Finding your six pack: Strong, flat, firm abs
Everybody has a six-pack hidden under their tummy fat. Eat & exercise & the world will see it.
Everybody has a six-pack hidden under their tummy fat. Eat & exercise & the world will see it.
Photo above of abdominal muscles on outside and below on the inside of the body (Source: Wikipedia).
Click button to listen to Six Pack Solution to download
IN THE MIRROR
Ab-solutely fabulous
21/06/2012
Dr Nantapat Supapannachart
Everyone ogles at the lovely bodies seen on TV, in movies and on billboards. Needless to say, this really puts pressure on how one thinks their body should look. A person with ripped abs is probably more satisfied with his or her body image than an individual who is stout, because of the attention one gets. The result of this is that everyone wants to have a six-pack of firm abs.
EVERYONE HAS A SIX-PACK. TRUE OR FALSE?
Most people find it difficult to believe they already have a six-pack. It is true. It's there - you just don't see it, because it's normally covered in fat. Six-packs are in the region below your chest and between your obliques. You need to be around a certain body fat percentage - approximately seven to 11% of fat - for your abdominal muscles to show properly.
ARE SIX-PACKS ONLY ABOUT SEX APPEAL OR DO THEY HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS?
The craze for buff abs isn't only about vanity or looking good without a shirt on. The core muscles are important because they connect the upper and lower body, making them essential for the co-ordinated movement of the whole body. Strengthening these core muscles can make you fit for all kinds of activity. Having relatively weak abs compared to your back muscles, or a drastic imbalance between the two, is likely to make you more prone to muscle injuries and lower back pain.
HOW CAN I GET MY SIX-PACK TO SHOW?
It takes dedication, time and patience. You'll need to diligently do two things - lose fat and build muscle by dieting and exercising daily. To see those abdominal muscles you have been working so hard on, you must lose any fat around your middle so what you eat is even more crucial than how you train. Certain foods can help the body burn energy from fat stores and have you showing off your abs in no time at all.
WHAT FOODS DO YOU RECOMMEND?
Other than the basics, such as increasing your intake of greens, fruits and proteins and eating less carbohydrates, here are some simple things to do to increase your metabolism. Most importantly, stay hydrated because drinking water will help your body maintain a higher metabolism, burn fat more effectively and keep water weight off.
Eat monounsaturated fatty acids and spice up your meals - these also create a rise in metabolism. Eat breakfast, as going without often means eating a huge lunch, since your body hasn't had anything in the past 12 or more hours.
When you eat a huge lunch you are likely to get that after-meal drowsiness making you both unproductive and inactive. Try to eat smaller dinners as large dinners tend to hurt the fat-loss process because most people aren't very active after dinner.
AND WHAT EXERCISES SHOULD I DO?
No abdominal exercise is perfect. There are a number of approaches that, along with a balanced fitness regimen and a healthy diet, could help you get strong, flat abs. The crunch is one of the simplest methods offering good results. To do a crunch, lay flat on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your hands loosely behind your head and spread your elbows out so that your shoulder blades squeeze together. Keeping this posture, contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your upper body without arching your back to the point where you can't go any further. Hold it, and then slowly relax, returning to your starting position. You could also try planking, pilates or weights - whichever works for you... [Read the rest of the article here]
Dr Nantapat Supannachart is an American Board-certified dermatologist and laser surgeon. Call 080-500-0123 or visit www.apexprofoundbeauty.com.
