Tuesday, August 30, 2016

7 workout myths

7 Workout Myths Your Trainer Wishes You'd Stop Believing

August 27, 2016 by Caitlyn Fitzpatrick

With new weight loss tips coming out every week, it's hard to know what truly works when it comes to looking and feeling your best. Do you need to be in the gym for hours a day to reap the benefits? Does it matter if you stick with the same workout routine every day? Are you supposed to go for a sweat sesh on an empty stomach? To make sure that you're really making use of your time in the gym, we talked to Chris Kelly, a CrossFit level one trainer and certified personal trainer in New York City, to debunk those workout myths that are holding you back! If you believe any of these common misconceptions, it's time to erase them from your mind and get back into the gym with a fresh perspective.

Myth 1: Cardio is the only way to lose weight

People think that just because you tend to sweat more during cardio, it means that that's the best way to drop the pounds — but that's just not the case. "Strength training burns more calories over time than cardio," Chris said. Your body's metabolism speeds up for a longer period of time after lifting weights and calorie burning continues hours later.

Myth 2: You shouldn't eat before working out

"This one can get a little bit tricky depending on what you're doing," Chris explained. There's a difference between lifting weights and training to run a marathon. But the general rule is to fuel your body properly 90 minutes to two hours before a workout. Two tablespoons of your favorite nut butter along with whole-wheat bread or oatmeal is a great option. And adding a piece of fruit will allow your body to convert the natural sugars into energy easily so that you're ready to go! But steer clear of high-fiber foods, as it can upset your stomach.

Myth 3: Lifting weights will make you look bulky and manly

This is probably one of the most widely talked-about workout myths, but it really depends on how much weight and how many reps you're doing. Doing more reps with a lower weight helps you tone, and doing fewer reps with a higher weight contributes to bulking — but only over an extended period of time. Chris explained that adding extra weight to your routine once or twice a week won't suddenly make you bigger, but it will help you develop strength (and who doesn't want that?!).

Myth 4: You have to spend hours at the gym to get a good workout

Research says that 10 minutes of exercise at a time, three to five times a day, has major health benefits. "So if your schedule is crazy and you're unable to work out, if you're able to spend 10 minutes before work and during your lunch break, it will help," Chris suggested. The key here is not allowing your body to get bored with the same workout, so switch up which muscle groups you're working out every day over the course of a week.

Myth 5: Working out a lot makes up for a poor diet

Not every person benefits equally from the same meal plan and workout regimen, so it's all about finding the ones that works best for you. But it's pretty universal that your body needs lean protein, complex carbs, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. So you may be thinking — what about those people who eat donuts every day but still look GQ-worthy? Looking healthy on the outside doesn't necessarily translate to being healthy on the inside. It's a very real possibility that high cholesterol is lurking under a toned body because of a lack of proper nutrition. Chris advises his clients to add something to their diet instead of telling them to give something up. So if chips are their go-to afternoon snack, he tells them to also grab a piece of fruit. Over time people tend to wean off of the chips and make healthier choices.

Myth 6: More is better

Depending on your goals, adding more weight to strength training can be counterintuitive. Just because someone is lifting more weight or going longer with cardio doesn't mean that they're benefiting more. Ask someone with big muscles to run on a treadmill and you may just smoke them. "Pick a program that's going to help with all areas of your fitness," Chris said.

Myth 7: Being sore after a workout always means that it's working

Some people experience delayed onset muscle soreness — which means that the sore feeling after a workout doesn't kick in until up to 48 hours afterwards. So feeling sore or discomfort after that time raises red flags. "There's a difference between being sore and being in pain," Chris confirmed. To help your body recover properly, there are a few things to remember: don't work the same muscle groups on back-to-back days, eat complex carbs and protein to rebuild the muscles, hydrate, sleep, and stretch.

