December 2016 Issue #4 | Page 60

HEALTH AND FITNESS Fitness Myths You Need to Ignore A lot of misinformation swirls in the testosterone-fuelled Plus, the famed crunch isn’t even the most effective exer- cauldron of your local weights room. Every man with mus- cise to hone your six-pack – the rectus abdominis muscles. cles is an expert, whether their accomplishments are natu- Research published in the Journal of the American Physical rally attained or not. Therapy Association discovered that the crunch stimulates a To keep you on the swiftest route to success we flabby 41 per cent of the muscle fibres in your middle, but an use the latest research to replace bro-science with, well, ab-rollout fires up a rock-solid 76 per cent. Put the wheels in actual science. Take note. motion for six-pack success. Regular sessions lengthen your muscles and stabi- lise your joints, which makes your entire body more flexible. The result? You can bend deeper, jump higher and won’t wobble when you load the bar. “With practice, the body becomes more agile and recovery time shortens, which is a plus for anyone who is physically active.” PBs, come at me. You Need To Crunch To Build A Six-Pack: Abs – they’re what fitness dreams are made of. But, no matter what magazine covers tell you, there’s no magic move for success. Sorry. It’s what you do in the kitchen that matters, not the gym. Stick to a high-protein, low-carb meal plan to strip your belly fat and you’ll reveal a cobbled mid-section. Running Ruins Your Knees: The cardiophobe’s Easy on paper, tricky in practice. excuse doesn’t hold much weight. Turns out, pounding 60 4GUYS.CA