Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

Once you master the basics of your abdominal workout, you can tailor the program to fit your overall goals.  Are you trying to build muscle (a 6-pack or a flat, lean stomach?)  If so, you will want to limit the amount of sets, limit the time in each set, push the weight up to easy fatigue levels, and give your body more rest days.  Are you an endurance athlete?  Then you want to maximize the time limits of your sets, push the time limits to 60 seconds, or a bit longer, and limit your rest days.  The difference between these two examples is simple.  If you are looking for muscle growth, you want to treat just as you would a chest workout.  If you want a stronger looking chest, you would max out your bench press weight, do minimal numbers of sets, and then give the body plenty of time to recover so you can add to the weight lifted in your next workout.  However, if you are a marathon runner, you want a strong core, but it is equally important that you teach your body to push your lactic threshold (the point at which your body fatigues) back further and further with each workout.  There are many other goals and programs.  It is up to you to figure out which one is right for you.  If you have any questions about your personal abdominal workout, don’t hesitate to contact us and we will personalize one just for you!

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• Tip of the Month

  August 2010

  Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass

   If increasing muscle mass is one of your goals, then think twice before you go out for a night of heavy drinking. Consuming alcohol in large quantities has a direct effect on your metabolism, causing fat to be stored instead of being utilized as an energy source. Alcohol contains seven “empty” calories per gram, meaning that these calories don’t provide you with any of the essential nutrients you need to build that muscle mass you desire.

  Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body
  Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
  Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
  Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
  Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

  Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Physical Performance
  Alcohol is a known depressant that suppresses the brain’s ability to function. Even though you may feel a “high” after several cocktails, the truth is that your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance all decrease dramatically. Furthermore, the after-effects of a night of excessive drinking can be detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic that may result in dehydration. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day.

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• Recipe of the Month

  August 2010

  Pepperoni Pizza

   

  Pepperoni pizza gets a healthful makeover with whole-wheat pizza dough and a flavorful tomato sauce that, thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree, provides extra beta carotene and fiber. We’ve topped the pie with low-fat turkey pepperoni, but if you like, use your favorite sliced vegetables instead.

   

  INGREDIENTS

  1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, (see Shopping Tip), thawed if frozen

  1 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

  1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce

  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni, (1/2 cup)

   

  COOKING DIRECTIONS

  Step 1- Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

  Step 2- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.

  Step 3- Whisk pumpkin puree, tomato sauce and garlic powder in a small bowl until combined.

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