Image Source: Bravo

Monday, August 22, 2016

Break this habit

The Number 1 Bad Habit You Need to Break If You Want to Lose Weight

January 20, 2016 by Leta Shy

Kimberly Snyder might just be the queen of detox. Not only does she have practically all of Hollywood sipping on her Glowing Green Smoothie, but she also just released a new book, The Beauty Detox Power ($19), to address the more emotional aspects of what it means to detox. In fact, she believes in how your emotional state helps or hinders weight loss so much that she wants you to stop a habit that's common among many women. If you do, you'll see weight-loss results even faster, Kimberly promises.
RELATED: 18 Science-Backed Ways to Lose More Weight
Your new mission? Stop with the negative talk if you want to lose weight. It may sound like it won't be effective, but Kimberly's reason for wanting you to stop body shaming yourself in order to see the pounds drop actually has scientific heft. "Most people don't even realize what they're saying to themselves, and most people only think that the only factors that affect their weight are what they're eating and how they're working out," Kimberly said. In fact, studies have shown that your thoughts matter when it comes to your waistline. Kimberly points to a Harvard study that followed 84 cleaning women; half were told that their physically demanding jobs met the requirements for exercise as set by the Surgeon General, while the other half weren't given any information about their activity level and calorie burn. After a month, researchers found that the group of women who were told that what they were doing was good for them lost body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and BMI — even though they hadn't changed anything about their actual physical habits or altered their diets at all. The other group, on the other hand, didn't lose any weight. "Your thoughts are nutrition in the way that food is," Kimberly explained about the study results. "Your mind really has a big part in shaping your body. If you keep saying to yourself, 'It's so hard for me to lose weight, I'm just going to gain it back,'" then you aren't setting yourself up for success.
RELATED: Why You Should Be Eating Oatmeal If You Want to Lose Weight
Kimberly's advice to stop with the "I'm fat" talk can be easier said than done, especially in a world of constant online judgment and photoshopped images of the "ideal" woman. Even Kimberly herself admits that she used to participate in casual body bashing when with friends. But knowing that thoughts can affect actual change should help you nix the habit, she says. "It's just a shift in listening to what you're saying," she advised. "Stop saying negative things about your body, whether it's out loud or in your head. It's the first important thing" if you want to lose weight.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

the 3 best Abs exercises

3 Intense Bodyweight Moves to Tone Your Lower Abs

The infamous lower-belly "pooch" plagues plenty of women, but finding the right moves to target this problematic area is easy. Whether you're a yoga star or gym rat, there's an exercise on this list to suit your taste.

Cutting sugar

The Surprising Things That Happen to Your Body When You Cut Sugar For 10 Days

July 12, 2016 by Leta Shy

If you need more convincing that refined sugars are wreaking havoc on your health, then look no further than this newest study, which shows that cutting added sugar for just a few days dramatically improves health.
Related: How to Kill You Sugar Addiction Before It Kills You
The study, published in Obesity, followed 43 obese children with chronic metabolic conditions such as hypertension. The researchers changed their diets for nine days, substituting their normal snacks and drinks with ones that kept the calorie counts the same but restricted sugar — so instead of sugary yogurts, pastries, and cereals, the kids were fed hot dogs, bagels, fruit, and pizza. The results were "striking," says lead author and pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, MD. Even though the children were eating the same amount of calories, just eliminating added sugar from their diets improved almost all areas of their metabolic health, such as lower blood pressure, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin levels, and improved liver function tests. Plus, even though the experiment was designed to maintain weight — the children were given more food whenever they started to lose weight — the kids told researchers that they felt fuller on the lower-sugar diet.
Lustig calls this finding "the strongest evidence to date that the negative effects of sugar are not because of calories or obesity." "This study definitively shows that sugar is metabolically harmful not because of its calories or its effects on weight; rather sugar is metabolically harmful because it's sugar," he says. The findings are also a clear indication that monitoring added sugars in your family's diet is extremely important for improving health and may affect how your body deals with cravings and satiety cues. Added sugars can show up as many different names on ingredient lists, so it pays to read nutrition labels and go for unprocessed foods whenever possible. Take it from Lustig, who explains that when it comes to what you put on your plate, a calorie is not just a calorie, and in fact, "sugar calories are the worst."

