Abdominal workouts are all the rage today, promising to melt away fat, remove love handles, and give you 6 pack abs. Fat around the abdominal area can be especially dangerous as it is associated with illnesses and diseases including; coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and metabolic syndromes. New research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning examined the use of core and abdominal workouts on abdominal fat, waist circumference, and abdominal strength.
Researchers examined 24 subjects taking a variety of measurements of body composition and abdominal muscular endurance. For the duration of the study subjects performed commonly used core exercises including; lateral trunk flexion, leg lifts, oblique crunches, stability ball crunches, and stability ball twists.
Researchers found that there was no significant effect or change in body weight, body fat percentage, android fat percentage, abdominal circumference, abdominal skin fold, and suprailiac skin fold measurements from the core workouts. However, researchers noted that there was an increase in abdominal strength. Overall, researchers stated that abdominal exercise training alone will not reduce abdominal fat.
More research should be conducted to examine the effects of abdominal fat loss on a comprehensive strength and conditioning program, with a strong focus on nutrition, and mind body wellness.
