“What’s the number one reason people do not work out?”

Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?

Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.

“We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time.” This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.

That’s a whopping one hour per week folks.

Did you know that Jon Benson’s “7 Minute Muscle” plan calls for only five 7-minute workouts with resistance training (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week?

And that actually works? Yeah… you bet it does.

If you do the math, that’s about an hour per week as well.

This is the “Level 1″ workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.

Find out more here –

http://www.7minutemuscle.com

Back to Gibala’s study:

In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.)

The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity — exactly how Jon suggests you train.

This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.

However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.

Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”

The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.

You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.

Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.

Jon devotes an entire chapter to putting your mind into your muscle to make gains faster than ever befor in “7 Minute Muscle.” You can read more here –

http://www.7minutemuscle.com

Just remember these three key points:

1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.
2. Workouts can be short and very effective.
3. The body goes where the mind directs.

Until next time, train smart.

We’ve all heard that ab exercises alone will never reveal a toned tummy.  First we need to get rid of the excess body fat that covers it. You may also have heard that a flat stomach comes from working the inner stomach muscles like the transverse abdominus, multifidus, pelvic floor and diaphragm.  All of these things are true.

One of the things that makes flattening your stomach so difficult is that you need to focus on fat burning, muscle toning, which muscles to tone, etc.  Let’s face it, if crunches alone worked, all women would have flat abs!

So, what do we do?

I’ve done some research and found two highly recommended fitness ebooks that focus on great abs.  Both agree that getting a sexy flat stomach is about more than just an ab workout.  They both agree that fast loss pills, ab machines and crunches are not the answer.  Both ebooks are currently the same price.  Both offer an 8 week money back guarantee.  But how are they different?

Firm and Flatten Your Abs, by David Grisaffi, is a 180 page ebook containing 7 levels of workout programs, 44 exercises, 129 photos and comes with five bonus reports.  Much of the program is based on developing a strong, powerful, injury-proof core in order to stabilize the spine and eliminate low back pain.  Firm And Flatten Your Abs has a long track record as one of the best selling ebooks on the subject. It’s been a Top 10 best seller for over 4 years! As a graduate of the prestigious Chek Institute with a total of six certifications, David has the credentials and has done the research to back up his claims.
To order or get more information, visit: http://flattenyourabs.net

The Truth About Six Pack Abs, by Mike Geary, is rated the #1 abs program on the internet with tons of testimonials.  The ebook is 117 pages and comes with 7 bonuses.  While the program has 8 program levels and over 50 exercises with detailed pictures, the focus of this program is NOT on ab exercises. The program is nutritionally based with 84 different and unique lean meal plans.
To order or get more information, visit: http://www.truthaboutabs.com

So which is better?  I guess that depends on what your focus is.  Either book appears to have the ratings and reviews to get you what you are looking for…  a sexy flat stomach!