As we’ve discussed in previous posts, the key to flat abs and weight loss in general is consuming fewer calories than you expend. This can be done by raising your metabolism through exercise or reducing your calorie intake through dieting. Exercise is by far the smartest option as you won’t run the risk of harming your metabolism, which is your greatest weight loss weapon. But working out is not always convenient and in fact it can be rather intimidating if we’re looking for quick results. Fortunately there is an alternative to the conventional long and hard gym sessions.
Mini workouts provide a great alternative for the lazy or busy person, and they can be just as effective as other training programs with only a fraction of the time invested. That said, they are taxing. We must always keep in mind the fundamental principle of progressive overload. If you want to make your body increasingly energy efficient, stronger, slimmer, and you want those flat abs, it’s very important that you push your body past previous limits on a regular basis. One of the ways of adding intensity, which is the measure of overloading your body, is by condensing the workout as much as possible. A person that can complete a full body workout in 20 minutes is much fitter than the person who needs 40 minutes to complete the same workout.
When aiming for flat abs and weight loss it’s essential we stick to big compound movements which work the largest muscles and require the most energy to perform. Fortunately for all of us, we don’t need a gym for this kind of training. Bodyweight training is a great way to tighten up a workout and focus on the essentials. This will reduce our workouts to three or four exercises only. Each exercise should be performed as quickly as possible to failure, that is, until you are not capable or performing another repetition. And then you should move immediately into the next exercise with no rest in between.
This small condensed circuit is very intense and very effective. In fact, it takes less than 2 minutes even if you can perform over 50 repetitions of each exercise. If you’re in decent shape or you can not perform 15 repetitions of each exercise, another set can be added after a 2 to 3 minute rest, making the entire workout less than 8 minutes. If you cannot perform 10 repetitions per exercise, you ought to use free weights that you can move for 20 to 50 repetitions.
The best exercises for this are pushups, bodyweight squats, v-sits or crunches, and pull-ups if you have a pull-up bar. Pull-ups are not essential for this circuit. One should work the pulling muscles, the lats and biceps at least one day a week, but if its inconvenient, it doesn’t need to be a component of your mini circuit, which should be performed daily, if not twice a day, 5 or 6 days a week. This workout is so short and sweet there’s no reason not to have a try. It’s important to remember though that you need to push each exercise to the limit, and when the circuit is complete, rest. It’s that easy. Do this daily for one to two sets and you’ll see amazing weight loss results and flat abs shortly.
Tags: flat abs, weight loss