Thank you for writing this. I am a owner of a fitness site www.hardgainermusclebuilding.com and you wouldn't believe how many people I talk to that think they can firm up a certain part of their body.

The fact is that losing fat / firming and building muscles are two totally different things. If you want to lose fat you do cardio and intervals while being on a diet with lower calories bellow your maintenance level. If you want to build muscle you have to have a progressive overload while lifting weights.

And please do not do crunches ever... there are a lot better ab exercises out there besides crunches. Crunches are very very bad for your spine especially the lower back and it can cause major back problems... Instead focus on planks and knee ups, wood choppers, hyper extensions or ab rollers. Those exercises do not destroy your back and they are good for building core muscles. But realize you will not see your abs if they are covered with fat. You MUST do cardio to burn off the fat before they will appear.

Thanks for the great post,
Also if you need more free articles on fitness like some of the stuff
I covered here be sure to check out my site.
www.hardgainermusclebuilding.com/articles.php

Train hard and be blessed,
Cory Cook

Reply

I've got another one; I have read it on Project Weight Loss. Sit-ups give you a flat stomach - not true; sit-ups only tone the abdominal muscles, while the fat may remains on the tummy. Those who want to tone their abdominal muscles can swim, or do tummy-flattening exercises.

Reply