The Truth About Abdominal Exercise Programs

With today's workout regimens focus on abs toning and strengthening, it really isn't a wonder why a number of abdominal exercise programs prevail.

Abdominal exercise programs are pretty much exercise programs which target the rectus abdominis, in common terms the "six pack" area, and the obliques, the waist area. They are among the most common of exercise programs, as well as among the most wrongly done, wasting time, energy and effort.

Here are some truths about abdominal exercise programs, which could save exercisers from "waste of time" mistakes when it comes to abdominal exercise programs.

Muscle is Muscle

The belief that abdominal muscles are different from the other muscle types in the body is wrong. The only difference abdominal muscles have over other body muscles would be their location in the body. There is no physiological difference between abdominal muscles from other muscles in the body, no difference with how it contracts, or how it strengthens with regular exercise.

Muscle is Muscle. Plain and simple.

Daily Abdominal Exercise Programs

One doesn't have to do abdominal exercise program routines on a daily basis. It is advised that they be done every other day, giving the abdominal muscles time to recover, just like any other muscle group in the body.

As most abdominal exercise programs aim to fatigue the ab muscles, recovery time is needed in their successful flow.

Abdominal Exercise Programs and Fat

Abdominal exercise programs aren't exactly geared to reduce the fat in one's abdomen area, as a combination of an overall workout regimen and a balanced diet successfully resolves this issue with exercisers. What abdominal exercise programs do is build more muscles, as well as helps raise an exerciser's metabolism rate, keeping an exercisers abs fit. Again abdominal exercise programs don't convert the fat over the abdomen area into all muscle. They don't melt the fat away.

The Power of Sit Ups

Requiring only the most basic of exercise equipment, proper sit ups are pretty much enough to make an abdominal exercise program effective on an overall scale. Sit ups don't necessarily have to be "full sit ups" as these sit ups basically strengthen muscles with are already strong, and are not the abdominal muscles.

Going on a variety of sit ups, targeting the rectus abdominis, has proven to be quite effective.

The most important reason why training one's rectus abdominis is essential is for back health. With this, it is quite important to incluce the exeternal obliques, internal obliques and the transverse abdominals when doing sit ups.

Bottom line, variety is the key, through the application of proper abdominal exercise program routines, in the making of six pack abs.

Milos Pesic is a professional fitness trainer who runs a highly popular and comprehensive Abdominal Training web site. For more articles and resources on abdominal exercises, abdominal workout tips, abdominal fitness equipment and much more visit his site at:

http://abs.need-to-know.net