Friday, July 15, 2016

Calorie Burn

Minutes of Hard Exercise Can Lead to All-Day Calorie Burn

Sprint interval training could cut time exercising while controlling weight

WESTMINSTER, CO (October 10, 2012)—Time spent in the drudgery of strenuous exercise is a well-documented turn-off for many people who want to get in better shape. In a new study, researchers show that exercisers can burn as many as 200 extra calories in as little as 2.5 minutes of concentrated effort a day—as long as they intersperse longer periods of easy recovery in a practice known as sprint interval training. The finding could make exercise more manageable for would-be fitness buffs by cramming truly intense efforts into as little as 25 minutes.
Kyle Sevits, Garrett Peltonen, Rebecca Scalzo, Scott Binns, Anna Klochak, Christopher Melby, and Christopher Bell, all of Colorado State University, and Edward Melanson and Tracy Swibas, both of University of Colorado Anschultz Medical Campus, compared volunteers’ energy expenditures on two different days, one in which they performed a sprint interval workout on a stationary bicycle. Their results showed a marked uptick in the amount of calories the volunteers burned on the workout day, despite the short amount of time spent in actual hard exercise.
Their poster presentation entitled, “A Single Session of Sprint Interval Training Increases Total Daily Energy Expenditure,” will be discussed at The Integrative Biology of Exercise VI meeting being held October 10-13 at the Westin Westminster Hotel in Westminster, CO. This popular meeting is a collaborative effort between the
American Physiological Society, the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. The conference is supported in part by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, an institute of the National Institutes of Health, GlaxoSmithKline, Inc., Stealth Peptides, Inc., and Seahorse Biosciences. The full program is online at http://bit.ly/OrMFtN.
Feeling the Burn
Study leader Sevits notes that despite exercise’s numerous documented benefits, few people hit the U.S. government’s recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. “Research shows that many people start an exercise program but just can’t keep it up,” Sevits says. “The biggest factor people quote is that they don’t have the time to fit in exercise. We hope if exercise can be fit into a smaller period of time, then they may give exercise a go and stick with it.”
Though other studies have shown that sprint interval training can markedly improve fitness and athletic performance, little was known about how this type of exercise affects energy expenditure, a factor that motivates many people to exercise. To determine how many calories a typical sprint interval training workout might burn, Sevits and his colleagues recruited five healthy male volunteers, all between the ages of 25 and 31 years old. These volunteers made an initial visit to Colorado State University in Fort Collins in which they performed an exercise stress test to make sure their hearts were healthy enough to participate. The researchers also analyzed the volunteers’ body compositions and their resting metabolic rates.
Over the next three days, the volunteers ate a diet precisely calibrated to meet their metabolic needs so that they’d be in “energy balance,” Sevits explains, with just enough calories so they weren’t over- or under-eating. At the end of those three days, the men then checked in to a research facility at the University of Colorado Anschultz Medical Campus that was outfitted much like a typical hospital room. However, this room was completely enclosed, with air intake and exhaust regulated and equipment installed to analyze oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water content. Based on the results of this analysis, the researchers could determine how many calories the volunteers burned while each stayed in the room.
For two days, each volunteer lived in the room, continuing to eat the prescribed diet and spending the majority of their time in sedentary activities, such as watching movies or using a computer. However, on one of the days, they engaged in a sprint interval workout that involved pedaling as fast as possible on a stationary bicycle in the room that was set at a high resistance for five 30-second periods, each separated by four-minute periods of recovery in which they pedaled slowly with very little resistance. During the intense, 30-second bouts, the researchers coached the volunteers over an intercom system, encouraging them to give 100 percent effort.
Sprint Interval Trainer?
Analyzing results from the room calorimeter system showed that the volunteers burned an average of an extra 200 calories on the sprint interval workout day, despite spending just 2.5 minutes engaged in hard exercise. Though the researchers can’t yet speculate on whether such efforts could translate into weight loss, Sevits and his colleagues suggest that engaging in intense, but brief, bursts of exercise could aid in weight maintenance. “Burning an extra 200 calories from these exercises a couple of times a week can help keep away that pound or two that many Americans gain each year,” Sevits says.
However, maintaining the maximum effort needed to exercise at peak intensity over the 30-second sprints could prove tricky for many people to maintain on their own without help, Sevits warns. “Motivating yourself can be very hard,” he says. “The way this could work in the real world is with the guidance of a personal trainer.”
About the American Physiological Society (APS)
The American Physiological Society (APS) is a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering education, scientific research, and dissemination of information in the physiological sciences. The Society was founded in 1887 and today has more than 11,000 members. APS publishes 13 scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering specialized aspects of physiology.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Running No no's

9 Things Runners Should Never Ever Do

By Erica Schuckies Published Jul. 12, 2016

Whether you’re a neighborhood jogger or have finished multiple marathons, running of any kind is always a ‘do.’ But there are number of practices female runners should have on their “never-to-do” list. From being lazy with running attire to making decisions that put you in danger, make sure you’re not doing these nine things—and if you are, make some changes immediately.

