The causes of the appearance of the abdomen

The press is not visible, primarily because it is hidden under a layer of subcutaneous fat, or stretched by visceral fat.

6-Cube Press Formula

Fat Burning + Muscle Hypertrophy = Visible Abs

In figure B, the press is visible, because the body has a lower percentage of fat, water and muscles are hypertrophied, in Fig. And the amount of subcutaneous fat and water is greater

Visceral fat :

• Fat surrounding internal organs
• It is the cause of the “beer belly”;
• Efforts are required to reduce it;
• Associated with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
• Visceral adipose tissue produces fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), which is associated with the development of cancerous tumors.

Subcutaneous fat :

• Fat under the skin
• We see it when grasping the skin in a fold;
• Has less negative effect on the heart;
• Easier to shrink than visceral.

There are only a few ways to effectively remove the belly:

• Burning fat
• Abs workout
• Normalization of the hormonal background
• Liposuction
• Sports pharmacology

The main reasons for the appearance of the abdomen:

• Abdominal obesity
  • the appearance of excess subcutaneous fat;
  • the formation of fats located around the internal organs behind a layer of muscles.
• Weakening and stretching of the abdominal muscles of the press ;
• Enlargement of the abdominal organs (splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, megacolon);
• Diseases (increased cortisol levels, kwashiorkor, rickets, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus)
• Alcohol consumption
• Eating disorders (lack of complete protein, excess of simple sugars, especially fructose )

According to the WHO classification, with a waist volume of more than 94 cm in men and more than 80 cm in women, the risk of developing diseases associated with obesity increases.

There are various ways to measure abdominal obesity, including:

• Absolute waist circumference (FROM> 102 cm for men and> 88 cm for women)
• Waist-to-hip ratio (waist-to-hip ratio> 0.9 for men and> 0.85 for women)
• The indicator for determining overweight is the Body Mass Index (BMI) . BMI = body weight / height 2 (kg / m 2 ).
• The Borngardt index is also used, in contrast to BMI, which takes into account a person’s physique.
• The most accurate method for determining the amount of adipose tissue in the body is considered to be MRI.
• In everyday life, the amount of adipose tissue in the human body is usually determined by household scales with a body composition analyzer using the bioimpedance method.

How to remove the belly? 

Without eliminating the causes, it is impossible to remove a large belly and get a relief press with cubes. Sometimes only one causal factor matters (in the case of a disease), but often several subclinical factors are superimposed at once.

It is necessary to apply an integrated approach to solving interrelated tasks. A study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism suggests that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training is more effective than just aerobic exercise . The added benefit of this workout is that it increases stress tolerance and insulin levels , which in turn reduces cortisol , which promotes fat storage.

By doing various physical exercises, you not only strengthen your abs , but also expend energy, which leads to efficient fat burning. By increasing the endurance and strength of the abdominal muscles , you also help to improve blood circulation and normalize the work of the intestines, on which movements during the workout of the press act as a light massage.

Studies by the San Diego Institute of Biomechanics (USA) have shown that among the abdominal exercises, there are those in which the electrical activity of the muscles is higher than in others. In particular, using electromyography, measurements were taken of each of the subsequent muscle groups – straight, external / internal oblique, for their activation in certain exercises. The results of the study yielded such a list of the best ab exercises in general and for each section in particular.

As for the best exercises for individual abdominal muscles, the situation is as follows:

• straight / oblique m.zh. – fitball crunches, reverse crunches, rollerball, plank, hanging knees on the wall bars, vertical crunches (legs raised) lying on the floor, crunches with arms and torso raised, roller; bicycle crunches, side crunches while lying on the floor.

The best core strength exercise is the plank .

For an effective quick effect on the waist and abdomen, the muscles of the whole body should be trained. The consumption of fat by the body is manifested not only in the place to solve the problem with which the classes are aimed, but also in the whole body as a whole. For example, during squats, not only fat deposits on the legs are burned, but also on the whole body. That is why physical activity should be complex and directed to all muscle groups.

The more varied the exercises included in your daily workout, the faster your belly will become toned. The sports program should have an effect on the whole body, strong muscles spend energy remarkably, which means they quickly get rid of excess subcutaneous fat.

The main rule that will lead you to success is the solution of two main tasks:

• organization of proper balanced nutrition ;
• regular exercise of a set of exercises to burn excess fat.

Exercise vacuum 

Professional fitness instructors recommend vacuum exercise for a flat stomach. To obtain visible results, you must perform it daily for 3 weeks.

Technique of the exercise

The result depends on the applied effort and the correct technique for performing this exercise. Do it twice a day: in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening (a couple of hours before dinner). The duration of one lesson is 5-10 minutes.

