Great Abs, Great Sex Workout

Most men work out so they look good and have better sex appeal. Cut and chiseled abs are the hallmark of a fit body. While it’s nice to bench press 300 pounds, have massive guns that stretch your shirt and cut legs that make you look like a professional athlete, ripped abs tell the world that you are a super fit and desirable. Six-pack abs are sexy and will get you action that is unavailable to guys with one-packs.

Great abs might get you to the bedroom door, but how are you going to perform when you get there? Looking good is important, but it comes with the expectation that you can perform like a sexual Olympian. Few things are more pathetic than seeing a guy who looks like a Greek statue but performs like the Everready Bunny with arthritis in the bedroom. Scientists have discovered that metabolic health is key to peak sexual performance. This gives you the physical stamina for round-the-clock sex and improved blood flow control for erections on demand.

The “Great Abs, Great Sex Workout” will help you build the body of a Greek God and perform like one. The program includes dynamite exercises designed to sculpt your abs and high-intensity training that will make you burn fat like a dynamo. This is no ordinary ab workout. It uses the latest scientific breakthroughs that bring fast, effective results. Training methods include high-velocity ab exercises that recruit the maximum amount of muscle mass in your midsection. Maximum-velocity interval training builds fitness and cuts ab fat at an unbelievable rate and with a minimum time commitment. This program is new, scientifically based and works faster than you thought possible. For the best effect, combine this workout with the “Great Abs, Great Sex Diet” described in this issue. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s build some chiseled abs and turn you into a sex magnet.

The Science Behind the “Great Abs, Great Sex Workout”

This program will develop ripped abs in record time using several scientifically proven methods: 1) Ab exercises that target all the abdominal muscles; 2) high-velocity training methods that recruit more muscle fibers during the exercises; 3) high-intensity anaerobic training that boosts hormones that help burn more fat and enhances metabolic health for improved sexual performance; 4) aerobic training that burns calories; 5) a diet program structured to help you lose abdominal fat quickly while promoting metabolic and cardiovascular health.

EMG Studies Show The Best Ab Exercises

Scientists use a sophisticated technique called electromyography (EMG) to help them determine muscle activation levels. EMG involves placing electrodes over target muscles and measuring their electrical activity during various movements and exercise intensities. These studies found that curl-ups, hanging knee raises and the bicycle exercise activate the abdominal muscles best. We have added several other abdominal exercises that work the abs in a slightly different way to help you develop symmetrical and ripped ab muscles.

High-Velocity Training Builds Ab Muscles Fast

Most guys believe that slow, controlled contractions during weight training activate the muscle fibers best. Spanish researchers found the opposite— at least for curl-ups. They measured abdominal muscle activation levels during fast and slow curl-ups using EMG. They attached electrodes to the rectus abdominis (six-pack muscle), internal and external obliques (side abs) and the erector spinae (spinal) muscles. They measured muscle activity while the subjects did curl-ups at four different speeds ranging from 1 rep per 4 seconds to maximum speed curl-ups. Activation levels increased in each muscle as speed increased. They concluded that doing curl-ups at fast speeds was best for overloading the abdominal muscles and building dynamic spinal stability.

The results of this study are consistent with other research showing the value of high-velocity training methods. Researchers from McMaster University in Canada— led by Dr. Tim Shepstone— published a remarkable study in January 2005 showing that high-speed training developed muscle tissue better than slow-speed training. They did muscle biopsies that showed that high-speed training was best for increasing the size of fast-twitch muscle fibers and that it created the most damage to Z-bands— muscle fiber structures that are particularly susceptible to injury during weight training. Scientists believe that Z-band damage and repair is the major process involved in making muscles larger and stronger. They concluded that the greater hypertrophy seen from high-speed training was due to a greater amount of protein remodeling as a result of greater Z-band damage.

Maintain a neutral spine when doing abdominal exercises. Don’t do them so fast that you can’t maintain good technique. Exercise rapidly, but always maintain good posture.