(Source: Bangkok Post, IN THE MIRROR, Ab-solutely fabulous, 21/06/2012, Dr Nantapat Supapannachart, link)
Abdominal Muscles Vocabulary
abdomen (noun) - the stomach or belly area in front of the body (See Wikipedia)
tummy (informal) - abdomen, belly and stomach area
abdominal (adjective) - involving the front part of your body below your waist ช่องท้อง (ช่องพระนาภี)
abdominal muscles - the stomach muscles (especially the rectus abdominis) (See Wikipedia)
abs - Same as "abdominal muscles "
six-pack - Same as "abs"
firm abs - hard abs
strong, flat abs
ripped abs - nice looking abs
buff abs - nice looking abs
obliques - the muscles on the sides of the stomach area or belly (internal obliques and external obliques)
core muscles - the muscles of the torso, not in the legs, arms or head (the abdominal muscles groups (transverse abdominus, internal obliques, external obliques, rectus abdominus), quadratus lumborum and the diaphragm, hip abductors/adductors, hip flexors, and the spine, the lower spine (lumbar spine) is responsible for posture providing the strength needed for stability especially in sports with a lot of movement (See Wikipedia and anatomy)
core - the most important and central part แก่น สิ่งที่สำคัญที่สุด ส่วนสำคัญ แกนนำ
chest - the upper front part of the body between the stomach and the neck, containing the heart and lungs หน้าอก
abdominal exercise - exercises to make the stomach muscles strong such as the situp, crunch and plank (See Wikipedia)
crunch - an exercise to build a strong stomach that is less likely to hurt the back than situps (See Wikipedia)
planking - doing the "plank" exercise
plank - an exercise that builds strong core muscles like the crunch or situp but is easier on the back (See Wikipedia)
pilates - a system much like yoga that improves posture and builds strong core muscles invented by Joseph Pilate (1883-1967), gained popularity among dancers and actors in New York (See Wikipedia)
yoga - โยคะ (See Wikipedia on yoga as exercise and list of poses)
fitness - having a healthy and strong body (physically fit vs. mentally fit)
regimen - a programme of special of exercise, medical treatment or food (diet)
fitness regimen - a special programme of exercise
balanced fitness regimen
image - the picture of something that people have in their mind, what people think about something ภาพลักษณ์
body image - the way people think of your body when they look at it
body fat percentage - a measure of how fat a person, how much fat vs. lean muscle they, "the total weight of fat divided by total weight, a number of methods are available for determining body fat percentage, such as measurement with calipers or through the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis" (See Wikipedia)
ogle - look at a long time (without thinking)
billboard - a big sign with an advertisement by the side of the road
needless to say, ... - maybe I don't need to say this cause it may be obvious (something you would think anyway) ...
pressure - 1. a force causing change; trying to force someone to do something; 2. stress, cannot live comfortably (difficult decisions must be made) ความกดดัน ความตึงเครียด
put pressure on
individual - a person (considered separately from their society or community) บุคคล
stout - with a large body
attention - people looking at your or talking to you (interested in you)
the attention one gets
Everyone ogles at the lovely bodies seen on TV, in movies and on billboards. Needless to say, this really puts pressure on how one thinks their body should look. A person with ripped abs is probably more satisfied with his or her body image than an individual who is stout, because of the attention one gets. The result of this is that everyone wants to have a six-pack of firm abs.
show properly - so you can see them (not hidden under fat)
Most people find it difficult to believe they already have a six-pack. It is true. It's there - you just don't see it, because it's normally covered in fat. Six-packs are in the region below your chest and between your obliques. You need to be around a certain body fat percentage - approximately seven to 11% of fat - for your abdominal muscles to show properly.
craze - when something becomes very popular for a short period of time
vanity - being too interested in the way you look or being too proud of your abilities
sex appeal - sexual attractiveness, looking good and having lots of people wanting to be your girlfriend or boyfriend, "an individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of another person, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context in which they appear. The attraction may be to a person's looks or movements or to their voice or smell, besides other factors. The attraction may be enhanced by a person's adornments, clothing, perfume, hair style, and anything else which can attract the sexual interest of another person. It can also be influenced by individual genetic, psychological, or cultural factors, or to other, more amorphous qualities of the person. Sexual attraction is also a response to another person that depends on a combination of the person possessing the traits and also on the criteria of the person who is attracted" (See Wikipedia)
essential - necessary and important ที่จำเป็น ที่สำคัญ
coordinated - controlling different parts of body so they move and work together well
co-ordinated movement
fit - physically fit, to have a healthy body that can do an activity without problems or injuries
fit for all kinds of activity
balance - when two things are in the right and correct relation to each other
imbalance - not in balance
drastic - having a very big effect มีผลกระทบอย่างใหญ่หลวง
drastic imbalance
prone to ... - tend to have ..., likely to have ..., have often ...
prone to muscle injuries - tending to hurt your muscles
lower back pain - a common muscle problem affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives, "in the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment — only headache is more common" (See Wikipedia)
The craze for buff abs isn't only about vanity or looking good without a shirt on. The core muscles are important because they connect the upper and lower body, making them essential for the co-ordinated movement of the whole body. Strengthening these core muscles can make you fit for all kinds of activity. Having relatively weak abs compared to your back muscles, or a drastic imbalance between the two, is likely to make you more prone to muscle injuries and lower back pain.
