fat or flat: what lies beneath?

8/14/2019 Fat or flat: What Lies Beneath?

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22 Ultra-FIT

As a trainer, people often ask me forsome quick advice, and I often hear the

same question I really need to work on

my stomach its so fat. I need to do lots

of sit-ups - right? Well actually that is

wrong. A fat or flabby stomach is just that

excess fat which is covering any

abdominal definition that you may have,

and a three pronged attack is what is

needed to reveal what lies beneath!

Back to basicsThe abdominal area is often the first areato pack on the pounds, and this becomes

very obvious when your stomach hangs

attractively over your jeans when you sit

down! Abdominal fat is a different problem

from a pot-belly which can be due to

poor posture and weak abdominal

musculature (see issue 18/7 if you need to

tackle that!) and needs a structured

programme of CV and resistance work.

In order to lose fat and see any

abdominal definition, you need to adjust

your energy balance - your energy in

(Calories consumed) should be less than

your energy out (Calories expended).

Your energy in can be controlled

through the food and drink you consume,

and your energy out can be increased with

physical activity, boosting your metabolic

rate and EPOC (exercise post oxygen

consumption) see box.

If your goal is to see some abdominal

definition, remember to be realistic. Women

are generally not supposed to have a visible

six pack! In order to see that kind of

definition, you would be looking at a body

fat percentage of around 12% - 15 % and

healthy body fat for women is between 20

32 %. Very low fat levels can interfere with

your menstrual cycle and fertility.

The training planAs mentioned, the best course of action is

a three pronged approach. It is beyond the

scope of this article to suggest a plan to

suit everybody, so I am writing this for a

healthy, reasonably fit, injury free woman.

You should adapt this if you are a complete

beginner by adding in a three month pre-

conditioning period lifting lighter weights

and training at a moderate intensity.

1 Healthy eating

I always try to steer my clients away

from a diet and instead recommend

eating for good health that is a healthy,

balanced diet with a wide range of

brightly coloured vegetables and fruit,

complex carbohydrates (wholemeal,

grainy versions of bread, rice and so on)

and good quality, lean proteins. Sugar,

alcohol and white products are a firm

no-no. It is important to eat enough to

give you the energy that you will need to

exercise, and to keep your metabolism

running. Many women make the mistake

of Calorie-counting, sometimes to the

extreme and then wondering why they

feel tired, lethargic and unwilling to

exercise. Too few Calories can lead to a

lowered metabolism as your body tries to

conserve energy and this in turn can lead

to weight gain if you resume normal

eating. So regular, healthy meals and

snacks are on order!

2 High intensity CV

work to boost epoc

You need to be training aerobically at least

three times per week and one of these

sessions should be high intensity. High

intensity training should be progressed

gradually and should be interspersed with

WOMENS FITNESS

What lies

beneathMany women mistakenly believe that performingcrunches & sit ups will be enough for them to

have sleek & defined abs but thousands of

repetitions later they see no real difference!

Caroline Sandry explains how spot reducing

does not generally work, and how to balance your

workout to reveal what lies beneath!

By Caroline Sandry

EPOCAfter an exercise session your

metabolism (the rate at which your body

burns calories) remains temporarily

elevated and can increase your resting

metabolism by as much as 20%. The

intensity of your exercise has a profound

effect on the scale of EPOC with higher

intensity exercise producing a greater and

more prolonged EPOC response.

Fat around the trunk, known as android

obesity places an individual at a higher

risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes,

coronary artery disease and premature

death compared to individuals with a

pear shape or gynoid obesity where fat

is deposited on the hip area.


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Ultra-FIT 23

lower intensity endurance work. This type

of interval training should be challenging,

but should not cause post work-out

exhaustion.

As your fitness and stamina improves,

add more intervals, or increase the time of

the interval, or decrease recovery time. Fitter

individuals may work at 85 90% mhr.Interval training will not only maximise

Calorie burn, but can help you develop

speed, aerobic and anaerobic power and

improve your lactic threshold.

3 Resistance training to build

muscle and boost metabolism

Many women avoid weight lifting, fearing

it will make them bulky or manly but all

the evidence shows that lifting heavy

weights (heavy enough to reach

exhaustion by the last rep) helps women

slim down and shape up. Lean muscle

tissue is more metabolically active thanother tissue: meaning that it burns more

Calories at rest. An extra 10lbs of muscle

tissue can increase resting metabolism by

as much as 350 500 Calories per day.

It is actually very challenging for a

female to bulk up due to lower levels of

testosterone than men. Women who train

specifically for that pumped look will be

following an incredibly strict regime of

lifting very heavy weights with a special

diet and nutritional supplements.

WOMENS FITNESS

SAMPLE AEROBIC INTERVAL RUN

Warm up.......3 - 5 mins fast walk

Easy jog........5 mins

60% max heart rate (mhr)

Fast jog ........3 mins 70% mhr

Easy jog........2 min recovery pace

Fast run........1 2- mins 80 85% mhr

Easy jog........2 mins recovery pace

Fast run ........1 2 mins 80 85% mhr

Easyjog........2 mins recovery pace

Fast run ........1 2 mins 80-85% mhr

Easy jog........5 mins cool down

SAMPLE RESISTANCE

PROGRAMME8 10 exercises

for all major muscle groups including

back, chest, arms, legs and abs.

1 3 sets

8 12 repetitions of each exercise to

temporary fatigue

2 3 days per week

with at least 48 hours recovery between

workouts.

Change the exercises frequently to

avoid injury.

Temporary fatigue means that you could

not perform another repetition without

losing quality.


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24 Ultra-FIT

WOMENS FITNESS

Swiss Ball lowers Lie on your back with an exercise ball between

your legs

Bend your knees and lift legs up off the floor

and straighten

Press your lower back into the mat

Exhale to lower the ball towards the floor,

keeping the back flat

Inhale to lift ball back up

Repeat 8 12 times

Training tips Keep your back flat, or in neutral if your abs

are very strong. Do not attempt if you have any back

problems. Try to keep your navel drawn in towards your spine

throughout. To advance, place hands behind your head.

A couple of great abdominal exercises to add intoyour programme for strong, flat and sleek abs are:

Remember a healthy, long term weight loss should be 1 2 lbs per week, so be patient and stick to the plan.

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Ultra-FIT 25

WOMENS FITNESS

The Pilates Criss Cross

Lie on your back, and bend your legs up so that

your knees are above and in-line with your hips

Place fingers behind ears and keep elbows wide Exhale and peel left shoulder across

towards right hip as you extend left leg out

(as low as you can keep stomach flat and spine

in neutral)

Inhale back to centre and exhale in

opposite direction.

Repeat 10 slow repetitions followed by

10 fast, but controlled repetitions.

Training tips Try to keep stomach flat throughout, and

move in a controlled manner dont let hips rock as you move.

Imagine you are folding your shoulder towards the opposite hip.

Training tips keep abdominals

drawn in and navel lifted inwards.

Keep the spine in a flat or neutral

position before piking up. As your

strength builds, gradually take theball further down the legs towards

the toes and lift hips higher. Keep

your shoulders away from your ears.

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3 Lie face down on the swiss ball, and carefully roll

yourself forwards until the ball is under lower shins or

ankles. Hands shoulder width apart on the floor.

Exhale, bring your navel in towards your

spine as you lift your hips upwards, using

your abdominals to draw the ball in

towards your arms

Inhale to control the ball

back to the start position

Repeat 8 12 times

Ball pike-up

fat or flat: what lies beneath?

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