Question about crunches

[SuppKnight]

It is popular belief that crunches develop your ab muscles but that without cardio, no matter how big ab muscles get, you won't be able to see them.

However, here's my question:

If muscle burns more calories and fat even while resting, wouldn't the mere fact that you are developing your ab muscles through crunches help you burn more calories and fat, and with a proper diet, wouldn't it help in reducing even more fat, thus making your abs visible at some point, even without any cardio?

I know cardio is a much better option, but isn't it a myth that you can never see your abs if you don't do cardio? Doesn't it work the same as other muscles? (The more you work them, the more they grow, displacing the fat in the area and therefore allowing you to see them?

 

[ILiftBig]

It is popular belief that crunches develop your ab muscles but that without cardio, no matter how big ab muscles get, you won't be able to see them.

However, here's my question:

If muscle burns more calories and fat even while resting, wouldn't the mere fact that you are developing your ab muscles through crunches help you burn more calories and fat, and with a proper diet, wouldn't it help in reducing even more fat, thus making your abs visible at some point, even without any cardio?

I know cardio is a much better option, but isn't it a myth that you can never see your abs if you don't do cardio? Doesn't it work the same as other muscles? (The more you work them, the more they grow, displacing the fat in the area and therefore allowing you to see them?

For the most part, you are not displacing fat with muscle when a muscle grows. You are just creating hypertrophy (growth) in the muscle fibers. You still have the fat.

However, researchers in Copenhagen have recently published a paper which indicates that blood flow and lipolysis (fat use) are generally higher in the fat next to contracting muscles than in fat next to resting muscle irrespective of exercise intensity. Thus, they conclude, "specific exercises can induce "spot lipolysis" in adipose tissue."

Thus, some of that ab work you are doing may be actually utilizing some of the stored fat for energy.

How many years have bodybuilder been claiming this is possible?

 

[brk_nemesis]

There are a few studies that have been out that certain exercises have shown "spot specific" fat burning but the amount is so small it is basically unnoticeable. BF comp is the biggest influence on abs, if its high, it wont matter if you have them, you wont see em. To answer your question, is it possible to have a lower % of fat, see your abs, without cardio? Yes, but only if you are already at a low % of bodyfat and your diet is literally PERFECT. But this is also presuming you did cardio to get down to this low of BF comp in the first place so,.... in the end theres no magic pill or magic exercise that would be better than a combination of cardio/ organized diet/ perfected training regime.

SIDENOTE: there are transdermals that work, and burn fat in localized/spot specific areas, but without a solid diet and cardio they are pretty much worthless.

 

[Omen]

It is popular belief that crunches develop your ab muscles but that without cardio, no matter how big ab muscles get, you won't be able to see them.

However, here's my question:

If muscle burns more calories and fat even while resting, wouldn't the mere fact that you are developing your ab muscles through crunches help you burn more calories and fat, and with a proper diet, wouldn't it help in reducing even more fat, thus making your abs visible at some point, even without any cardio?

I know cardio is a much better option, but isn't it a myth that you can never see your abs if you don't do cardio? Doesn't it work the same as other muscles? (The more you work them, the more they grow, displacing the fat in the area and therefore allowing you to see them?

1- Spot reduction works, does it help use some of the fat around your abs, will it help you get visible Abs? NO.

2-Adding muscle doesn't turn you into a "fat burning furnace" if someone tells you that, they're either f**king dumb, liars or misinformed. Show me a study. Even Gary Taubes proved that in his book as far as I remember.

3-You need to get down to a low BF%, plain and simple, all those awesome gimmicks, training programs, diets, won't do sh*t for you if they don't get you down to a low bf%, yes, even if you do a workout that Brad Pitt did in fight club.

4-You don't have to do cardio to see your abs, but most successful programs have some kind of cardio in them along with diet.

If you're over 15%, I recommend Lyle Mcdonald's book "Rapid Fat loss handbook", If you're under that, go with UD 2.0. Also by Lyle Mcdonald.

You just need to lose fat, you can get abs without a single ab exercise or a single minute of cardio, of course that would a bit harder without the cardio and well developed abs will looks better, but my point is that it's all about bf%, look into those books, or if you prefer not to, there's tons of info in the internet that can help you diet down to a low bf% with abs visible.

But I'm biased, I'm purchased one book and my friend had great results with the UD 2.0.

 

[PowerlifterMB]

It is popular belief that crunches develop your ab muscles but that without cardio, no matter how big ab muscles get, you won't be able to see them.

However, here's my question:

If muscle burns more calories and fat even while resting, wouldn't the mere fact that you are developing your ab muscles through crunches help you burn more calories and fat, and with a proper diet, wouldn't it help in reducing even more fat, thus making your abs visible at some point, even without any cardio?

I know cardio is a much better option, but isn't it a myth that you can never see your abs if you don't do cardio? Doesn't it work the same as other muscles? (The more you work them, the more they grow, displacing the fat in the area and therefore allowing you to see them?

Muscles burning more calories while resting, I've never heard that and am pretty sure it's false. Here's the facts just in general if you want abs read this.

Cardio isn't the determining factor for abs. Low bodyfat is, cardio will help you reach it, along with good diet and weight lifting.

The primary use of the abdominal muscles is to stabilize the body. The secondary use is to curl it up (like crunches). What does this mean? It means that the most effective ways to develop abs are through squats, deads, snatches, clean and jerksm and other exercises that abs are used as stabilizers. These exercises will also hit the abs with extra weight not just bodyweight like crunches do.

Hope this helps.