In this article, you are going to learn how doing lots of ab exercises will not…I repeat…will not guarantee that you get the toned sexy waistline that you are striving for.

Losing fat around the midsection by doing nothing but ab exercises is a near futile effort. Why is this? It seems like there are so many "ab exercise" miracle products out there that promise you will look like a movie star in only 20 minutes, 3 times per week. That is just an example, but you get the point.

Here are 5 killer tips for getting your abs into tip top shape.

1. Doing lots of exercises for your abs won't make you lose fat.

This goes against the common thought that you need to do lots of ab exercises in order to lose fat. The truth is fat loss comes from a synergistic approach involving total body strength training, a certain type of cardio called interval training, and a diet that is conducive to reaching your goals.

Trying to only work your abs to lose fat is trying to "spot reduce." Spot reduction refers to the effort of working the muscle underneath the fat you want to lose, hoping that will tone up that area. Unfortunately, this is not the case! If you are going to lose fat, you are going to lose fat in the same proportion all over your body. So if you want to get great abs and lose fat, shift your focus away from just ab exercises and more towards a holistic approach involving strength training, cardio, and diet.

2. Use Circuit Training.

Your abs are physiologically different than the other muscles in your body. For example, you might train your biceps by doing 3 sets of 10 of several different exercises while taking a minute to rest in between each set.

Let me tell you, every great ab exercise workout I have ever done has consisted of a series of exercises that systematically alternates different exercises for your upper, lower, and side abs, also called obliques. So when doing your ab exercises, don't go for the "3 sets of 10 with a minute of rest" approach.

3. Use nutritional perfection for sexy abs.

If you just want to lose body fat in general, you can be a little more lax in your diet as opposed to if you wanted to really get a ripped six pack. Remember, doing the right ab exercises are only a fraction of the formula.

The most important thing is that you want to stay away from what I call "quick carbs." There are carbs such as white flour, white rice, white bread, pasta, fruit juices, and other junks foods. These foods are very easy for your body to break down. Because they are easy to break down, they raise your blood sugar very high after you eat them. Then, your body releases more insulin to store this excess blood sugar as fat.

If you are going to consume these quick carbs, do it in the morning and in small quantities. At least that way your body has the whole day to burn it off. Don't forget, doing lots of ab exercises isn't going to do the trick all by itself!

A better approach would be to eat lots of protein, good fats, and complex carbs. Complex carbs are great because they actually require your body to use calories to digest them. For example, look at fiber. Fiber is a complex carb that is very hard for your body to break down during digestion. In fact, your body has to work so hard to break down foods like fiber that is needs to use extra energy during the process. Fiber also doesn't cause your blood pressure to rise!

So in this article you have learned that ab exercises are great, but alone are not enough to get you that sexy toned waistline. You also learned that if you want to get a great workout from your ab exercises, circuit training is a great idea. Last, you saw the basis of how a nutrition plan works to lower your body fat.

So keep doing those ab exercises the right way, keep eating right, and be persistent!

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