dedication - sticking with something for a long time such as a job or a marriage (through difficulties)
patience - the ability to wait for a long time without becoming angry or upset ความอดทน able to stay calm waiting for changes or work that you want
diligently - working very hard to achieve your goals
crucial - very important; because it effects the result of something สำคัญยิ่ง
showing off - showing other people something nice that you have (very proudly)
in no time - very quickly, fast
It takes dedication, time and patience. You'll need to diligently do two things - lose fat and build muscle by dieting and exercising daily. To see those abdominal muscles you have been working so hard on, you must lose any fat around your middle so what you eat is even more crucial than how you train. Certain foods can help the body burn energy from fat stores and have you showing off your abs in no time.
proteins - chemicals in food such as meat, eggs and milk that needed to build things in the body such as muscle, enzymes, cartilage, etc (See Wikipedia)
carbohydrates - chemicals found in food such as rice, bread, sugar and potatoes that supplies your body with energy and heat (See Wikipedia)
eating less carbohydrates
metabolism - the chemical reactions in the body of a living thing (human, animal, plant, microbe) that it needs to continue living (See Wikipedia)
increase your metabolism - speed up your metabolism; making your body work harder so that you "burn calories" and lose weight (See WebMD and Wikipedia)
maintain - to keep at same level; keep in good condition รักษา
maintain a higher metabolism
intake - the food you eat
greens - green vegetables
intake of greens, fruits and proteins
hydrated - drinking enough water in your body so that it can function properly; drinking enough water to avoid dehydration (See Wikipedia)
stay hydrated
simple - easy to understand; not complicated ง่าย,ไม่ยุ่งยาก, ไม่ซับซ้อน
simple things to do to
effectively - working well and producing the results that they wanted
burn fat more effectively
water weight - weight of water in the body (body water) (See Wikipedia)
Other than the basics, such as increasing your intake of greens, fruits and proteins and eating less carbohydrates, here are some simple things to do to increase your metabolism. Most importantly, stay hydrated because drinking water will help your body maintain a higher metabolism, burn fat more effectively and keep water weight off.
monounsaturated fatty acids - (See Wikipedia)
spice - 1. add hot chillie peppers or spices to your food; 2. make more exciting
spice up your meal
Eat monounsaturated fatty acids and spice up your meals - these also create a rise in metabolism. Eat breakfast, as going without often means eating a huge lunch, since your body hasn't had anything in the past 12 or more hours.
drowsy (adjective) - sleepy
drowsiness (noun) - being sleepy
after-meal drowsiness
productive - getting a lot of work finished in a short time
unproductive - not productive; wasting time
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
tend - to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic มักจะ
large dinners tend to hurt the fat-loss process
active - working, operating, doing things
people aren't very active after dinner
When you eat a huge lunch you are likely to get that after-meal drowsiness making you both unproductive and inactive. Try to eat smaller dinners as large dinners tend to hurt the fat-loss process because most people aren't very active after dinner
results - what is produced in the end by an activity or task
offering good results
spread - move to cover a larger area แพร่หลาย, แพร่กระจาย แพร่กระจายไปทั่ว
spread your elbows out
shoulder - to deal with or accept something difficult แบกรับภาระ หรือสถานการณ์
shoulder blades
shoulder blades squeeze together
posture - position of the body, e.g., sitting, standing, walking, etc. ท่าทาง เช่น ท่านั่ง ท่ายืน
contract - make smaller or bring together; get smaller; reduce in size, grow smaller หด หดตัว
contract your abdominal muscles
choose whichever one works for you
No abdominal exercise is perfect. There are a number of approaches that, along with a balanced fitness regimen and a healthy diet, could help you get strong, flat abs. The crunch is one of the simplest methods offering good results. To do a crunch, lay flat on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your hands loosely behind your head and spread your elbows out so that your shoulder blades squeeze together. Keeping this posture, contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your upper body without arching your back to the point where you can't go any further. Hold it, and then slowly relax, returning to your starting position. You could also try planking, pilates or weights - whichever works for you...
certified - inspected officially and verified that the company follows the rules ผ่านการรับรองคุณภาพ
Dr Nantapat Supannachart is an American Board-certified dermatologist and laser surgeon.
