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WOMEN’S FITNESS
What lies
beneath
Many women mistakenly believe that performing
crunches & sit ups will be enough for them to
have sleek & defined abs – but thousands of
repetitions later they see no real difference!
Caroline Sandry explains how spot reducing
does not generally work, and how to balance your
workout to reveal what lies beneath!
As a trainer, people often ask me for
some quick advice, and I often hear the
same question – “I really need to work on
my stomach – it’s so fat. I need to do lots
of sit-ups - right?” Well – actually that is
wrong. A fat or flabby stomach is just that
– excess fat which is covering any
abdominal definition that you may have,
and a three pronged attack is what is
needed to reveal what lies beneath!
Back to basics
The abdominal area is often the first area
to pack on the pounds, and this becomes
very obvious when your stomach hangs
attractively over your jeans when you sit
down! Abdominal fat is a different problem
from a ‘pot-belly’ which can be due to
poor posture and weak abdominal
musculature (see issue 18/7 if you need to
tackle that!) and needs a structured
programme of CV and resistance work.
In order to lose fat and see any
abdominal definition, you need to adjust
your energy balance - your energy in
(Calories consumed) should be less than
your energy out (Calories expended).
Your energy in can be controlled
through the food and drink you consume,
and your energy out can be increased with
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physical activity, boosting your metabolic
rate and EPOC (exercise post oxygen
consumption) – see box.
If your goal is to see some abdominal
definition, remember to be realistic. Women
are generally not supposed to have a visible
six pack! In order to see that kind of
definition, you would be looking at a body
fat percentage of around 12% - 15 % and
healthy body fat for women is between 20 –
32 %. Very low fat levels can interfere with
your menstrual cycle and fertility.
EPOC
After an exercise session your
metabolism (the rate at which your body
burns calories) remains temporarily
elevated and can increase your resting
metabolism by as much as 20%. The
intensity of your exercise has a profound
effect on the scale of EPOC with higher
intensity exercise producing a greater and
more prolonged EPOC response.
The training plan
As mentioned, the best course of action is
a three pronged approach. It is beyond the
scope of this article to suggest a plan to
By Caroline Sandry
Fat around the trunk, known as android
obesity places an individual at a higher
risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes,
coronary artery disease and premature
death compared to individuals with a
pear shape or gynoid obesity where fat
is deposited on the hip area.
suit everybody, so I am writing this for a
healthy, reasonably fit, injury free woman.
You should adapt this if you are a complete
beginner by adding in a three month pre-
conditioning period lifting lighter weights
and training at a moderate intensity.
1 Healthy eating
I always try to steer my clients away
from a ‘diet’ and instead recommend
eating for good health – that is a healthy,
balanced diet with a wide range of
brightly coloured vegetables and fruit,
complex carbohydrates (wholemeal,
grainy versions of bread, rice and so on)
and good quality, lean proteins. Sugar,
alcohol and ‘white’ products are a firm
no-no. It is important to eat enough to
give you the energy that you will need to
exercise, and to keep your metabolism
running. Many women make the mistake
of Calorie-counting, sometimes to the
extreme – and then wondering why they
feel tired, lethargic and unwilling to
exercise. Too few Calories can lead to a
lowered metabolism as your body tries to
conserve energy and this in turn can lead
to weight gain if you resume normal
eating. So – regular, healthy meals and
snacks are on order!
2 High intensity CV
work to boost epoc –
You need to be training aerobically at least
three times per week and one of these
sessions should be high intensity. High
intensity training should be progressed
gradually and should be interspersed with
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WOMEN’S FITNESS

lower intensity endurance work. This type

of ‘interval training’ should be challenging,
but should not cause post work-out
exhaustion.

SAMPLE AEROBIC INTERVAL RUN

Warm up.......3 - 5 mins fast walk
Easy jog........5 mins
60% max heart rate (mhr)
Fast jog ........3 mins 70% mhr
Easy jog........2 min recovery pace
Fast run ........1 – 2- mins 80 – 85% mhr
Easy jog........2 mins recovery pace
Fast run ........1 – 2 mins 80 – 85% mhr
Easy jog........2 mins recovery pace
Fast run ........1 – 2 mins 80-85% mhr
Easy jog........5 mins cool down

As your fitness and stamina improves,

add more intervals, or increase the time of
the interval, or decrease recovery time. Fitter
individuals may work at 85 – 90% mhr.
Interval training will not only maximise
Calorie burn, but can help you develop
speed, aerobic and anaerobic power and
improve your lactic threshold.

3 Resistance training to build

muscle and boost metabolism –
Many women avoid weight lifting, fearing
it will make them bulky or manly but all
the evidence shows that lifting heavy
weights (heavy enough to reach
exhaustion by the last rep) helps women
slim down and shape up. Lean muscle
tissue is more metabolically active than
other tissue: meaning that it burns more
Calories at rest. An extra 10lbs of muscle
tissue can increase resting metabolism by
as much as 350 – 500 Calories per day.
It is actually very challenging for a
female to bulk up due to lower levels of
testosterone than men. Women who train
specifically for that pumped look will be
following an incredibly strict regime of
lifting very heavy weights with a special
diet and nutritional supplements.

SAMPLE RESISTANCE
PROGRAMME
8 – 10 exercises
for all major muscle groups including
back, chest, arms, legs and abs.
1 – 3 sets
8 – 12 repetitions of each exercise to
temporary fatigue
2 – 3 days per week
with at least 48 hours recovery between
workouts.
Change the exercises frequently to
avoid injury.
Temporary fatigue means that you could
not perform another repetition without
losing quality.

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WOMEN’S FITNESS

A couple of great abdominal exercises to add into

your programme for strong, flat and sleek abs are:

1
Swiss Ball lowers
■ Lie on your back with an exercise ball between
your legs
■ Bend your knees and lift legs up off the floor
and straighten
■ Press your lower back into the mat
■ Exhale to lower the ball towards the floor,
keeping the back flat
■ Inhale to lift ball back up
■ Repeat 8 – 12 times

Training tips – Keep your back flat, or in neutral if your abs

are very strong. Do not attempt if you have any back
problems. Try to keep your navel drawn in towards your spine
throughout. To advance, place hands behind your head.

Remember – a healthy, long term weight loss should be 1 – 2 lbs per week, so be patient and stick to the plan.

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WOMEN’S FITNESS

2 The Pilates Criss Cross

■ Lie on your back, and bend your legs up so that

Training tips – Try to keep stomach flat throughout, and
move in a controlled manner – don’t let hips rock as you move.
Imagine you are folding your shoulder towards the opposite hip.
your knees are above and in-line with your hips
■ Place fingers behind ears and keep elbows wide
■ Exhale and peel left shoulder across
towards right hip as you extend left leg out –
(as low as you can keep stomach flat and spine
in neutral)
■ Inhale back to centre and exhale in
opposite direction.
■ Repeat 10 slow repetitions followed by
10 fast, but controlled repetitions.

Ball pike-up
3 ■ Lie face down on the swiss ball, and carefully roll
yourself forwards until the ball is under lower shins or
ankles. Hands shoulder width apart on the floor.
■ Exhale, bring your navel in towards your
spine as you lift your hips upwards, using
your abdominals to draw the ball in
towards your arms
■ Inhale to control the ball
back to the start position
■ Repeat 8 – 12 times

Training tips – keep abdominals

drawn in and navel lifted inwards.
Keep the spine in a flat or neutral
position before piking up. As your
strength builds, gradually take the
ball further down the legs towards
the toes and lift hips higher. Keep
your shoulders away from your ears.

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