Carry Your Phone in Your Sports Bra During a Run

Stuffing your phone or iPod in between your girls during a run is a huge no-no. For one, sports bras aren’t meant to carry things other than your breasts, which means there’s no guarantee that the phone is secure. It could easily slip out (from either the top or bottom), risking a broken or lost phone. Second, if you’re like most women, your sports bra is a prime area for sweat and, if you haven’t noticed, phones aren’t very moisture-friendly. Putting electronics in contact with sweat is just asking for a malfunction. And don’t think that carrying your selfie-taking device in your hand will work either. While it may not seem like a big deal, holding items while running causes your arm and hand muscles to move asymmetrically, which can eventually lead to a breakdown in your running form. And if you want to run efficiently (read: easily), it’s important to pay attention to correct running form. For the most effective methods of carrying things with you during a run, pick up a running belt or sports armband to stash your must-have items.

Choose Unsafe Running Conditions

Unfortunately, we live in a world that’s not always safe, especially for women. This means that, as female runners, we have to take special consideration as we choose where, when and how we run. Always tell someone where you plan to run and how long you expect to be gone. If you’re in an unfamiliar location, make sure to study a map of the area ahead of time, and bring your phone and some extra cash, in case you need to call an Uber or cab. While many of us have time constraints that force us to run pre- or post-sunlight, this doesn’t give you the right to put yourself in danger. Make sure to wear reflective clothing to be visible to approaching vehicles and carry a bright light to see the road ahead of you. For those who like to run solo, it’s a good idea to bring along some kind of personal safety item, such as pepper spray for runners or the TigerLady. Finding a local running group or workout partner is much safer than running alone—and that goes for any time of day.

Wear Your Sweaty Running Gear Long After a Run

If you don’t plan to shower immediately after a run—no judging here—it’s important to at least change into clean, dry clothes (especially underwear) as soon as possible. Sweaty clothing is a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus, which you don’t want anywhere near your lady parts. With the rise of athleisure, doctors commonly see yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis in those who are guilty of wearing sweaty pants or shorts long after their sweat sessions. And the below-the-belt area isn’t the only thing women runners need to worry about. Sweaty sports bras can trap dirt, bacteria and other nasties against your skin, increasing your potential for body acne, cysts or even staph infections.

Wear Your Ponytail in the Same Spot Every Time

Getting your mane off your neck during a run is non-negotiable for most women, but where you secure your hair matters. If you always tie your ponytail in the same spot on your head, you are repeatedly putting the same stress on your strands, leading to thinning and breakage. Always wear a high ponytail? Switch to a low pony (or try a French braid) every other day to vary the tension direction and stress put on your hair.

Run in Hand-Me-Down Gear

As tempting as it is to save a few bucks by getting second-hand gear from family or friends, these items won’t do you any favors in the long run.

While a used top or pair of pants is perfectly okay (as long as it’s been washed and is still in good condition), never wear someone else’s old sports bra. As time goes on, the fabric and structure of the bra can stretch out and become less supportive, putting your girls at risk for too much movement. As far as what’s on your feet, it’s no secret that running shoe prices can be hard to swallow, but you definitely don’t want to run in a pair that has seen better days. Each footstrike breaks down the support and structure of the shoe, and after a certain number of miles, the shoe is no longer able to do its job. Most experts recommend replacing shoes after 300 miles, depending on your weight and typical running surface. To save money on shoes, opt for last year’s model or find sale prices either online or in stores. If you’re buying online, make sure to try on multiple pairs in person to know which shoe is right for you.

