East Bay FitCamp

Why am I doing squats? I just want a six pack.

Why am I doing squats? I just want a six pack.

Short answer: You already have a six pack!

Long answer: You already have a six pack!

This six pack everyone is seeking is nothing more than the abdominal muscles you were born with and have had your entire life. The problem is that you have covered those muscles with a comfy layer of fatty tissue. It’s like having wonderful old hardwood floors covered with dirty shag carpeting. You need to remove the carpet and the padding, sand down the hardwood and seal it to keep them looking good. Analogies are awesome, aren’t they? Trust me, the muscles are there, if they weren’t you would have a hard time doing, well, just about everything.

Tearing up the carpet: Ok so removing the fat layer from your belly is much more difficult than tearing up some carpet, but that is the analogy we are going with. While the carpet can be ripped out in a day, that pesky layer of fat will take time to remove. Doing a boatload of crunches will make very very very very small progress toward removing the layer of fat. It would be like trying to remove the shag carpet one strand at a time. I’m not saying to avoid doing crunches, just know that they are not going to make significant strides in removing that layer. We will revisit crunches etc when we get to Sanding and Sealing the Floors.
To remove this layer we must burn calories and burn fat. I could use this time to explain the three energy systems in the body and how they work but you don’t need to know that and you will likely be asleep before I finish. Just know that in order to remove fat from the body, we need to burn calories-lots of ‘em. By exercising we burn calories. The great part of exercising is that we continue to burn calories long after we stop exercising. There are two reasons for this. One is that lean muscle is more high maintenance that fat; it requires more calories to simply exist than does fat. Another and perhaps greater benefit is the amount of energy used to repair muscle tissue after exercise. After a good workout where we completed several reps of squats, the muscles in our quadriceps are stressed and they experienced what we in the biz call “microtrauma.” This microtrauma is what accounts for muscle gain. Essentially, the muscle sees the need to be stronger after being pushed beyond what is normally asked of it. In order to traverse a gap such as a river, work must be done to bridge that gap. The same is true with our muscles. These microtrauma must be repaired and that requires energy to accomplish this task*. So now we see how exercising not only burns calories while being performed, but also during the rest and recovery phase.

With the carpet and padding torn up, now lets move on to sanding the floors. While those muscles that make up our six pack are already there, we must maintain them and build them to be strong. Here is where working on our six pack is better than the analogy of flooring! We can actually sand the floors before we remove the carpet. In fact, most people are already sanding while trying to remove the carpet. Doing crunches with a layer of fat is what I mean by sanding before removing. Ok I think I know what you are thinking. You are wondering why I said that crunches alone will not help me burn the fat from my belly? I didn’t really say that. What I said is that doing only crunches will likely not be enough to achieve the results you want. Yes, doing crunches burns calories and builds muscle, which are the benefits of exercise and help us reach our goal. The problem is that of scope. Larger muscles burn more calories than smaller muscles. That is why you are more likely to squat your way to a six pack long before you crunch your way there. Understand, however, that working all muscle groups, increasing cardiovascular exercise and a establishing a sensible diet are the best, healthiest and fastest ways to a better you!

Sealing the floors:
Keep it up. Remember, as we age, our bodies slow down. Rather than following a strict diet of denial, find a sensible diet you can live with. Maintain exercise; stay active. Keep in mind that squats and crunches are great, but so are activities that require caloric expenditure and provide a diversion from the tedium of everyday life. Hiking, biking, playing sports, participating in a 5k for charity are all good ways to stay active without the drudgery of the dreaded exercise for the sake of exercise.

John

*Based on the article Effects of Strength Training on Resting Energy Expenditure by Wayne L. Westcott in ACSM’s Certified News, Volume 20, Issue 1.