Did you know that over 90% of all women and over 80% of all men are dissatisfied with some aspect of their bodies? Of all of body parts and muscle groups, guess what number one complaint area is? By title of this month's newsletter, I'm sure answer won't surprise you. Having a flatter stomach and ripped midsection was at top of majority's wish list.

Your abdominal area is your visual center. In studies of eye movement, it is a fact that our eyes are drawn back to middle of any object we are looking at. On human body, this means that main focus and visual emphasis is on abdomen. So remember, when you are in a bathing suit, no matter how impressive your other body parts may be, peoples eyes spend more time on your abs than any other region. Since men carry a large supply of fat cells in this area compared to women, this type of visual emphasis can be a scary thought for male species!

This month's newsletter is dedicated to show you several things you can immediately incorporate into your diet and exercise program to make your visual center more attractive this summer. Let's get started.

There is a lot of controversy and conflicting opinions on whether or not you should use weight while training your abs. One school of thought is that you should not use weight and just do more repetitions. The reasoning behind this opinion is that if you use weight, you will build muscle mass in your waist and it will not be tapered. When you have a ripped, narrow waste it tends to make your other body parts appear more impressive. Most bodybuilders do not use weight in their ab training routine.

Another school of thought is that you should use weight to train your abs. The reason for this opinion is tiny increase in circumference of your waist is well worth visual improvement that incorporating weights into your ab exercises will provide, and really helps you put finishing touches on your waist. If you chose to use weight in your ab program, use a light amount.

Other areas where there are conflicting opinions are how many sets and reps of each exercise you should do, and how many times a week you should train your waist. If you are a beginner who has been training for at least one month, do three sets of each exercise to muscle failure. Keep going until you feel burn and can't do another rep. If you are at an intermediate or advanced level, do four sets of each exercise to muscle failure.

Some people believe that abs can and should be trained every day or every other day. I used to agree, but after reviewing some pretty convincing research, I have to change my stance. Your abs are a muscle, just like every other muscle group and need proper amount of rest and recovery for maximum results. Train your abs twice a week like every other muscle group and give them at least 72 hours rest before you train them again. For my clients whose personalized program has them training waist three times a week, cut it back to two for maximum results.

Your midsection is made up of four muscle groups, rectus abdominus, obliques, serratus, and intercostal muscles.

The rectus abdominus is row of washbord-like muscles in center of your midsection. When someone talks about a six-pack of abs, they are referring to well-defined rectus abdominus muscles. The rectus abdominus is primary muscle you use when you are doing a sit-up or forward crunch. They pull your chest towards your pelvis.

There are several great exercises you can use to train your rectus abdominus. Like several other muscle groups including lats and pecs, certain exercises focus on upper section of muscle group and certain exercises focus on lower section.

Sad Fact: 84% of people who make this promise never follow through!

Why?

Because majority of people that make this promise have not truly made decision to get in shape.

Making The Decision

It took me over nine years to finally make decision. At my heaviest, I weighed 293 lbs. I must have told my wife 500 times, "I'm going to get in shape, I'll start on Monday". Well, 500 Mondays came and went, I did absolutely nothing, and I was still as big as a house! I finally made decision standing naked in front of bathroom mirror. It was a scary sight. I couldn't believe how fat I was! When I was young, I was always in great shape. After I got married I started working 70 hours a week, didn't find time to exercise, ate wrong foods, drank too much beer, and over a nine year period of time, gained about 100 lbs.!

I was sick and tired of way I looked and felt, and negative effects that being obese was having on my life. Simple everyday things like tying my shoes or climbing a flight of stairs, were suddenly a challenge.

Getting in shape has a positive ripple effect into every aspect of your life. When you look better, you feel better about yourself. Your self-esteem and sense of dignity improve, your relationships improve, you will have more energy and motivation than you know what to do with. Most importantly, your health returns and your quality of life improves. There is nothing more important than your health: ignore it, and it will go away.