Wear a Regular Bra on a Run

We’ve all been there—you’re changing into running clothes after work and you suddenly realize you forgot that all-important item: a sports bra. Now what? Do you skip your run or suffer through it wearing your daily underwire bra—or worse, no bra at all? According to experts, skipping a sports bra could lead to permanent breast tissue damage, causing stretch marks, sagging and even painful breasts. Even tops with built-in bras are a no-go—sports bras are specially designed to support your chest from excessive up-and-down, side-to-side and in-and-out movement. A regular bra isn’t meant to provide the necessary protection your breasts need during a vigorous activities like running.

Skip Strength Training

Runners are notorious for avoiding the weight room, especially in the throes of training for a long distance race. Unfortunately, all running, all the time can actually be detrimental to your success. While beginners will gain muscle as their bodies adapt to the new sport, a running-only training plan will not allow intermediate and advanced runners to develop the necessary strength to deal with longer miles and more strenuous workouts. Strength training can help runners avoid injury and encourage correct running form. And since women are vulnerable to weaker bones as we age (thanks, osteoporosis!), including weights in our fitness regime can help keep our entire bodies stronger for longer. Despite what many women think, lifting weights (even heavy ones) will not make you bulky. Unless you are taking special supplements and lifting weights specifically to bulk up, it’s extremely difficult to develop bodybuilder-type muscles that your average woman tries to avoid. While full-body exercises are the best option, runners should focus on core, hip, glute and leg exercises to get the most out of their time in the gym. Try these 12 exercises for the perfect runner’s workout.

Avoid Eating Fat

It’s time we change our thoughts about fat. Eating fat will not make you gain weight, if done correctly. And in fact, the right types of fat can even help keep you healthy. A University of Buffalo study followed 86 women runners for a year and found that those with the highest incidence of injury consumed the lowest amount of fat. These results suggested that a higher fat diet actually seemed to protect these runners from injury. With that being said, you do not have our permission to pig out on french fries and pizza. The majority of fats in your diet should consist of healthy and lean fats, such as avocados, salmon, olive oil, eggs, almonds and (hallelujah!) dark chocolate.

Compare Yourself to Others

Former President Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and we couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re comparing yourself to your running partner, mate or that person who just passed you on the road, stop it. Every runner is different, carrying a different body with different abilities and functions. Your running is your business and shouldn’t be dictated by anyone else. And while it can be hard to feel confident when you’re the slowest one in a running group, the important thing is that you’re out there working at it. There are many people who never even try—and sometimes, just trying is an accomplishment in and of itself. You’ll quickly find that if you focus on doing your own thing, you’ll not only be happier, you’ll have more time and energy to meet and celebrate your own personal running goals.

Read more at http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/07/health-wellness/9-things-women-runners-never_62176#krDmV3EWFcC4omq2.99

Sunday, June 19, 2016

No, don't eat that!

The 4 Foods a Trainer Says You Should Never Eat

June 8, 2016 by Michele Foley

Despite its name, the Telluride WOW Fitness Festival isn't just about push-ups, crunches, and burpees. There is also great advice being shared — including this nugget from trainer Jonathan Ross: "One bad meal won't transform your body, just like one good meal won't equal immediate results; the body builds itself from habit." If you're curious to know which habits matter in the long run, Jonathan offered up his rules for things you should always — and never! — do when it comes to eating.
Related: The 1 Thing That Helped Me Lose Weight

Always

Eat veggies and protein at every meal: We're not talking fried, cheese-covered, or canned vegetables, either. Not only are fresh veggies rich in vitamins and antioxidants, but their water and fiber content also help keep you full. If the thought of eating veggies all day long makes you gag, then get over it, says Jonathan. "Healthy food tastes boring for a little while. Your taste buds adapt." Alongside those veggies, make sure you have protein. Jonathan cites several studies showing that a diet rich in protein helps control cravings while also helping to build lean muscle mass, adding to the body's fat-burning potential.
Eat healthy fats: Forget what you think you know about low-fat diets; it's all bunk, says the trainer. Good-for-you fats help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and boost your HDL (good) cholesterol; they've also been shown to reduce belly fat. Look to incorporate monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats into your meals while avoiding saturated and trans fats. Avocados, olive oil, and nuts are all great options.
Plan, prepare, pack: The best way to maintain a healthy diet is to be in charge of it yourself. Jonathan recommends cooking meals at home and packing your lunch whenever possible. Another tip: keep water and healthy snacks in your purse, car, and gym bag. This way, you won't be tempted to order out when you're on the go.
Be kind to yourself: Even with the best intentions, binge-eating might happen. Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up, warns Jonathan. "Handle slipups as nothing more than they are," he says. Consuming yourself with guilt can make things worse; part of sticking to a healthy diet involves feeling good about yourself and the choices you make.

