Do you want to get in shape? Do you want to have washboard abs? Do you want to lose weight? In ABS-solutely Simple, personal trainer Brian Bebley presents an easy four-part plan for improving your body from the comfort of your own home. ABS-solutely Simple focuses on four main areas: dieting, stretching, the core, and circuit training. Written and designed for the ordinary individual, this diet and exercise book provides easy-to-follow instructions with clear illustrations demonstrating each exercise, helping you build a stronger and more defined body. A nutritional guide is included to assist you in eating well and living a healthier lifestyle. The simple training methods introduced in ABS-solutely Simple have produced positive results for people from all walks of life. Bebley's goal is to help people get in shape and achieve realistic goals without conforming to the unrealistic standards of some of today's gyms.
ABS-olutely Simple
By Brian BebleyiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 Brian Bebley
All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4502-5091-7 Contents
Introduction............................................................................ixChapter 1 Dieting and Weight Loss.......................................................1Sex facts...............................................................................3Eating small meals and its benefits.....................................................3The glycemic index......................................................................4Dieting facts...........................................................................7Foods that can set you back.............................................................8Ten quick tips..........................................................................9Chapter 2 Stretching....................................................................11Chapter 3 The Core/Abs..................................................................19Major areas of the core region..........................................................20Working the abdominal area..............................................................20The abs circuit.........................................................................21Four gladiator abs routine..............................................................43Chapter 4 Circuit Training..............................................................49W-A-T-E-R!!!!!..........................................................................66How to put together your abs circuit and total body circuit routine.....................66Most commonly used foods for diet preparation...........................................69
Chapter One
Dieting and Weight Loss
I agree with many certified dietary nutritionists: Most diets don't work. The correct way to lose weight is to develop a solid eating plan and stick with it.
Diets make you feel tired. They make you hungry, and they don't last long. The reason is that most short-term fad diets cut carbs, protein, or other essential aspects of a sound natural diet to the point where your body sacrifices muscle in the process of losing weight by cannibalization or because you are just not getting the fuel you need for your workout requirements.
Most people lose weight rather quickly when they start these trend diets, which can open up a whole new can of worms when it comes to your health. But ask yourself at what expense you are losing the weight; the truth of the matter is that the weight never stays off, because most of these diets are not intended as a new way of life.
To sum it all up, there's no substitute for healthy eating. Taking in whole foods is something that will benefit you for the rest of your life!
1. Stay away from liquid calories. The calories in sodas, fruit juices, and beer add up quickly. So switch your soda with water. Use low-fat dressing instead of your regular dressing, and cut out artificial sweeteners altogether. Making these small changes can help you reduce your weight in a big way. 2. Stop eating all those processed meats we all love so much. Processing foods takes out all the good stuff like fiber, vitamins, and minerals and replaces them with fats and sugars; you should be getting all your carbs in the form of whole grains, veggies, beans, nuts, and fruits. 3. Consuming your meals in smaller amounts more frequently is a sure way to get your metabolism going at full speed. The reason is that if you break the four to five meals you currently eat into six or seven smaller meals you won't feel as hungry as you usually do between meals, which won't cause you to reach for something bad like a bag of chips. This instead allows your muscles to have and store the fuel they need for your exercise routines. You also burn calories every single time you eat, so doesn't that make more sense than eating those large meals and feeling bloated throughout the day while your body fights to digest those Super Bowl-size meals?
With your new exercise routines you'll need to boost your protein consumption as well; you should be doing this by eating your proteins throughout the day. This will help your body absorb proteins in a more efficient way so you can call on these resources for energy when needed. Carb and protein combinations are the best way to eat; for example, turkey on wheat or tuna salad. Last but not least don't shy away from carbs. I know that might sound a little odd to you, considering the fact that most trend diets tell you to reduce or cut carbs out altogether. But the truth of the matter is that carbs provide the bulk of the energy needed for your workouts. Your body puts out less insulin after about 6:00 pm, so in turn it's harder for your body to break down those carbs at that point. Potatoes, rice, oatmeal, breads, and all other types of starchy complex carbs should be nowhere near your mouth at this time. When you do eat carbs after 6:00 pm they should consist mostly of veggies, things your body can break down more efficiently, such as cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, and broccoli, for example. Those types of veggies are less filling and good for you too.
Did you know that eating more slowly can assist in your weight loss? The faster you eat, the more calories you consume before your brain even gets the memo. The point is that if you're scarfing down pizza by the slice, before you know it you've taken in more calories than are needed for an entire day in one meal. Eating more slowly gives your body time to register that it's consuming food. So your fullness switch kicks on and doesn't allow you to eat as much as when you're scarfing your food down. Eat more slowly; it's not a race!
Sex facts
Remember, I told you I'd get back to the better sex thing! Well, I hope you didn't think I had a secret solution to all your problems. I don't, but you do; let me explain. When it comes to the bedroom, confidence plays a significant part in your performance. If you don't feel good about the way you look you won't put on the performance demanded.
The bottom line is that the better you look, the better you feel about yourself, and when you feel good about yourself, so does everyone around you, including your significant other.
