Page 42 - NGA NATURALmag 2017 ANNIVERSARY FALL Issue

Fall 2017
Abdominal Training Tips
BY DR CHRISTOPH KLUEPPEL
NGA EDUCATION DIRECTOR FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA ULTIMATE ULTIMATE FITNESS FITNESS ACADEMY (THAILAND) CHRIS@ULTIMATEFITNESSTHAILAND COM COM ULTIMATEFITNESSTHAILAND ULTIMATEFITNESSTHAILAND COM Fat tends to to be stored in in in the the the the most inactive areas of the the body and there- fore the the abdominal area is one of the the preferred areas for fat deposits especially in men In the the quest to lose these unwanted pounds from their midsection fitness-enthu- siasts often perform an an abundance of of ab- dominal exercises They are caught up in in the misconception that resistance-exercises such as leg-raises sit-ups or crunches will affect fat-loss in in their abdominal area Unfortunately such “spot-reduction” is is not pos- sible Abdominal exercises don’t burn a a a a a a significant number of of of calories and the the the energy to to perform these kinds of of of exercises comes from from the the the the the glycogen-stores of of of the the the abdominals’ muscle-cells not from from the the the fat-layer above Thus systematically training the the the abdominal will will hardly reduce any belly-fat but will will rather strengthen the the the muscles underneath Healthy fat-loss occurs gradually throughout the the body because of of sen-
sible long-term reduction of of daily calorie-intake by optimizing one’s food choices (not starving oneself ) along with an increase in in in in in in calorie output through regular prolonged aerobic activity in in in in in in combination with a a a a a a a a a properly designed weight-training program Unless these vital requirements are met you will never achieve an impressive six-pack Some fitness enthusiasts may wonder whether they should even bother to train their abdominals Model:
Photo Photo Credit: Norma Sobal Visions Photography
at at all because abdominal training does so little
to reduce belly-fat Strengthening the the the abdomen
is imperative as these muscles have several very important functions to fulfill The abdominals protect the the visceral organs and compress the the abdominal abdominal contents which can contribute to giving one’s mid- section a a a a a trimmer appearance The abdominals particularly the the the rectus abdomi- nis are responsible for the the the flexion of the the the vertebral column which is is is essential in in in everyday movements Working as the the the the antagonists of of the the the the erector spinae complex balancing the the the the the the action of of of these strong extensors of of the the the the the vertebral column they contribute a a a a a a a a a a great deal to stabilizing the the the midsection which is particularly important during various weight-training exercises like the barbell squat deadlift shoulder press etc Unfortunately improper performance of NGA Pro Tony Richburg
42 NGA NATURAL mag