Spring Break
Toning your body and staying fit every day
Issue date: 4/17/08
With a college lifestyle that can be stressful, scary, fun and exciting, it can be difficult to squeeze in time for exercise and sound eating habits.
Even when you have time, there are so many crazy fads, weird exercises and extreme diets to choose from. So what do you do?
As a personal trainer and a 24/7 health nut, I receive a lot of fitness questions. I've selected a few to answer for you.
Q: I do crunches every day, but I still don't have a six-pack! Why is that?
A: Ah, yes the desired six-pack. Crunches alone will not give you chiseled abs. Sadly, a six-pack takes a lot more.
Defined abdominals are like any other muscle and require low levels of body fat in order to be seen. Therefore, your diet plays a huge role in muscle definition.
Another factor that can limit you from getting a six-pack is genetics. Everyone stores fat in some areas more than others, so defined abs can be hard to obtain if your middle is your main problem area.
Exercises should be done to target each section of the abdominal muscles. If you always do regular floor crunches, your body has probably adapted, so try mixing it up. Do resisted crunches and leg raises, or use medicine balls to target your core.
Alternate between increasing reps on some days and increasing weight on others while maintaining proper form. This will help switch it up; variety is vital in gaining strength and muscle definition.
Q: What's the best thing to eat before working out or a game?
A: "You have to eat well to perform well." The biggest mistake that most athletes make is only eating well the day before and/or the day of a game if at all. While eating a Power Bar and chugging down a Gatorade two hours before a competition may give you energy for the time being, it's not beneficial in the long run if your overall nutrition suffers most of the time.
Think about that old saying "practice like you're competing and compete like you practice." Shouldn't you fuel your body properly to have better workouts, which leads to greater improvements and gains, which leads to better performance in the game?
Even when you have time, there are so many crazy fads, weird exercises and extreme diets to choose from. So what do you do?
As a personal trainer and a 24/7 health nut, I receive a lot of fitness questions. I've selected a few to answer for you.
Q: I do crunches every day, but I still don't have a six-pack! Why is that?
A: Ah, yes the desired six-pack. Crunches alone will not give you chiseled abs. Sadly, a six-pack takes a lot more.
Defined abdominals are like any other muscle and require low levels of body fat in order to be seen. Therefore, your diet plays a huge role in muscle definition.
Another factor that can limit you from getting a six-pack is genetics. Everyone stores fat in some areas more than others, so defined abs can be hard to obtain if your middle is your main problem area.
Exercises should be done to target each section of the abdominal muscles. If you always do regular floor crunches, your body has probably adapted, so try mixing it up. Do resisted crunches and leg raises, or use medicine balls to target your core.
Alternate between increasing reps on some days and increasing weight on others while maintaining proper form. This will help switch it up; variety is vital in gaining strength and muscle definition.
Q: What's the best thing to eat before working out or a game?
A: "You have to eat well to perform well." The biggest mistake that most athletes make is only eating well the day before and/or the day of a game if at all. While eating a Power Bar and chugging down a Gatorade two hours before a competition may give you energy for the time being, it's not beneficial in the long run if your overall nutrition suffers most of the time.
Think about that old saying "practice like you're competing and compete like you practice." Shouldn't you fuel your body properly to have better workouts, which leads to greater improvements and gains, which leads to better performance in the game?
Be the first to comment on this story