Being overweight can get in the way of your becoming the person you desire to be in the bedroom, because the years of eating incorrectly and not exercising can affect erections or ED, erectile dysfunction. This is caused by clogged arteries that make it almost impossible for the blood you need to flow toward the penis.
The only solution to better sex is a better and healthier lifestyle that consists of eating better and getting enough exercise.
Eating small meals and its benefits
The more you eat in the form of smaller meals the more your body is forced to work and burn calories.
When you eat large meals in an infrequent way throughout the day, especially while sedentary for several hours of each day, your body is doing nothing significant. Your metabolism slows down because not enough frequent meals are being ingested. The body is being starved in the long term.
Now when you start to take in more calories the body jumps into survival mode and thinks it is starving and will store all of these calories as fat and not use them for the body to process.
If you eat small meals throughout the day, the body knows that it's not being starved, so it releases its fat around the clock for bodily functions while at the same time working to digest food that will help to speed up your metabolism.
The glycemic index
The glycemic index shows you how carbs are categorized according to how quickly the body converts them to glucose and pushes them into your blood stream.
The higher a food is on the (GI) chart the faster it's broken down into glucose. Also note that protein, fiber, and fats slow digestion down, so keep that in mind also.
To play it safe eat foods that fall on the low end of the (GI) chart. You can find easy-to-use glycemic indexes just about anywhere on the Internet.
Remember that a dietitian is the only person who can give you an accurate diet plan to suit your workout needs.
High Glycemic BEVERAGES
Carbonated soft drinks 68 Gatorade 91
BREAD AND GRAIN PRODUCTS
Oatmeal 61 Grape Nuts cereal 67 Bread, whole wheat 69 Bread, white 70 Cream of wheat 70 Bagels 72 Bran flakes 74 Graham crackers 74 Puff ed wheat 74 Cheerios 75 Breakfast bars 76 Total cereal 77 Corn flakes 84
FRUITS
Raisins 64 Watermelon 72 Honey 73
VEGETABLES
Potatoes, microwaved 82 Potatoes, baked 85
Moderate Glycemic BREAD AND GRAIN PRODUCTS
Pasta 41 Pumpernickel bread 41 All Bran cereal 42 Muesli, toasted 43 Bulgur 47 Buckwheat (kasha) 54 Popcorn 55 Rice, brown 55 Special K 55 Rice, white 56 Mini-wheats 58 Bran muffins 60
FRUITS
Apple juice, unsweetened 41 Oranges 43 Bananas, overripe 52 Orange juice 57
LEGUMES
Lentil soup 44 Baked beans 48
VEGETABLES
Peas 48 Sweet potatoes 54 Corn 55
Low Glycemic BREAD AND GRAIN PRODUCTS
Barley 25 Power bar 30-35
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Whole milk 27 Skim milk 32 Yogurt, low-fat, fruit 33 Chocolate milk 34
FRUITS
Cherries 23 Grapefruit 25 Plums 25 Bananas, underripe 30 Peaches 30-40 Apricots, dried 31 Strawberries 32 Apples 36 Pears 36
LEGUMES
Soybeans 18 Kidney beans 27 Lentils 29 Black beans 30 Green beans 30 Soy milk 30 Lima beans 32 Split peas, yellow 32 Chickpeas 32 Pinto beans 39
Dieting facts
Carbohydrates: It is important to note that you will know when you are eating too much soluble fiber when you are experiencing stomach cramps within about twenty to thirty minutes after eating.
Protein: The enzyme pepsin breaks down proteins into smaller proteins (peptides). Once proteins are moved to the small intestine, they're broken down even more by proteases, trypsin, and chymotrypsin into amino acids and absorbable peptides.
(While starting your workout plan you should be consuming at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight to gain muscle mass. Also note that with bumping your protein amount up you need to continue to drink water at each meal to help with digestion.)
Complete proteins need to be ingested every three to four hours to insure the availability of all possible combinations of amino acids for cellular uptake.
Metabolism: A simple way to sum up metabolism is that to lose weight you have to consume fewer calories than you burn. The downside to this is that if you eat too few calories you risk slowing your metabolism down. Eat the right type of calories and you can speed your metabolism up. Eat the wrong types and you run the risk of still gaining weight. So with that in mind you have to start reading the labels of the foods you eat and watching for the recommended serving size. Little do you know that the can of chili you eat for lunch might actually be two servings. This means that you have to double the calorie intake listed on the can to get an accurate calorie intake for the amount you're eating. Start by reducing your portions by half.
For example, if you read the label on the back of a can of your favorite meal you will find the calorie amount, sodium count, sugar, and protein count, but if you look further at the fine print at the top of that label you'll see that the amount listed is usually just for one serving. If that can is two servings, you have to double the amount on the label to see how much you are actually consuming.
Metabolism: Metabolism is the chemical process occurring within living cells or organisms that are necessary for the maintenance of life.
Foods that can set you back
These are just a few items that are detrimental to your diet and weightloss program. Stay away from foods and drinks that contain these things!