“Vacuum” can be performed in three initial positions of the body:

• Standing, feet shoulder-width apart, leaning forward slightly, knees slightly bent, buttocks slightly backward, hands resting on legs in the area just above the knees.
• Lying on your back, legs are bent at the knees and stand on the floor. It is necessary to perform a “vacuum” from this position if you cannot resist or it is inconvenient for you to do it from position 1.
• Kneeling, emphasis on straight arms, the back is rounded.
• Now gently exhale the air from your lungs so that it comes out completely. Hold your breath for a couple of seconds, pulling in your stomach and straining your abdominal muscles as much as possible.
• Then inhale slowly, as you exhale, repeat the retraction of the abdomen and the tension of the abdominal muscles. Inhalation is performed with the nose, exhalation – with the mouth, through the lips folded into a tube.
• There is another variation of this exercise: the starting positions of the body are the same, but the technique is different. We exhale all the air, then we take a shallow breath, hold our breath and tighten the abdominal muscles, then we continue to inhale and again hold and tension – we do this until we fully inhale. We repeat the same with exhalation.
• To begin with, you can practice without holding your breath, just by inhaling and exhaling, alternately drawing in and puffing up your stomach. By the way, such pull-in-inflation is recommended after childbirth to reduce the volume of the abdomen and tone the abdominal muscles.
• The number of repetitions should be increased gradually. Start 2-3 times and work up to 10-15 over time.

Proper nutrition 

Not a single, even the most effective set of physical exercises and intense training will help you if you do not eat well or are full right after exercise.

Adjust your diet to achieve noticeable results . The speed and efficiency of solving the problem directly depends on nutrition. For successful weight loss, WHO recommends calculating the usual calorie content of food, and then monthly reducing the calorie content by 500 kcal until the figure reaches 300-500 kcal below the adequate energy requirement. For people who are not engaged in active physical labor, this value is 1,500-2,000 kcal.

The main recommendations for following a diet: consumption of foods with a high content of fiber , vitamins and other biologically active components (cereals and whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, etc.) and limiting the use of easily digestible carbohydrates by the body (sugar, sweets, baked goods, bakery and pasta made from flour of the highest grades).

Remember : when you consume an amount of food in excess of the norm, your body does not spend fats, but only accumulates, and at the same time, even more extra pounds appear. A prerequisite for getting rid of fat and belly is to create a calorie deficit.

Fat deposits on the abdomen neutralize dihydrotestosterone

Deposits on the sides and abdomen of men have a negative impact on overall health. Scientists from the Canadian Laval University have identified new types of effects of body fat on the body.

Enzymes in adipose tissue not only convert testosterone to estradiol, but also convert dihydrotestosterone to inactive components. Overweight men are often deficient in androgenic hormones. In a clinical setting, doctors usually treat this by prescribing antiestrogens such as letrozole and testosterone therapy. But testosterone injections may not be the only remedy. The more body fat a person has, the weaker the response to testosterone therapy and the more side effects.

The more fat, the more enzymes in the body that deactivate dehydrotestgosterone. The latter, as a result of contact with adipose tissue, is converted into 5-alpha-androstane 3-alpha, 17-beta-diol and 5-alpha-androstane 3-beta, 17-beta-diol. Anti-estrogens are no longer able to interfere with this conversion.

When studying subcutaneous and abdominal fat in obese and thin men, scientists found that the highest conversion rate of dihydrotestosterone occurs in subcutaneous fat. The most active enzymes are found in adult fat cells – adipocytes. While immature fat cells – pre-adipocytes do not show such activity in the conversion of dihydrotestosterone. The more body fat, the more DHT is converted in your body. The more fat, the higher the conversion activity of adipocytes.

What is the danger of reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone?

And the fact is that with a reduced or zero formation of dihydrotestosterone and from testosterone, one of the forms of testicular feminization syndrome is associated – tissue insensitivity to testosterone. That is, the main male sex hormone loses its ability to act on target cells and tissues, causing the necessary biological changes in them.

Belly fat increases the risk of death 

In a study by a team of scientists from the US National Institutes of Health, people with normal weight and obesity in the abdomen are twice as likely to die as people who were overweight or obese according to their BMI . This is attributed to the fact that central obesity is associated with an increased accumulation of visceral fat, which is stored around a number of internal organs, such as the liver, pancreas and intestines. And visceral fat, according to experts, is more harmful and can lead to insulin resistance, and this, in turn, becomes a harbinger of type 2 diabetes, entails high cholesterol levels and many chronic diseases.