05 Jul 2007, ST, Urban
According to Mr Singapore 2006, it's how you work out, not how much, that makes the difference
Mr Singapore 2006 Dennis Lau is a walking advertisement for his personal approach to exercise. Lau, 24, who is in his final year of material science and engineering studies at Nanyang Technological University, doesn't work his body to the bone to get his lean, sculpted physique.
Instead, he 'targets' the muscles he wants to work, making them reap every ounce of benefit from the exercise.
He explains: 'You can do a sit-up and, if you let other parts of the body get involved, you won't get maximum benefit from it.
'On the other hand, if you force the abs (abdominal muscles) to do all the work, you don't need to do too many.'
Proving his point, Lau confesses that he works out just three times a week: each session involves an 8-to-10km outdoor run, followed by some exercises like push-ups, chin-ups and crunches.
Normally, you'd expect a guy with his physique to be training at least five times a week. A thrice-a-week workout regimen is usually good for people who just want to avoid going up a size or two in their dress size.
But it must work for Lau because there is not an ounce of fat on his 1.76m, 68kg frame.
Of course, there is more to his ripped physique than just exercise - that oft-overlooked factor, diet.
'In order for anyone to have a ripped look, especially the abs, the body fat content has to be low, like 15 per cent. Otherwise, no matter how much you work out, all the muscles will be built under a layer of fat,' he says.
As for the exercises he recommends here - the sit-up and the static crunch can be done by anyone, while the reverse crunch will be tough for beginners - he suggests you start with 10 repetitions of each, without any rest between them, to complete a set. Aim to do three sets.
Lau has one more tip: Rotate the order of the three exercises from time to time. This forces the muscles to develop because they don't get used to a fixed sequence.
---------------------------------
For lower abs
Lie on your back, palms on the floor. Lift your legs and buttocks off the floor as you exhale, then shoot your legs up towards the ceiling and crunch your abs. Hold, then return to start.
For upper abs
Lie on your back with knees bent and hands behind your ears. Lift your upper body about 30 to 40 degrees and crunch your abs hard. The rest of you should be relaxed. Do 15 to 20 times.
For upper and lower abs
Lie on your back, hands stretched over your head. Lift your upper body and legs simultaneously and hold for as long as you can, letting your abs do all the work.
According to Mr Singapore 2006, it's how you work out, not how much, that makes the difference
Mr Singapore 2006 Dennis Lau is a walking advertisement for his personal approach to exercise. Lau, 24, who is in his final year of material science and engineering studies at Nanyang Technological University, doesn't work his body to the bone to get his lean, sculpted physique.
Instead, he 'targets' the muscles he wants to work, making them reap every ounce of benefit from the exercise.
He explains: 'You can do a sit-up and, if you let other parts of the body get involved, you won't get maximum benefit from it.
'On the other hand, if you force the abs (abdominal muscles) to do all the work, you don't need to do too many.'
Proving his point, Lau confesses that he works out just three times a week: each session involves an 8-to-10km outdoor run, followed by some exercises like push-ups, chin-ups and crunches.
Normally, you'd expect a guy with his physique to be training at least five times a week. A thrice-a-week workout regimen is usually good for people who just want to avoid going up a size or two in their dress size.
But it must work for Lau because there is not an ounce of fat on his 1.76m, 68kg frame.
Of course, there is more to his ripped physique than just exercise - that oft-overlooked factor, diet.
'In order for anyone to have a ripped look, especially the abs, the body fat content has to be low, like 15 per cent. Otherwise, no matter how much you work out, all the muscles will be built under a layer of fat,' he says.
As for the exercises he recommends here - the sit-up and the static crunch can be done by anyone, while the reverse crunch will be tough for beginners - he suggests you start with 10 repetitions of each, without any rest between them, to complete a set. Aim to do three sets.
Lau has one more tip: Rotate the order of the three exercises from time to time. This forces the muscles to develop because they don't get used to a fixed sequence.
---------------------------------
For lower abs
Lie on your back, palms on the floor. Lift your legs and buttocks off the floor as you exhale, then shoot your legs up towards the ceiling and crunch your abs. Hold, then return to start.
For upper abs
Lie on your back with knees bent and hands behind your ears. Lift your upper body about 30 to 40 degrees and crunch your abs hard. The rest of you should be relaxed. Do 15 to 20 times.
For upper and lower abs
Lie on your back, hands stretched over your head. Lift your upper body and legs simultaneously and hold for as long as you can, letting your abs do all the work.
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