Does the 4 minute abs program work?

Having a defined and chiseled midsection is seen as the pinnacle of health which is why there are countless diets, workout plans and products that promise to help you get the abs of your dreams. Some of the most popular ones are these mini ab workouts ranging anywhere from 3-8 minutes.

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Before we answer the question of whether or not these programs work, it's important to understand the process of getting a perfect midsection.

How to Get Abs

The key to getting a perfectly toned midsection is a low body fat percentage. Due to the way our body stores energy, the abdominal muscles are often obscured by body fat. The solution to this isn't to do thousands of sit ups and crunches, it's to burn the layer of fat covering your abs.

When you eat more calories than you burn (calorie surplus), your body stores that excess energy as fat in various places around the body. For a lot of people, that place happens to be the stomach. As your body stores more fat, your abs become less visible. Doing sit ups and crunches will help you strengthen your abdominals but these exercises will do little to burn the fat. Spot reducing, burning fat in specific areas, is impossible.

Getting rid of that fat requires that you eat less calories than you burn, create a calorie deficit. When you create a calorie deficit, your body will turn to stored fat for energy which will give you a more toned appearance. You can create a calorie deficit by combining calorie reduction with increased physical activity.

Do Quick Ab Programs Work?

These quick ab programs such as 4, 5 and 6 minute abs can be part of an overall ab routine but alone won't be enough. These quick, high intensity ab workouts are good to strengthen the abdominal muscles if done regularly over a long period of time. Since they're done so quickly, they don't burn a large number of calories which will cause them to have a negligent effect on your body fat percentage. If your body fat percentage is already low, programs such as these can help you get a more toned look.

The End

If your body fat percentage is low and you need a new program, it's possible to get results from these mini routines. If your body fat percentage is high, use these programs only if you're willing to combine them with a calorie restricted diet and more exercise.