About the Truth about Abs

There are dozens and dozens of health and fitness programs out there. Some are for burning fat, others are for building muscle, and still others are simply for making yourself look better physically. Unfortunately, many of these programs are either very misleading or they don’t work at all. Some of them, particularly those that involve special pills, can even be life-threatening in certain situations. Because of this, many programs have been scrutinized by health professionals and been deemed as fraudulent. There are a few programs, like Mike Geary’s the Truth about Abs, that pass this screen, though. Geary’s program is based specifically on how the body processes materials and how it responds to stimuli.

For example, approximately half of Geary’s book is devoted to the diet portion of the program. It involves eating certain foods that help the body burn fat faster. They also help raise your body’s metabolic rate slightly. These foods contain the right types of sugars and fats – those that don’t hinder the body’s natural processes. Other foods, though, (those, Geary labels as bad) cause the body to release hormones that either inhibit the burning of fat or prevent it altogether. Similarly, crash diets are, as Geary explains, terrible for the body. Eating too much or too little will either result in too much fat being stored, or not enough being burned.

Geary also goes against conventional wisdom with his information about exercise. He states that typical cardio workouts do very little to either burn fat or build muscle, both of which are necessary to kick-start the body’s metabolism. Additionally, single-joint exercises, like typical dumbbell lifts, do little to help build muscle. What truly helps build muscle and, in turn, burn fat, are multi-joint exercises. These help build muscles throughout the body, multiplying the effect of the workout. Then, to show off those nice abs, you have to perform a few core-intensive exercises each time you work out. This is to strengthen and grow the surface layer muscles, giving off the appearance of defined abs. Also, Geary emphasizes the fact that you should not exercise every day for multiple hours. Just an hour every other day is enough to build muscles quickly. This is due to the repair process muscles undergo after physical exertion.

Throughout his book, Geary emphasizes that following his program requires altering your mindset. You have to disregard what has been told to the general public about certain foods and exercises. Many doctors, for example, stress that hours of cardio is the best way to lose weight and stay in shape, when it’s really not. Similarly, mass media labels carbohydrates as “evil” when they’re actually necessary for your body to perform at optimum capacity. Simply put, don’t listen to what others tell you.