Getting a toned stomach means mixing cardio AND weights. “100% both! The metabolic system is driven from the need to feed your muscles, and from movement. Muscles predominantly burn/use the majority of calories consumed from your diet. The more muscle tissue a person has, the more calories they will burn. The second part of the equation is movement. Being more active, in any capacity, is going to help you burn more calories. It’s very easy to lose muscle over time naturally if you’re not training them. Losing muscle is actually one of the fastest ways to slow down your metabolism, which is why I recommend doing both weight training and cardio.”
He continued, “I recommend doing resistance training a minimum of 2 days per week — that’s the standard minimum! This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t value rest and listen to your body when it needs to recover. There are many ways to design an effective resistance training program that allow you to train more frequently throughout the week and also provide muscles 48 hours of rest before training them again. Ask a trainer for help in figuring out how to do that.”
If you want to work your core, it’s not just about doing sit-ups. “The major muscles of your core support and move your trunk in different planes of motion, so to have an effective workout, you need to activate them all. Planks, crunches, and rotations are all great. Side planks, side crunches and rotation exercises will help sculpt the sides and regular crunches and toe touches will help with sculpting the front. It’s important when training the core to consider the relationship between your front and your back — meaning that you should also train your lower back if you are ramping up your abdominal training.”
