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Abs Training Waistline Reducing

by Jim Eddy

When most people talk about the best type of stomach exercise, their goal is to reduce the waist line, and most people go about it incorrectly.

Here is the correct sit-up method to 'reduce' the waist line. This is not 'spot' reduction. First I will explain the 'how to' and then I will cover how and why it works.

Sit on the floor and put your feet under a couch or similar object. Bend your knees at a 45 degree angle (not 90, keep them fairly well extended). Put your hands on your HIPS - do not put them on your head, neck, or anywhere close, doing so is the reason for back pain!, and it increases the 'load' - something you do not want for reduction. Now position yourself so that your chest is touching your legs - this is the start position. Move your upper body back two thirds of the way to the floor (as in a normal sit-up movement), your shoulders 'stop' about a foot above the floor. From this position return to the starting position - this should be one smooth motion. If you are out of shape do as many as you feel comfortable with. Your goal should be 50. When you can do 50, stop at 50, take a minutes rest, and do 50 more. These should be done EVERY day - you can work up to doing 4 to 6 sets of 50 repetitions each if time permits.

How it works:

There are 3 main 'effects' that take place. First you do not want to increase the size of your stomach muscles if you want to reduce your waist line, (strengthen and tighten - yes). For this reason you must keep your reps high (50). The second effect is much like the first - training the same muscle every day does not promote growth (but does promote endurance), a rest period in excess of 24 hours will promote muscle growth.

Last - but by no means least - is the effect of muscle fiber length. This is what will give you great results, it is also the most complicated effect to explain.

To explain muscle fiber length effects let me first explain what is meant by the term 'muscle bound', for those who do not already know. The true meaning of 'muscle bound' means that a shorting of muscle fiber has occurred causing limited movement. This can be caused by incorrect training, can be job related, or can be caused by any form of repetitive movements which require a limited movement. Over a period of time the muscle fibers adapt and shorten. For example, someone with a 'muscle bound' upper arm would not be able to straighten their arm completely.

How does this relate to the stomach? When the fibers of the stomach are 'shortened' they pull inward. When they are stretched beyond normal they extend.

Let me give you an example that many of you will be able to relate to. In the past many people use to sit on a chair, hook their feet around the legs of the chair, then bend back until their head almost touched the floor. They would do sit-ups in this fashion. I knew many people who did them this way. There stomach would become very hard after a period of time, it would also, much to their dismay, become very distended. The reason for this was due to the unnatural stretching of the stomach muscles.

The opposite effective happens when doing sit-ups in they way I described above. This is very effective. In parting let me say that this method is not my own - but something I learned about many years ago. I have used it myself for many years, I have also helped many a person who did the 'over the chair' sit-up return their stomach to normal. If your goal is to increase the stomach muscle size this is not the way to do it. If your goal is to reduce your waistline with exercise you will not find a more effective way.

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