How to achieve abdominal artistry
I once sported a gut. Not a huge one, mind you, but a nice little ring of smooth lard that didn't seem to want to go away no matter how many sit-ups, crunches or reps that I performed on the infomercial gadget du jour.
Today, at 34 years old, my abs look better than they did when I was in high school, and I don't even train them as hard. Yours can too, if you can get motivated enough to do a few simple things. You want rock-hard, strong abs. For most of us, the obvious reason is, they look HOT. On a subconscious level, a man's sculpted six-pack or a woman's toned mid-section signals to us vitality, youthfulness and strength. The abdominals form the centerpiece of a group of muscles called the "core." With a powerful core, you can build your limbs, chest, back and shoulders much stronger, more easily. Your core stabilizes and enhances the capabilities of your other muscle groups. It's sort of like the keystone in an arched stone bridge. Without it, the rest of the structure is a flimsy, dangerous mess. With it, you can build an impressive structure capable of supporting massive loads.
The Answer's Right There
Entire books have been written on "abs" and I've read many of them. I've interviewed countless experts on what works best for them. But perhaps most importantly, over the years I've been observing the habits of folks around me, comparing them to my results - whether the comparison made me look good or bad - and noting the differences.
For instance, my friends who eat out often and visit the bar regularly, let's say once or twice a week, more often than not have bellies. The older they are, the more this pattern holds true. Logic would indicate that either the manner of food prep, the super-sized servings, or both, cause you to get fat when dining out. Logic also suggests that the body responds to alcohol consumption by storing the calories as fat.
That's the logical supposition. But as humans, we are creatures of both logic and emotion. I can hear the impassioned screams now: "ARE YOU TELLING ME I CAN'T GO OUT WITH MY PEEPS AND HAVE A GOOD TIME??!! BOY, ARE YOU CRAZY?
Believe me, I know how extreme that sounds. And so let me suggest that it's not an either-or situation. But rather a situation of, if you do go out, you will need to make responsible choices about what goes into your body. There's that word we Americans dread, responsible. If your stomach is bigger and rounder than you'd like for it to be, you are responsible for it. You can and perhaps have blamed your genes, blamed your parents for screwing up your relationship with food for life, blamed the advertising companies for making junk food appear so sexy and desirable in commercials. All of these things may be true, but they're also rationalizations, i.e., excuses.
Claim Responsibility. Now.
Cut through all the clutter and this much becomes clear - the one person empowered to do something about it is you. Not your spouse, not your mom or dad, not a bunch of legislators in Washington. You and only you. If you accept and embrace that fact, and it is a fact, then I invite you to read on and please implement the following techniques to help you achieve the body you want. The more of them you consistently do, the better your results will be.
Cut down or cut out television. It wasn't until I committed to the practice of reading a book a week, maybe a year or two ago, that it occurred to me what a colossal waste of precious life time that most TV is. Books, on the other hand, taught me how to layoff-proof my income, how to fix things that broke in my home, how to communicate more effectively with my fellow humans, how to put together business deals, etc. Television entertained and amused me, but it did not really enrich me - with the exception perhaps of how-to shows on HGTV and Do-It-Yourself Network. The Internet lies interestingly in the middle - full of powerful, potentially life-changing knowledge, but also full of brain junkfood.
Follow These Steps
Now, here's the Money Shot paragraph: If you must watch TV, squeeze in a workout during the show or shows. Doesn't have to be a full-blown, rivers-of-sweat workout, as stinkin' up the living room might not go over so well with your family or roommates anyway. But you can sneak in, say, three sets of bicep curls, three sets of tricep extensions and three sets of dumbbell flies during a half-hour show. What's more, TV time is perfect for your stomach muscles because you can work them while seated and you can work them while standing, directly in front of the TV.
For instance, if there's a TV show I absolutely have to watch, I'll go ahead and flip on the remote. Then I do: Four sets of 100 standing torso twists and four sets of 50 side bends to warm up my abs. Pause for perhaps a minute between each. Perform four sets of 50 to 90 seated "couch-potato crunches," depending on my fitness level at that particular time.
Seek out physical labor, rather than avoid it. For millennia, humankind's quest has been to create devices that save us labor: The wheel allowed us to carry much heavier objects than we could manage on our bent backs. Guns, tanks, airplanes and missiles help us to kill one another with ruthless efficiency. Washers and dryers, riding mowers and computers enable us to finish our chores more quickly, presumably leaving more time for the fun stuff.
But I'd submit to you that some work-savers, like taking the elevator instead of two flights of stairs, or stalking in your car for a close-to-the-mall-entrance parking spot instead of taking a slot another 40 feet away, represent massive miscalculations. Massive because over time, these decisions become habits. These habits beget accumulated results, which manifest as unwanted pounds on your frame and inches on your waistline. Or stated more graphically, these habits show up on you as lard.
So why not instead view each physical "obstacle" in the course of your day as an opportunity? It might be as simple as taking the stairs both ways at work. Perhaps it's walking or biking to and from the job if you have a short commute. It can and should be simple things - volunteering to carry heavy objects (that you know you can handle without injury) around the home, in the store, wherever. Your body was designed to perform physical labor, not to lounge around. Were you just complaining that you don't have time to work out? Well use all these free "micro-workouts" all around you! The more of these calorie-burning opportunities you exploit, the stronger you will be, the better you will look, and therefore, the more powerful you will feel.
If this article has made you uncomfortable, maybe even insulted you, I'm ok with that. Anger is a few rungs up on the ladder of awareness from apathy. If I've stimulated you to think, then wonderful. But that's not enough. Take responsibility for getting your results (and your happiness), write down what you must do, take action and do it now. You deserve it.