Coffee: Has a negative effect on fluid balance and stimulates nervous activity because of the caffeine it contains.
Chocolate: Has the same effect that coffee does on the body because of its diverted effect and because it has too much sugar.
Salt: Contributes to high blood pressure and contains sodium, causing fluid retention and potassium loss.
Sugar: Absorbed too quickly, causing a rapid rise and fall of blood sugar. Also if eaten too much it can cause fat deposits.
Alcohol: Suppresses nervous function and overworks the liver.
Drugs: All drugs have their effects on the nervous and endocrine systems, which are very delicate and can be seriously impaired.
Tobacco: Nicotine constricts vessels, contributing to high blood pressure; contains carcinogens that destroy respiratory tissues.
Red meat, fried foods, and milk and dairy products: All these products have saturated fats in them because they come from animals; saturated fats contribute to cardiovascular diseases.
Low fiber intake: Leads to poor digestion and poor assimilation of foods and contributes to cancer and metabolic disorders.
Heart rate
220-age (in years) = Max HR Check pulse for 15 seconds x 4 = Rest HR Rest HR + [0.60 x (Max HR- Rest HR)] = E x HR
This is the formula you use to get your exercise heart rate (E x HR). Your exercise heart rate should be at least the sum of resting heart rate (Rest HR) plus a percentage of the difference between the age-predicted maximum (Max HR) and resting heart rate (Rest HR).
You must properly measure recovery between sets performed. The higher the recovery rate, the greater the intensity of the workout. Palpate your pulse at the wrist or neck between sets in a seated position. Upon completion of a set while still in the seated position count the numbers of beats in a fifteen-second time period and multiply this number by four to end up with the number of beats per minute. Repeat this process until you are at or below the recommended recovery heart rate. In your case it should be 100-115 bpm or slightly higher. At a heart rate in this area you can achieve general fitness while at the same time building stamina and lean muscle mass.
When it comes to your workout there is a relationship between heart rate and oxygen uptake, which is the best way to measure functional capacity. Therefore as your workout intensity increases, your heart rate increases as well, making it the method of choice for monitoring your workout.
Ten quick tips
1: Eat ninety minutes before you work out. 2: Eat every two to three hours during the day. 3: Eat after you work out; your post-workout window is small, so take advantage of it. 4: Get plenty of rest. 5: Take multi-vitamins/minerals. 6: Drink plenty of water, at least eight to ten cups a day. 7: Ingest fiber; fiber absorbs fat from your digestive tract, and water-insoluble fiber is the best for staying regular. 8: Eat more veggies; the darker green the better. 9: Eat more fish like salmon, mackerel, and tuna. 10: Stay away from fried foods!
Chapter Two
Stretching
Flexibility is the most important part of your training. Far too often people overlook stretching as a part of working out, but in fact it's a very important aspect of working out. Stretching prevents injuries and helps with flexibility. The more flexible you are, the better range of motion you'll have, which will allow for better repetitions and in turn give you a better workout.
When they're healthy, muscles can elongate up to 1.6 times their length, but they generally don't react well with too much stretching. If you hold in a stretch position for too long your muscle instantly protects itself by recoiling. This protects the muscle from ripping. This effect usually kicks in after staying in a stretched position for longer than three minutes.
A stretch should be held for no longer than ten to thirty seconds to provide adequate flexibility and to prepare you for your workout routine.
Take your time with each movement; stretching should be followed by a light warm-up session. I prefer two to three sets of jumping jacks.
Stretch 1
Up, back, and over This is a three-count routine.
Start in the standing position, arms at your sides. Count one: bring both arms forward and upward. Count two: bring both arms down and back. Count three: bring both arms forward, up, back, and around to complete a full circle.
Targets: Shoulders, chest, and back
Stretch 2
Core twist
Start in the seated position, with your hands behind your head. Rotate (twist) your upper torso from side to side.
Targets: Abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back
Stretch 3
Back stretch
While lying on your back, bring both knees toward your chest. Place your hands over your knees and squeeze knees even closer to your chest with light pressure.
Targets: Back extensor muscles
Stretch 4
Prone stretch, torso
Lie completely on your stomach with your hands flat in front of you like in the push-up position. Extend your arms until your upper torso is completely off the deck while at the same time keeping your hips planted on the floor.
Target: Abdominal muscle
Stretch 5
Adductor stretches
Start in the standing position with your feet spread far apart and toes pointed outward-not too much, but slightly. Shift your body weight to one side while bending the knee of the side you're leaning toward. To avoid stress on knees and joints don't bend the knee of the bent leg further than the alignment over your toe.
Targets: Hip and leg adductors
Stretch 6
Sitting hamstring stretch
Start in the sitting position with your legs together and straight but with a very slight bend at the knees. Place your hand at your sides while keeping a bend in your upper body; slide your hands forward until you feel the tension build up behind your thighs.
Target: Hamstrings
(Continues...)
Excerpted from ABS-olutely Simpleby Brian Bebley Copyright © 2010 by Brian Bebley . Excerpted by permission.
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