Fitness
My (YouTube) Fitness Heros
Let's be honest, the fitness world is a messy minefield of contradictory, confusing and sometimes dangerous information. That pisses me off. Here are three people (2 of them are brothers) who have massively helped my understanding of fitness and everything to do with lifting weights. I cannot recommend their content enough.
Getting a 6 Pack?
Without further ado, lets jump straight into undoubtedly one of the most talked about topics in the fitness world -abs.
This is a topic i feel very strongly about because I believe there is a lot of misleading and potentially dangerous information out there. I am not only talking about the internet, I feel there are many myths surrounding this topic that are simply incorrect. Here are some key points:
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So what is required to get visible abs?
That is pretty much it! As you can see, training your abs is not one of the things required for a 6 pack to show. However, your abs are part of your body and should not be neglected as part of your workout routine or fitness schedule. The good thing is this, for any active person, neglecting your abs is close to IMPOSSIBLE. Almost every type of exercise will work the abs more than enough in order to have them showing - assuming your body fat percentage is low enough. NEVER DO SIT UPS OR CRUNCHES. These put a very large strain on your lower back. If you desperately want to "work out your abs" read these before continuing.
3 BEST EXERCISES FOR LOWER ABS
BEST ABS EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN CORE AND REDUCE BACK PAIN
THE WORST ABS EXERCISES
With regards to body fat, everyone is different. Firstly, there is a huge difference between genders. Females metabolise fat in a different manner to males. It is also generally accepted that females should have a much higher body fat percentage than men to stay healthy. Some men will looked shredded at 12% body fat and some will need to hit 7% to look the same as Mr. 12%. (Wu and O'Sullivan, 2011)
As one of the only requirements for visible abs is a low body fat percentage this might confuse people into thinking they must do on a crazy diet to achieve their goals. This is not the case. Achieving visible abs is very simple (in theory!) YOU NEED: a good, balanced diet and regular exercise.
A good diet will always include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Cutting out, or vastly reducing one of these macro nutrients from your diet is very likely to cause illness. What is more, you won't lower your body fat percentage by removing, fat or carbohydrates from your diet.
To Summarise
What you should do is find a balance of macro nutrients that works for you. Makes sure the majority of the food you eat is "good" food. Aim to roughly hit your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) every day. Do not regularly exceed your TDEE unless your goal is to put on weight (bulking) and do not regularly fall way under your TDEE otherwise you will die!
Last of all, keep moving!
- A low body fat percentage
That is pretty much it! As you can see, training your abs is not one of the things required for a 6 pack to show. However, your abs are part of your body and should not be neglected as part of your workout routine or fitness schedule. The good thing is this, for any active person, neglecting your abs is close to IMPOSSIBLE. Almost every type of exercise will work the abs more than enough in order to have them showing - assuming your body fat percentage is low enough. NEVER DO SIT UPS OR CRUNCHES. These put a very large strain on your lower back. If you desperately want to "work out your abs" read these before continuing.
3 BEST EXERCISES FOR LOWER ABS
BEST ABS EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN CORE AND REDUCE BACK PAIN
THE WORST ABS EXERCISES
With regards to body fat, everyone is different. Firstly, there is a huge difference between genders. Females metabolise fat in a different manner to males. It is also generally accepted that females should have a much higher body fat percentage than men to stay healthy. Some men will looked shredded at 12% body fat and some will need to hit 7% to look the same as Mr. 12%. (Wu and O'Sullivan, 2011)
As one of the only requirements for visible abs is a low body fat percentage this might confuse people into thinking they must do on a crazy diet to achieve their goals. This is not the case. Achieving visible abs is very simple (in theory!) YOU NEED: a good, balanced diet and regular exercise.
A good diet will always include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Cutting out, or vastly reducing one of these macro nutrients from your diet is very likely to cause illness. What is more, you won't lower your body fat percentage by removing, fat or carbohydrates from your diet.
To Summarise
What you should do is find a balance of macro nutrients that works for you. Makes sure the majority of the food you eat is "good" food. Aim to roughly hit your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) every day. Do not regularly exceed your TDEE unless your goal is to put on weight (bulking) and do not regularly fall way under your TDEE otherwise you will die!
Last of all, keep moving!
Squats
I had some trouble with my squats lately so here is what I discovered. There are two main types of barbell back squat, the high bar squat and the low bar squat. My main trouble was accidentally amalgamating the two without knowing why. This video cleared everything up for me!
How I approach Fitness
I am extraordinarily lucky to have the health I have and without it I certainly do not feel I could play poker professionally. Sport has always been a passion of mine so I try and stay as active as possible. The manner in which sport and exercise can lift mood and improve health is intriguing to me. Being able to push myself as much as I want to and to use sport not only as recreation but also to maintain good health - even improve health is very important to me.
References
Wu, BN and O'Sullivan, AJ 2011, 'Sex Differences in Energy Metabolism Need to Be Considered with Lifestyle Modifications in Humans' Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, Article ID 391809, 6 pages, 2011. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/391809 Key, S. (2016) The Worst Abs Exercises for a Bad Back [online] Available at: http://www.simplebackpain.com/the-worst-abs-exercises.html [Accessed: 4.4.2017]. |
DISCLAIMER: I have NO medical or fitness qualifications. I am not a health professional, just an enthusiast. All information presented here is either my opinion, the opinion of others or information from sources which I will cite.