everyday health
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OH gurlll
A full time health and fitness guru on YouTube with over 80 million views, Sarah is obviously passionate about sharing healthy lifestyle information. Check out her site, SarahFit.com, for the most effective workouts and motivational advice. She is also a regular contributor to Everyday Health’s YouTube channel and girl behind “No Gym, No Problem”.
So, you go to the gym at least 4 times a week, you can run at least 3 miles and can hold a plank for an entire minute, but just how fit are you compared with the rest of the crowd? Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, these 4 simple tests will help you gauge your progress.
1. Plank - Lift up into a forearm plank squeezing glutes and inner thighs together, abs pulling in towards your navel and shoulder blades pinching together. Don’t let your head hang down, but keep it in line with your spine. Aim to hold it for at least 30 seconds. If you can go longer, test and see how long you go with proper form. If you belly begins to sag down, stop before you feel any lower back pain. Keep track of your time on your smart phone or in a document on your computer. Test your progress every 4 weeks.
Score Card:
Below average: You can’t hold a basic plank 60 seconds
Average: You go 60 seconds
Above average: You can hold a plank 60 seconds with your feet elevated on a bench
Men’s Health Fit: You can hold a plank with your arms extended for 60 seconds
2. Wall Sit - Find a wall that you can lean against. Lower down into a squat position with feet shoulder width distance apart. Knees should be at a 90 degree angle, with thighs parallel to the ground. Start your timer and keep track of how long you can hold this position. Remember to engage your glutes.
3. Push ups - If you are a female, you will want to do this test in a modified position on your knees. Why? Because to compare your strength results to other women in your age group, you will need to do so. Who ever began collecting data, did so with this modification. If you could care less about how your stats rank, go ahead and try a full push up if you can with proper form. Men will need to do this exercise starting in high plank position. Lower chest down to the ground and press back up. See how many you can do before your muscles are fatigued.
4. Sit ups (aka Curl ups) - Start lying down on the ground with knees bent. If you have a partner, ask them to sit on your feet and help keep count. Start the clock and see how many complete sit ups you can do in a minute. Lower all the way down, and come all the way up to the top. If you are fatigued before the minute is up, just rest and keep track of your score. Hands should go behind your head. Compare your results to the population to see how fit your abs really are below.
Jenna Morasca gets her groove on with the Ab Circle Pro and gives us a sneak peek at her abs of steel!
Watch Jenna’s other Fitness Guinea Pig diaries:
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You want six-pack abs? (Who doesn’t?) A washboard stomach you’ll be proud to show off on the beach? (Obviously!) Then for the time being, forget about the crunches, the sit-ups, the pilates, the exercise balls, and all the other ab exercises.
“You can do 1,000 sit-ups and that won’t get you six-pack abs,” said Nicki Anderson, a personal trainer in Naperville, Ill., and the IDEA Health and Fitness Association’s Trainer of the Year for 2008-2009. “It’s a matter of losing the body fat.”
Eating right, rather than doing ab exercises, is the first step toward obtaining that six-pack. Anderson’s first rule of healthy eating: “Stay away from any and all processed foods.” Other weight-loss tips:
- Fruits and vegetables should be the cornerstone of your healthy diet. They’re low in calories but provide bulk to keep you from feeling hungry.
- Protein should come in the form of lean meats and fish. Choose beef or pork cuts that have “loin” in their name, and remove the skin from poultry.
- Whole grains are much better for you than processed flour or grains because they contain more fiber and nutrients.
- Don’t avoid dairy, which provides needed calcium and nutrients. Instead, consume dairy products that are very low-fat or fat-free.
- When cooking, use olive oil or vegetable oil rather than solid fat products like lard. That way, you’re replacing harmful saturated fats with unsaturated fats.
- Drink lots of water, rather than sugary fruit juices or soft drinks.
- Monitor your portion sizes, and cut back if you normally eat large portions of food.
- Stop snacking on high-calorie items like cake, cookies, or potato chips.
If you’re dead-set on doing ab exercises to make sure those muscles look good once they’re unveiled by your melting flab, keep in mind that some workouts are better than others.
The ab exercises recommended by the American College of Exercise include:
- Pedal motion. Lie flat on the floor, and put your hands beside your head. Start with your knees elevated at about a 45-degree angle. Begin a bicycle pedal motion in which you touch your left elbow to your right knee and vice versa, crunching your abs with each movement.
- An ab challenge. This requires a special piece of gym equipment with extended arms also known as a “Captain’s Chair.” You start by gripping hand-holds on both arms of the chair and letting your legs dangle below. Lift your knees up close to your chest and then lower them, being sure to carefully control the entire movement.
- Exercise ball. While sitting on an exercise ball, feet firmly on the floor, walk your body forward, positioning the ball into your lower back. Cross your arms over your chest and tuck in your chin about a fist’s-width from your chest. Contract your abs to raise your torso, bringing it up no more than 45 degrees from your thighs. Bringing your feet closer together will force you to work your obliques by challenging your balance.