Never

Drink calories: You've heard it before, but soda, juice, and other store-bought beverages are some of the biggest obstacles when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. They contain no real nutrition and are basically nothing but sugar, the trainer adds. The one exception Jonathan makes for this rule are healthy smoothies. Look for recipes that contain fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
Skip meals: When you want to change your body, nutrition is key. "Fill your gut to lose your gut," says Jonathan. "It's the best way to lose weight and keep the body going." Jonathan also advises to eat "real food" — the more you know about where it came from or what it's made of, the better. Eat four to six small meals each day, and make sure that protein is a component in everything you eat, he says.
Eat fried foods: Yes, Jonathan did say that occasional indulgences are OK, but fried foods are something he almost always steers clear of, saying they're "completely destructive to the body." Fried foods are widely available (and cheap), making them hard to steer clear of, but the amount of trans fat they contain should be enough to scare anyone, he says.
Eat sugars or grains at night: While Jonathan is a huge fan of whole grains, he says to avoid them at night, along with sugar and starches. Just like trainer Bob Harper, Jonathan believes that breakfast should be the heartiest meal of the day; from there, gradually lighten as you get closer to dinner. Starches and grains are more calorie-dense and unneeded at night when the body is winding down, says Jonathan.

Image Sources: POPSUGAR Photography / Lizzie Fuhr and POPSUGAR Photography / Sisilia Piring

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Protein=lost pounds

If You Want to Lose Weight, You Should Be Eating More of This

One of the best ways to see weight-loss success? Loading up your plate with protein. In fact, many trainers and nutritionists recommend at least 20 grams of protein at breakfast, which should be within 30 minutes of waking for the best weight-loss success. But not all protein is created equal; when searching for the best way to fuel up, you should always opt for the lean protein options. But what exactly qualifies as a lean protein?
According to the USDA, lean meats contain less than 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams of saturated fat, as well as less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol, per 3.5-ounce serving. In general, beef cuts like roasts, top loin, top sirloin, and shoulder are the leanest cuts of beef, while cuts like pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham are the leanest cuts of pork. When it comes to choosing poultry, opt for skinless breast meat or turkey cutlets for less-fatty options like thigh meat. For more on how to choose a lean cut of meat, read this list on the leanest cuts of red meat like bison, lamb, and veal.
Many types of seafood are also considered lean even though their fat content may be high. That's because seafood is a great source of unsaturated fats, the "healthy fats" that help keep your heart and brain healthy and fight belly fat as well. When choosing seafood, look for sustainable choices that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, trout, or herring.
Lean protein isn't just about choosing the right cut of meat, however. There are plenty of vegetarian sources that make a prime protein source, like beans, quinoa, tofu, and unsalted nuts. In fact, switching out your meat routine just once a week may help you be healthier by reducing your risk of diseases like cancer. Don't always equate protein with meat; there are many other foods that are sky-high in protein. Use this list of high-protein meats, dairy products, and plant-based foods to help you decide which protein is right for you; be sure to pay attention to the fat content as well.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

100 crunches...oh my!

The It'll-Hurt-to-Laugh-Tomorrow 100-Rep Crunch Workout

April 12, 2016 by Jenny Sugar

You want strong, defined abs, and you're willing to work hard for them, right? Then get on the floor and bust out this 100-rep crunch workout. This circuit involves five crunch variations. Do 10 reps of each and repeat this 50-rep circuit twice.
Or for an even more intense ab-burn, do each exercise for 20 reps and do all 100-reps at once. If this is more than your abs can handle, just do five reps of each and repeat that 25-rep circuit four times, taking breaks when you need to.