WOMENS FITNESS

beneath
By Caroline Sandry

What lies

Many women mistakenly believe that performing crunches & sit ups will be enough for them to have sleek & defined abs but thousands of repetitions later they see no real difference! Caroline Sandry explains how spot reducing does not generally work, and how to balance your workout to reveal what lies beneath!
As a trainer,
people often ask me for some quick advice, and I often hear the same question I really need to work on my stomach its so fat. I need to do lots of sit-ups - right? Well actually that is wrong. A fat or flabby stomach is just that excess fat which is covering any abdominal definition that you may have, and a three pronged attack is what is needed to reveal what lies beneath! physical activity, boosting your metabolic rate and EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption) see box. If your goal is to see some abdominal definition, remember to be realistic. Women are generally not supposed to have a visible six pack! In order to see that kind of definition, you would be looking at a body fat percentage of around 12% - 15 % and healthy body fat for women is between 20 32 %. Very low fat levels can interfere with your menstrual cycle and fertility.

Fat around the trunk, known as android obesity places an individual at a higher risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and premature death compared to individuals with a pear shape or gynoid obesity where fat is deposited on the hip area. suit everybody, so I am writing this for a healthy, reasonably fit, injury free woman. You should adapt this if you are a complete beginner by adding in a three month preconditioning period lifting lighter weights and training at a moderate intensity. 1 Healthy eating I always try to steer my clients away from a diet and instead recommend eating for good health that is a healthy, balanced diet with a wide range of brightly coloured vegetables and fruit, complex carbohydrates (wholemeal, grainy versions of bread, rice and so on) and good quality, lean proteins. Sugar, alcohol and white products are a firm no-no. It is important to eat enough to give you the energy that you will need to exercise, and to keep your metabolism running. Many women make the mistake of Calorie-counting, sometimes to the extreme and then wondering why they feel tired, lethargic and unwilling to exercise. Too few Calories can lead to a lowered metabolism as your body tries to conserve energy and this in turn can lead to weight gain if you resume normal eating. So regular, healthy meals and snacks are on order! 2 High intensity CV work to boost epoc You need to be training aerobically at least three times per week and one of these sessions should be high intensity. High intensity training should be progressed gradually and should be interspersed with

Back to basics
The abdominal area is often the first area to pack on the pounds, and this becomes very obvious when your stomach hangs attractively over your jeans when you sit down! Abdominal fat is a different problem from a pot-belly which can be due to poor posture and weak abdominal musculature (see issue 18/7 if you need to tackle that!) and needs a structured programme of CV and resistance work. In order to lose fat and see any abdominal definition, you need to adjust your energy balance - your energy in (Calories consumed) should be less than your energy out (Calories expended). Your energy in can be controlled through the food and drink you consume, and your energy out can be increased with

EPOC
After an exercise session your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories) remains temporarily elevated and can increase your resting metabolism by as much as 20%. The intensity of your exercise has a profound effect on the scale of EPOC with higher intensity exercise producing a greater and more prolonged EPOC response.

The training plan

As mentioned, the best course of action is a three pronged approach. It is beyond the scope of this article to suggest a plan to

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lower intensity endurance work. This type of interval training should be challenging, but should not cause post work-out exhaustion.

SAMPLE AEROBIC INTERVAL RUN Warm up.......3 - 5 mins fast walk Easy jog........5 mins 60% max heart rate (mhr) Fast jog ........3 mins 70% mhr Easy jog........2 min recovery pace Fast run ........1 2- mins 80 85% mhr Easy jog........2 mins recovery pace Fast run ........1 2 mins 80 85% mhr Easy jog........2 mins recovery pace Fast run ........1 2 mins 80-85% mhr Easy jog........5 mins cool down
As your fitness and stamina improves, add more intervals, or increase the time of the interval, or decrease recovery time. Fitter individuals may work at 85 90% mhr. Interval training will not only maximise Calorie burn, but can help you develop speed, aerobic and anaerobic power and improve your lactic threshold. 3 Resistance training to build muscle and boost metabolism Many women avoid weight lifting, fearing it will make them bulky or manly but all the evidence shows that lifting heavy weights (heavy enough to reach exhaustion by the last rep) helps women slim down and shape up. Lean muscle tissue is more metabolically active than other tissue: meaning that it burns more Calories at rest. An extra 10lbs of muscle tissue can increase resting metabolism by as much as 350 500 Calories per day. It is actually very challenging for a female to bulk up due to lower levels of testosterone than men. Women who train specifically for that pumped look will be following an incredibly strict regime of lifting very heavy weights with a special diet and nutritional supplements. SAMPLE RESISTANCE PROGRAMME 8 10 exercises for all major muscle groups including back, chest, arms, legs and abs. 1 3 sets 8 12 repetitions of each exercise to temporary fatigue 2 3 days per week with at least 48 hours recovery between workouts.

Change the exercises frequently to avoid injury. Temporary fatigue means that you could not perform another repetition without losing quality.

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A couple of great abdominal exercises to add into your programme for strong, flat and sleek abs are:

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Swiss Ball lowers
Lie on your back with an exercise ball between your legs Bend your knees and lift legs up off the floor and straighten Press your lower back into the mat Exhale to lower the ball towards the floor, keeping the back flat Inhale to lift ball back up Repeat 8 12 times Training tips Keep your back flat, or in neutral if your abs are very strong. Do not attempt if you have any back problems. Try to keep your navel drawn in towards your spine throughout. To advance, place hands behind your head.

Remember a healthy, long term weight loss should be 1 2 lbs per week, so be patient and stick to the plan.
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The Pilates Criss Cross

Training tips Try to keep stomach flat throughout, and move in a controlled manner dont let hips rock as you move. Imagine you are folding your shoulder towards the opposite hip.

Lie on your back, and bend your legs up so that your knees are above and in-line with your hips Place fingers behind ears and keep elbows wide Exhale and peel left shoulder across towards right hip as you extend left leg out (as low as you can keep stomach flat and spine in neutral) Inhale back to centre and exhale in opposite direction. Repeat 10 slow repetitions followed by 10 fast, but controlled repetitions.

Ball pike-up
Lie face down on the swiss ball, and carefully roll yourself forwards until the ball is under lower shins or ankles. Hands shoulder width apart on the floor. Exhale, bring your navel in towards your spine as you lift your hips upwards, using your abdominals to draw the ball in towards your arms Inhale to control the ball back to the start position Repeat 8 12 times

Training tips keep abdominals drawn in and navel lifted inwards. Keep the spine in a flat or neutral position before piking up. As your strength builds, gradually take the ball further down the legs towards the toes and lift hips higher. Keep your shoulders away from your ears.

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