Working out~A list of questions.

[iluvsnowboardn]

Allright, I work out 4 to 6 times a week, depending on how busy I am. I work out with weights, and switch from upper to lower body every day. I do lunges, crunches, squats, leg raises, etc, for lower body and bicep curls, chest presses, etc. for upper body. I found this one great book by Joyce Vedral called "Toning for Teens" and i have been following her workout plan for a while now.
Allright, now do crunches really work? And how many of them do you have to do before you see results. I do about 225 every other day, and I've noticed some good changes, like my stomach is harder and flatter. But, I heard from somewhere that if a woman has a six-pack that means she is too skinny, is that true?
Aside from lifting light weights for about 20 minutes, I do basically no cardio. Any good suggestions? I do not really like running, because I think it is really kinda boring. Does anybody know of any fun exercise tapes that mix like dancing with aerobics? Cause I know you have to have a good balance of weight lifting and heart work, because muscle helps burn fat faster, and cardio makes your heart stronger. So.
Is it true that you muscles need to rest 48 before you work them out again?
Does anybody else know of any good excerise programs?
And, do any of those workout machines on the informercials really work? Okay, that's all for now.

[High_Ground]

I can give you answers to most of these, but I don't have the time to properly do it right now.

Let me give you a little primer:

1. Do crunches work? Yes, but only to a point. Cut down on the number of crunches you are doing (try three sets of 30 three days a week) do them slower (hold the contraction at the top for a count of two) and also do reverse crunches and oblique crunches as well. (if you are in a gym you can do Roman chair lifts if they have that apparatus.) (my favorite ab excercise)

2. What about the "sixer"? The only way to reveal the six pack is to do cardio. We all have a six pack, for most of us it's hidden under belly fat, the only way to really melt fat is through cardio. Weight lifting helps your metabolism, but it won't reveal the six pack. Whoever told you the line about women and six packs should be barred from ever giving nutrition advice again. At about 12% BF, the six is pretty clear. That is a good healthy BF %, but it is VERY hard to maintain. More on why BF % as a measure of health is a joke later.

3. Cardio: try roller blading, or bike riding, or any tape by Denise Austin those are pretty good. You could always do Tai Bo, I did that for a while and it was a great cardio workout.

4. Diet: everything you do either succeeds or fails based on what, and how often you eat.

Good luck,
HG