Ripped Abs

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

With all the attention given to diet and cardio for fat loss and developing six-pack abs, it surprises many people to learn that one of the most effective ways to shrink and harden to midsection and develop ripped abdominals is weight training. If you don’t believe us just go into any gym and check out who has the best abdominal development. The best midsections usually belong to those who perform at least three to four weight-training workouts each week. Sure you’ll see a few portly bellies on guys who do nothing but bench press, but for the most part it’s the bodybuilders – especially competitive bodybuilders who have mastered the art of fat loss and developed chiseled six-pack abs.

So what is it about weight training that results in washboard abs? Let’s take a closer look.

During the workout:

When people think of burning calories during a workout they usually think about cardio. And while it’s true that an average cardio workout will burn 600-800 calories in an hour, weight training is not far behind. A typical weight training workout involving a couple of the larger muscle groups will burn anywhere from 400 to 500 calories. At an average of 3500 calories to the pound you can see how just seven such workouts will maximize your fat loss potential. All things being equal, you could easily lose 30 to 40 pounds of fat a year just by weight training. But weight training does more than burn calories during your workout; it also keeps your fat-burning furnace revved up after you leave the gym. If ripped abdominals are your goal read on.

After the workout:

It’s called afterburn and it’s probably the biggest advantage weight training has over cardio when it comes to fat loss and developing six-pack abs. With cardio as soon as you stop training, your metabolism returns to its baseline level. But weight training elevates your metabolism and keeps it elevated after you leave the gym – by some estimates for up to 24 hours! Just think about it, you can be burning body fat even when sitting down watching TV.

Growth hormone release:

Growth Hormone or HGH is one of the most powerful hormones in the human body, and among it’s functions are building muscle and burning body fat. One of the explanations for the loss of muscle mass and gain in body fat that usually accompanies old age is a decline in HGH. This is why HGH replacement therapy is becoming so popular as it can reverse these effects. So what does all this have to do with weight training? Well it just so happens that short, intense, weight training workouts are one of the best ways to naturally stimulate HGH release. Not only are you getting the direct and indirect fat-burning effects of weight training (calories burned during the workout and from the afterburn), but you’ll get additional fat burning and fat loss from all the extra HGH floating around in your blood stream.

Muscle metabolically active:

Although this ties in closely to the topic of afterburn, it deserves special mention here. Fat is basically dead tissue that sits there and waits to be burned. Muscle on the other hand can be considered a fat-burning machine and actually requires calories to keep it “alive”. The more muscle you have the more calories you’ll use maintaining it. And you can do all the cardio you want but only weight training can build new muscle tissue and ultimately lead to ripped abdominals.

Hopefully by now you are beginning to see how weight training can maximize your fat loss potential. If you want eye-catching, six-pack abs, then you must start weight training now. There are way too many routines to discuss here. For that you’ll need to check out our Abdominal Training Routines page. By consistently following one or more of these workouts you’ll have a midsection of envy.

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and steroids. Are you looking for more of his Ripped Abs articles? abs-information.com