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Why Treadmills and Elliptical Machines Won’t Get You 6 Pack Abs

It’s amazing to see the legions of gyms buffs standing in line for these machines and if you’re a regular you see the same folks on them spending countless hours just plugging away. For years I was one of those treadmill nuts that would run for 30 – 45 minutes with a mindless gaze and in all that time I never developed a 6 pack. It wasn’t until I began to talk with others at the gym with 6 pack abs and asked them what they did to develop them. Amazingly they didn’t even bother with treadmills or elliptical machines.

The more I spoke with them they all revealed the same experiences I was going through as well, treadmills and elliptical machines are terribly boring. I can’t tell you how many times how bored I felt running for 30 – 45 minutes staring in outer space.

In addition this type of exercise is less effective then lets’ say running outside naturally. Think about for a second this type of mindless steady state exercise while watching TV or even reading creates a disconnect resulting in poor results from your exercise routine. There have been studies that show that outside natural running or cycling will yield far better results then those machines at the gym.

I don’t recommend simply just jogging you are far better off with a varied intensity run or sprinting. They are so much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of just the same pace during the entire workout. Luckily there are a couple of exercises that can be done that will give you the ultimate rock hard ripped body.

My personal favorite is outdoor sprinting and for a real challenge I also incorporate sprinting up a hill as well. All you need to do is take a look at the bodies of those world class sprinters and compare that to the guy running the L.A. marathon. I thought so!

Another powerful exercise using the same concept as sprinting but with a pool instead is sprint style swimming. The upper body pump you get from sprint style swimming is intense.

Shadow boxing is in fact an awesome workout you are guaranteed a full body workout, just look at the bodies of your pro boxers, not an ounce of flab. If you are worried if you’ll look silly at the gym then you can do this in the privacy of your own home.

The trick is high intensity cardiovascular workouts not the same old boring running in place at the same speed for 30 minutes. Let’s face the facts you must change up your workout if you desire to lose that extra weight and more importantly develop that rock hard body. It first starts with your commitment to change it up and doing it least three times a week. After you start your new regiment it will become easier to stick with it. It’s that commitment that will payoff in the end.