Are You Wasting Your Time Training Core?
It’s been believed for quite some time (verging on decades) that in order to get a shredded 6-pack you need to do tons of direct core work to “chisel” and “define” the abs.
Unfortunately, no matter how much time you spend training core, if you have a flab of fat covering your midsection, you can do 1000s of crunches everyday and never see the sleek, tight midsection you’re after.
When it comes to obtaining the highly sought after 6-pack the thing you need to focus on is primarily your diet and stripping away the goo that’s covering your abs.
So, does this mean it’s a waste of time to train the abs and core?
No, not in the least.
A strong core / abdominal section is one of the keys to preventing back pain. A strong midsection also improves athletic performance across a wide range of sports, and it can help your abs “pop” more. Furthermore, the core is involved, to one extent or another, in countless daily activities, bending, reaching, twisting, picking things up, etc. As such, if you want to limit the potential for low back pain, improve your gym performance, and live a generally healthy, functional lifestyle, then you want to train your core.
Fortunately, many of the same heavy compound movements you’re already doing in the gym -- rows, deadlifts, overhead presses, pull ups, push ups, dips, squats, etc. -- already place a great demand on the core. For a finishing touch, you can add in some ab exercises like hanging leg raises, cable crunches, etc.
However, if you’re doing core training solely for the hopes of reducing body fat, you’re barking up the wrong tree. The reason is that ab exercises and core training just don’t burn that many calories.
The bottom line is that training your core isn’t a waste of time and is important if you want to reduce injury, prevent lower back pain, and improve performance. And, if you want a 6-pack, doing thousands of repetitions of ab exercises won’t get you there. You need to lose fat, which can be accomplished through a tight diet, hard training, and the right supplements to support that training, such as Executioner.
