ab exercise, Cardio Exercise, core exercise, Exercise, Fitness, teenager, training, Workouts - May 15, 2014

Why Sit Ups Won’t Help You Lose Weight

Is your goal to lose weight, yet you do sit up after sit up and aren’t seeing the scale go down? Worse yet, it’s possible that the numbers are going up instead, making your pants tighter than ever before. What gives?

The Truth Behind Sit Ups

In order to understand why sit ups aren’t helping you get into smaller jeans, you need to first understand what they do (and don’t do) for you. Certainly, they can help you build muscle in your abdominal area. However, what happens when muscle increases? It gets bigger right? Well, that would explain why you are having a difficult time buttoning your jeans even though you are working your abs harder than ever.

The problem is that sit ups don’t remove the layer of fat on your belly. They simply tone up what is underneath it, which doesn’t do you any good if you can’t see it. It’s like polishing the underside of your car without ever washing the rest of it. It just doesn’t make sense.

What Will Help You Lose Weight

The key to weight loss is to engage in activities that get your heart rate going and cause you to work up a sweat. Some things to consider include walking, running, swimming, cycling, dance, aerobics, kickboxing, and any other cardiovascular activity that keeps you coming back for more.

Building muscle is good to as it helps your body burn more calories even while at rest, but the best way to get rid of your fat quickly is via regular cardio exercises. Aim to do them most days of the week to get the best results.

Does this mean that you shouldn’t do sit ups until you’ve got your body fat where you want it? Not at all. It just means that you shouldn’t expect sit ups to help you lose weight, as they are more to tone up – the one thing they are designed to do.