High-Intensity Training Promotes Metabolic And Sexual Health

Short bouts of maximal intensity exercise (HIT) build high levels of fitness and promote rapid abdominal fat loss. Canadian researchers found that six sessions of high-intensity interval training on a stationary bike increased muscle oxidative capacity (citrate synthase) by almost 50 percent, muscle glycogen by 20 percent and cycle endurance capacity by 100 percent. The subjects made these amazing improvements exercising a mere 15 minutes in two weeks. A follow-up study in moderately active women using the same training method showed that interval training increased whole-body and skeletal muscle capacity for fat use during exercise. The key element in both studies was training at 100 percent of maximum effort. These studies showed the importance of high-intensity training for building aerobic capacity, endurance and weight loss.

The “Great Abs, Great Sex Workout” is a summertime outdoor exercise program that includes high-intensity interval training. The Canadian studies involved a series of 30-second maximal sprints on a stationary bicycle. You can, however, get the same effects by alternating between sprinting, jogging and walking on a beach or running track. The most important thing is to exercise at 100 percent of maximum capacity during the high-intensity intervals.

Interval training and aerobics promote metabolic and sexual health. These exercises improve blood sugar control and increase the production of a vital chemical called nitric oxide (NO). The popular erection-promoting drug Viagra works by stimulating NO production, which increases blood flow to the penis. German researchers have found that improving metabolic health through regular exercise is just as effective for promoting erections as taking Viagra. Aerobic, interval and weight-training increase the capacity for NO production, improve metabolic health and make you look better. Why take a pill to enhance erections when you can get the same effect from exercise and look buff at the same time?

Aerobics Burn Calories

Walking or running outdoors for 30-90 minutes is a great way to build aerobic fitness and cut abdominal fat. Fat loss is absolutely essential for killer abs. Rock-hard abs hidden under a mountain of belly blubber might make you look somewhat firmer, but they will not give you the midsection you want. You can do millions of crunches, but your abs will still look bad if you have love handles.

It’s time to unleash your inner six-pack and jettison the insulation! Go ballistic this summer with this ab workout that will blast off the fat and reveal tight, rippling abs. Work hard and you will lose 5 to 20 pounds of fat in the next three months and look fantastic!

Weight Training Helps Men Lose Fat

A University of Connecticut, Storrs study found that men who combined weight training and a low-carbohydrate diet lost abdominal fat rapidly. Weight training increases muscle mass, which boosts metabolic rate and promotes fat loss. This workout does not include a specific weight-training program, but men should do resistance exercises two or three days per week that work the major muscle groups. A good basic program might include 3 sets of 10 repetitions for exercises such as bench presses, rows, pull-ups, biceps curls, lunges and squats.

Diet

Exercise alone is unlikely to give you the abs you want. Follow the diet recommended by Dr. Dan Gwartney in this issue. The diet includes two weeks of carbohydrate restriction designed to promote rapid fat loss, followed by a Mediterranean diet rich in lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil. The Mediterranean diet is designed to promote metabolic health for optimal sexual fitness and long-term abdominal fat loss.

The Great Abs, Great Sex Workout

This workout is designed to do outdoors using minimal equipment. It involves intense interval training three days per week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday) followed by a series of abdominal and whole-body exercises. For best effect, do a general weight-training program at least two days per week. Do 30-90 minutes of outdoor aerobic exercise, such as jogging or walking, two days per week (e.g., Tuesday and Thursday). Rest two days per week (e.g., Saturday and Sunday).

Interval Training

Interval training for this workout involves a series of maximal-intensity exercises followed by rest. You can do intervals on a beach, 400-meter track, stationary bike, or elliptical trainer. The key element is to exercise as hard as you can on each repetition and rest long enough so that you are fully recovered and can exercise maximally during the next repetition.

• Beach: Alternate between 60 seconds of slow walking-jogging and 30 seconds of maximal sprinting. Do 8 to 16 repetitions of each.
• 400-Meter Track: Sprint the straightaways and walk the turns. Begin with 1 mile and progress to 2 miles. 
• Stationary Bike or Elliptical Trainer: Adjust the machine to moderate tension or degree of difficulty. Sprint for 30 seconds at 100 percent of maximum effort, rest 4 minutes. Repeat four to eight times. 

