My Experience

 

I was about 26 years old and very very flabby at the time and I remember it like it was clear as day…
“We have some time to kill.  Let’s hit the gym together,” my friend said to me. She just came back  from  vacation  and she was itching to hit the gym
Before then I’ve never set foot in a gym or even picked up a dumbbell as they say in the Army, “I was green”
“Sure…” I said hesitantly not knowing what to expect. “Don’t worry, we’ll go light.  Just work up a sweat, ” my friend said.
“Okay sounds good!” I said.  I was a bit relieved, because after all it was my very first time ever working out.  To make things worse, when I couldn’t finish a set the trainer would scream at me in his  commanding voice and belittle me in front of everyone at the gym
My first experience in the gym was an hour of pure hell.  For one whole year I would avoid all types of physical activity after that traumatizing experience. Thankfully since then I’ve gotten over that fear to build my body to the way it is right now.But quite honestly, my results would have been much much faster if I had someone there that was actually on my side, coaching me the whole way through instead of pummelling my body to the ground.
And I’m pretty sure with the current obesity epidemic facing us a lot more people can use that type of coaching to point others in the right direction.
Have you ever been told that all you have to do in order to lose fat is to burn more calories than you eat? The trainer then proceeded to blast my body with the most painstaking workout I’ve ever experienced to this day.
CRUNCHES!
The crunch is one of the most common abdominal exercises. It primarily works the rectus abdominis muscle. Crunches are a lot like sit-ups, except that instead of lifting your entire back off the floor, you only lift your upper back. This isolates (“crunches”) the dominal muscles without engaging muscles in your hips.
A crunch begins with lying face up on the floor with knees bent. The movement begins by curling the shoulders towards the pelvis. The hands can be behind or beside the neck or crossed over the chest. Injury can be caused by pushing against the head or neck with handsWhile many people strive toward six-pack abs, the most common exercise they’re using may be more effective at increasing back pain than building muscle. Exercise physiologist Pete McCall explains why crunches may result in more bad than good, and offers five new alternatives that sculpt abs while strengthening the entire core.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems as if the first question I’m asked by most clients is “How do I get a six-pack?” or how do I become “Lepacious”  meaning “slim” It could be because so much media and advertising feature models baring lean midriffs. And don’t get me started on all of the late-night TV products designed to “ABSolutely, positively” provide the user with a sculpted midsection. Anyone who has worked in fitness for more than a few minutes knows that one reason why many people start exercising is to create a flat and sculpted stomach. Walk around most gyms and two of the most common core exercises you’ll see are the plank and the crunch. The plank can help tighten your tummy while reducing low-back pain. Crunches, on the other hand, can actually make back pain worse.