ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN!

Many people are chasing that chiselled set of abs. Whether it is for a fitness/bodybuilding show, for that vacation you plan on taking or to look good on the beach. However, what most don't realize is that they already have the six-pack they so badly want! Everyone has abdominal muscle. They are one of the main muscles for holding your body upright. They control many every day movements you would not even expect. So how do get these magical muscles to show their face? A million crunches and sit-ups every day, right? WRONG! This is one of the biggest myths within fitness. Crunches actually burn very little calories when performing them. Are they beneficial? Absolutely! However, they are going to sculpt your abs and make your core stronger. These are both very useful functions, however, they are not going to give you the abs you want. The reason for the common misconception is due to marketing in the fitness industry over the past decade. There are countless advertisements and commercials on T.V with a new piece of equipment that 'gives you abs.' The commercial shows somebody with great abs using this piece of equipment. Now the consumer ties the image of great abs to doing some form of abdominal exercise. Abdominal workouts are great, but the one and only way to get that 6 pack is through your diet and cardiovascular exercise.

These are a couple of things I will talk a little more about at a later time.

"Proper" Number of Repetitions?

So, you're in the gym and you're trying to build muscle. Great! However, there is a common question that is often asked in and around the gym. How many repetitions should I do to build muscle?

To give a little bit of history behind this question, we will start back in 1954. Ian MacQueen, a surgeon and competitive bodybuilder came up with a theory. He believed that 8-12 repetitions was the secret number for building muscle. Now although this holds some truth, it is also very dependent upon another factor. The main factor responsible for muscle growth is called, time under tension. This is simply the amount of time in which you put your muscles under stress. Many people have a belief that you must lift the heaviest amount of weight to make you muscles grow. However, using heavy weights will cause a type of muscle growth which will lead to strength gains rather than size gains. Using less weight but more time under tension, will stimulate the muscles in a way which causes size increases. Both types of training have their benefits.

So what IS the best rep range for your workouts?

There is no set number. Vary your rep ranges and adjust the weights accordingly. This will ensure you stimulate every type of muscle growth, both in the slow and fast twitch muscle fibres. Your body is an extremely smart machine and will always adapt to what you are doing. If you constantly keep your body guessing, it will constantly have to adapt and change. This is how optimal growth and results occur.