The Truth about Toning Up

Are you interested in "toning up" your midsection? Let me take time to post a small definition of the meaning of "muscle tone" as it relates to abdominal muscles.

Without getting too serious in the scientific-y part of muscle anatomy and the chemical reactions that go on within your body to produce "tone" muscles, I will simply give you a lay-man definition so that you understand how and why people get "tone" when they exercise.

Your muscles basically have a process of neurological and chemical changes when they contract (get shorter). This moves your skeleton. When you lift something, this happens.

Muscle tone is basically a point at which your muscles are so use to this process that they retain a certain state of contraction potential.

They are bigger, and more alert to contractions, which give them a more lean appearance. If your body fat percentage is low enough, your muscles are more revealed than if you had low body fat and did not exercise your muscles out.

If you want to "tone up" lose the body fat, and get in the gym and lift some weights!

Removing the "Flab"

In my gym here at home, I get a lot of people asking me how they can get rid of that small "pudge" below their belly button and around their inner thighs.

Some instructors, personal trainers, and magazines will give you bull crap about being able to "spot reduce" around particular areas to remove the small amount of fat deposited there. This is a lie and a myth.

First off, it is true that your muscles will burn fat, but not necessarily in a specific area. That's up to your predetermined genetics, and how your body mobilizes fat for energy.

Doing more of an exercise in a particular body part simply makes the muscle bigger and leaner. Unfortunately, if you still have fat over it, the muscle will get bigger, and your fat will still remain over it. You will still keep your flab and softness, but you'll have a bigger muscle under it.

To lose the fat, you must marry good training and good nutrition. Once you lose the fat, the lean muscle underneath will be revealed.

Flatten but not Bulk up Abs

In this post I am going to talk about flattening the abs without bulking them up like bodybuilders' and fitness models' abs.

Follow three "P's":

• Posture
• The Plank
• Practice

Posture:
To almost instantly flatten your abs out, you need to make sure that your posture is good. Hold your shoulders back and your head up. Bring your abs to your back. Your spin is aligned, and your gravity is centered. This will feel hard at first, but training your body to stay like this will get easier the longer you do it. Soon it will become your regular stance.

The Plank:
This exercise actually trains your abs to contract inward. It tightens the midsection in, hitting small hidden muscles that help keep your abs tight. Start in a push-up position and hold with your body completely straight. This exercise is also called "the Bridge."

Practice:
In order to maintain your abs inward, you need to continually do the two above steps every day, whenever you have the chance. Your body will begin recognizing that you need to "suck it in" and your abs will stay in.