Abdominal and Whole-Body Exercises

Begin with one circuit of the following exercises. Rest 1 minute between exercises and 3 minutes between circuits. Build up until you can complete the circuit three times. Do each repetition quickly and explosively through a full range of motion, while maintaining good form and a neutral spine. Eliminate exercises such as kettlebell swings and hanging knee raises if you don’t have access to the equipment.

• Rope Skipping: 1 minute
• Kettlebell Swings (16-24 kg kettlebell): 20 repetitions
• Curl-Ups: 20 repetitions
• Bench Curl-Ups: 20 repetitions
• Hanging Leg Raises: 10 repetitions
• Bicycle Maneuvers: 20 repetitions
• Weighted Plank (beginning with 10-pound weight): 30-60 seconds
• Back Extensions On Exercise Ball: 10 repetitions
• Hip Rolls: 10 repetitions
• Explosive Box Jumps: 10 repetitions

Aerobics

Choose any form of outdoor aerobics that you enjoy such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, in-line skating, basketball or tennis. Do 30-90 minutes of aerobics two times per week.

Putting It Together

You can develop great-looking abs if you are willing to pay the price. Ab fat is ugly, unhealthy and bad for your sex life. This program will help you develop fit, defined abdominal muscles and lose ab fat. Developing killer abs is difficult, particularly for men with a genetic predisposition toward central obesity. However, if you follow the principles outlined in this article, you can develop a fit and toned-looking midsection. Why not start today?

Description of the Exercises

• Rope Skipping: Buy a good-quality leather jump rope from a sporting goods shop. Skip rope rapidly for 1 minute.
• Kettlebell Swings. Use a 16 to 24 kg kettlebell (35 to 53 pounds). Begin by holding the kettlebell in both hands in a standing position with knees bent, feet placed slightly more than shoulder-width apart, hips flexed, back straight, chest out, and head in a neutral position. Holding the kettlebell at knee level, swing the weight to a horizontal position by initiating the motion with the hips, thighs and abs (tighten the quads, glutes and ab muscles as hard as you can). Let the weight swing back between your legs in a “football hiking motion” and then repeat the exercise. During the movement, hinge at the hips and not at the spine.

• · Curl-Ups:

• Curl-Ups (with feet on a bench): Lie on your back perpendicular to a bench. Place both feet flat on the surface of the bench and your hands across your chest. Contract your rectus abdominis, drawing your breastbone downward. Try not to lift your neck or shoulders; let the abs do the work.

• Hanging Leg Raises: Hang from a pull-up bar. Lift your knees in front of you until your thighs are parallel with the floor; hold the position; slowly lower your legs to the starting position. 
• Bicycle Maneuvers: Lie flat on the floor on your lower back with your hands beside your head. Bring your knees toward your chest to about a 45-degree angle and make a bicycle pedaling motion with your legs, touching your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. 
• Weighted Plank: Hold a push-up position with your back straight and contract your quads, glutes and abs, while breathing normally. Have someone place a weight on your back. As you get stronger, have a girl sit on your back. 
• Back Extensions On Exercise Ball: Lie facedown on an exercise ball with your weight centered slightly above waist level. Place your hands on your chest. Start with the body straight; bend at the waist, keeping your spine rigid. Return to the starting position and hold.
• Hip Roll: Lie on your back and place a small ball between your knees. Lift your feet off the ground slightly and roll your knees to the right, back to center and then to the left.
• Explosive Box Jumps: Stand in front of a plyo box, sturdy bench, or cement step that is approximately 12-24 inches high. Using a dynamic arm motion, jump up as fast as you can onto the box and then return immediately to the floor. Repeat this as fast as you can for repetitions. 
• Aerobics: Do your favorite aerobic exercise outdoors for 30 to 90 minutes. 

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The Great Abs, Great Sex Workout