It was recently called to my attention that this column seems to be primarily geared towards males. I do not deny this allegation, as I see the pursuit of a bigger and better physique a distinctly male pursuit. However, I do see the other side of the issue; that is why I am devoting a section of this week's inside fitness specifically to female concerns with fitness, as explained to me by someone I consider a typical female.
When talking to women about fitness and working out, the most common question I get is how to flatten and tone the stomach. This process consists of three elements: diet, cardiovascular exercise, and resistance training. All of these can also be applied to any other areas that a female may feel isn't up to par. The first thing I must do is dispel the myth that hundreds of crunches, outer/inner thigh exercises, or triceps exercises will eventually lead to that lean, toned look that is desirable. This technique, called "spot-reduction" does not work. In actuality, it probably hinders the progress of the specific body part due to the excess strain put on it through intensive exercise. In other words, no, five hundred crunches a day will not put you on the fast track to that flat, firm stomach that you want. That said, here are the basic elements of improving a body, or an individual body part.
For the sake of discussion, we will consider the steps toward improving the midsection; this includes flattening it, getting rid of love handles, and enhancing it's general appearance.
The first element to explore is how to shed the excess fat covering the stomach. The first step to this is simple: reduce your caloric intake slightly, and increase your caloric output in the same proportion. The principle behind this is very basic: if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Now that said, I must also say that taking this method to the extreme will have the opposite effect: severely cutting down on calories will slow down your metabolism accordingly, making losing the fat that much more difficult. Your body will go into survival mode and actually begin to store fat, as it will interpret the severe caloric deficit as starvation.
The second element also concerns reduction of body fat. This is cardiovascular exercise. Now, I have been to the gym and seen the same woman running on the treadmill for the entire time I am there; sometimes in excess of an hour. While this isn't exactly unhealthy, it is probably more than is necessary for most people to reduce fat and improve cardiovascular health. Studies show that just 20 to 30 minutes of cardio three to four times a week will yield significant benefit. I am sure that most people can spare 40 to 50 minutes a day, a few times a week, to walk down to the gym, run for 25 minutes, and walk back. It must be noted that of the three things that one should do to work on "problem areas," two of them have nothing to do with inordinate amounts of repetitions on the sit-up machine.
The third element is the actual exercise to tone the muscle or muscles in question. In this case, it would consist of doing stomach exercises to tone the muscles of the abdomen. There are three basic groups of muscles in the midsection: the upper abs (usually the easiest to bring out, especially in females); the lower abs (usually the most difficult to define); and the side abdominals, or the obliques. In order to effectively tone and improve the look, one should incorporate exercises that target each of these groups. The following are a few examples:
Upper abdominals usually respond well to the standard crunches. Lie on your back, with legs in the air and bent at the knee. Your thighs should be perpendicular to the floor, with your knees at right angles. Keep your lower back flat on the mat, and pick a point on the ceiling above your head to focus on. This ensures that your neck moves minimally throughout the exercise, thereby reducing strain. Crunch up, lifting your shoulders and upper back off of the mat. When contracting the abs, imagine squeezing an accordion. Lower slowly.
For the obliques, you can use the captain's chair (this is commonly used for leg raises). With back straight, legs hanging straight down, twist your legs and bring your knees up to your side, squeezing your obliques as you do so. Lower your legs slowly, and repeat on the opposite side. This exercise is fairly intense, so don't get discouraged if at first you have to cheat and swing your legs a little bit.
For the lower abs, I have found this exercise effective. Lie flat on your back. It's usually easiest to hold on to something above your head, such as the edge of the mat or a partner's ankles, but if you must you can place your hands under your butt. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, raise them to a right angle with your torso (or slightly beyond). Once in this position, push your feet towards the ceiling, lifting your butt off the floor slightly. Lower slowly, and repeat. If this motion is too difficult, just do the leg-raises until you are strong enough for the push towards the ceiling at the end of the movement. The motion is more important than the number or repetitions, so focus on the movement rather than trying to complete 25 reps. Fifteen to 20 reps per set should be effective.
