The Claim: Exercise Is the Best Way to Strengthen Abdominal Muscles

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Published: August 23, 2005
NY Times

Is it true that Exercise Is the Best Way to Strengthen Abdominal Muscles?

THE FACTS: Watch any infomercial promoting the latest abdominal machine and you will hear a spandex-clad salesman claim that if you practice one simple exercise, a six-pack will emerge within

But while Americans spend more than $100 million on abdominal exercisers every year - and of course do countless hours of crunches and sit-ups - studies suggest that the best route to a washboard stomach does not involve abdominal training alone.

Most abdominal exercises help strengthen the muscles but have little effect on fat deposits that sit above them. And, liposuction notwithstanding, there is no way to "spot-reduce" stomach fat, just as doing side leg lifts will not trim fat from the hips.

The best regimen for defined abs, research suggests, combines dieting and plenty of cardiovascular exercise - to streamline overall body fat - with the usual abdominal workouts.

And those expensive devices advertised on television? A recent study by researchers at Kansas State University found that they might not be worth the enormous sums of money Americans spend on them.

The study, published last year, had a group of 23 men and women in college exercise with various devices - an abdominal "roller" and an abdominal "slider," among others - while electrodes measured the stimulation to their abdominal muscles. The study found that, on average, the products elicited no greater muscle activity than traditional crunches.

And two of the devices, an ab "slide" and a type of Swiss ball called "FitBall," caused more activity in the hip flexors than in the stomach, "an undesirable feature of abdominal exercises," the study said.

THE BOTTOM LINE Doing abdominal exercises alone is not the best way to improve your stomach muscles.

Article Source...NY Times