is on my belly and i still want to gain like 40 more pounds so ima try liftin for a hour to my muxcles are completly burned out to see if that work.
Hey lz2483 i thought you were only suppose to lift no more than 45 mins, the thing is im not fat im 6'3 185lb's but i have been lifting weight (chest and back,biceps) but never did crunches or situps for a year and half bcuz of hernias i had surgery on it felt like they were tearing. So with lifting i went on a high calorie drinking ensure and eating anything not watching the fat so i gained mostly muscle but from not crunching most of the fat is on my belly and i still want to gain like 40 more pounds so ima try liftin for a hour to my muxcles are completly burned out to see if that work.
9
9cyclops9
Guest
Lz2483 said:
Incorrect. Where did you get this info? You want the best way to build mass? Forget 7-10 reps, do 8-10 sets of 3 reps with your 5 rep max. To build strength, very low reps, NOT high reps, are the way to go. This is why many powerlifters never do more than 5 reps in any set. You also forgot the other part of your Mr. "Olympic" equation, which would be AAS. Which brings me to another point. The reason those top pro BBers are able to train so many hours per day is exactly that: they're taking tons of drugs. For a natural lifter, an hour tops is the limit. After this point, the body's cortisol production increases dramatically (which is bad). I'd like to know where you found this "goldmine" of information.
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