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Friday 14 September 2012

Fit and furious


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In the world of fitness, half-truths and fallacies abound. Our experts help you sift fact from fiction.
Exercising on an empty stomach (Morning workouts) burns more calories from fat
In theory, we are told that our blood sugar levels are low when we are in a fasted state. This, in turn, targets more fat burning.

Reality: "The catch is that greater intensity of fitness training is more effective in burning calories. But maintaining high intensity in a fasted state can be difficult," says MH fitness expert Deckline Leitao. A University of Leuven study found that those who exercise without eating anything burn more fat than the ones who snacked prior to the workout. However, a similar study by the University of Birmingham suggests that though the group that didn't eat burnt more fat, they also fared badly when it came to the training intensity.

Ideal-case scenario: "The 6-7 meal theory is a very valid one," says Shayamal Vallabhjee, a Mumbai-based sports and exercise specialist. Not eating at regular intervals means the body starts to store food and not burn it up immediately, he adds. "If I give you a plate of food and don't tell you where your next meal would come from, there is a good chance that you wouldn't eat everything and store some for later. Similarly, if we eat at irregular intervals, the body does not know when it's going to get food again...so everything you eat gets stored."
Swiss ball chest press is more effective than the bench press
The Swiss Ball works on your stabiliser muscles unlike a traditional bench press. "It's great to teach all your muscles to work as one functional unit which will also work your core very effectively," says Leitao.

Reality: If your goal is to build size and strength, "then only the bench press will allow you to hit your maximum threshold," says Leitao. The heavy dumbbell chest press on a Swiss ball can be potentially dangerous as the range is shorter and your elbows will most probably touch the sides of the ball in the bottom position. It's best used to treat injuries, or if you want to increase the strength in your stabiliser muscles.

Ideal-case scenario: "Perform traditional heavy barbell bench presses followed by moderate weight Swiss ball dumbbell chest presses to get the best of strength, muscle size, balance and functional core stability," says Leitao.
There is no such thing as spot reduction
The belief that fat can be targeted for reduction from a specific area of the body is nothing but a marketing gimmick that traps you.

Reality: "Doing hundreds of ab crunches won't rid you of that belly fat," says Leitao. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests that even performing seven different abdominal exercises five days a week, for a total of six weeks, did not have any significant effect on body fat percentage. An earlier study by Korean and Japanese researchers in 2003 concluded that those using combination training (strength+aerobic) lost double the total amount of fat than those who restricted themselves to aerobic training.

Ideal-case scenario: Go old school, and combine strength training and aerobic exercise, complete with a sensible diet plan. "Train every muscle in your body, including forearms, lower back, abs and calves to burn off that fat if you're serious about a drop in overall body fat percentage. The front and side abdominal planks are your best waist trimmers as they teach the core to hold everything intact. If spot reduction worked, we could lose fat off the face by chewing gum the whole day," says Leitao.

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