Abs training and diet – Interview with Jacky Wong, National Fitness Manager Fitness First in Hong Kong www.fitnessfirst.com.hk
“Abs and a slimmer waist line: tips and suggestions to reduce, trim and tone the waist area”
When we talk about abs workout, we are not talking necessarily about a ‘six pack’. Actually what we all try to achieve through diet and exercise is more often a slimmer waist line, we try to burn the excess fat, we want to tone the muscles, improve our look, look better on the beach, or when we wear a nice dress. Easier said than done? Not really. We asked Jacky Wong, National Fitness Manager Fitness First in Hong Kong, to guide us through the basic principles of abs training, slimming down the waist area, exercises for the abs muscles area. This is what he told us.
Abs workout alone can do little or nothing in order to reduce the fat in the waist area. Your personal tips and suggestions to reduce, trim and tone the waist area.
We tend to store fat on body parts we don’t use very often if our intake (food we consume) is more than we can burn from our output (exercise or daily activities). The waist / trunk area is the part we don’t use too often comparing with other parts like our limbs, so more fat is stored around that area.
First, a healthy eating habit with the right portion and regularly is a must if one would like to be fit or stay fit. Second, cardio / aerobic interval trainings should be done regularly, followed by abs work to stimulate the trunk.
How often and how intensely should we workout our abs?
Usually, relatively bigger muscles like our chest, glute and legs need more time to recover after a workout (48 hrs). For smaller muscles like abs, we can work on it everyday because it takes less time to recover. Like another body parts / muscles, we should work on it until it is overloaded.
What are the best exercises if someone want to do these exercises at home, without equipment?
Up to 80% of the abs exercises do not require any equipment. There are many ways to stimulate our abs, such as crunches, reverse crunches, bicycles, jack knifes and leg raises, suits all fitness levels.
Core training and abs training are not the same, even if most people tend to think they are working the same muscles. Can you explain the different impact of core compared to traditional abs training?
When we talk about core, we are referring to muscles that are deeper in our trunk. They coordinate to stabilize our body for avoiding injuries, producing power and enable us to move in all 3 planes of motion. When we talk about abs, we are referring to the abdominal muscle at the front of our trunk below chest and the external and internal oblique at the sides of our trunk above our hips.
Thank you
Alessio Cristianini for TRENDYSTYLE HONG KONG
We thank Jacky Wong National Fitness Manager, Fitness First Hong Kong
http://www.fitnessfirst.com.hk/
