What are Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)?

Today, most new vehicles are equipped with an anti-lock braking system or offer it as an option, and many car shoppers consider anti-lock brakes a must when they make a vehicle purchase. Designed to give the driver control over the vehicle while coming to a rapid stop, anti-lock brakes employ precisely calculated, rapid pumping action to prevent wheels from locking up during a sudden stop. Anti-lock brake technology marks such a significant breakthrough in the automobile industry that in a 2006 report published by www.cars.com, anti-lock braking technology was rated the #1 automobile innovation in recent years and was credited it for paving the way for roll mitigation and stability control technology.

Let us examine for a moment what happens to a vehicle without ABS as sudden pressure is applied to the brake. The wheel is capable of coming to a stop quicker than the vehicle itself, resulting in a skid as the wheel locks but the vehicle continues to move. When a vehicle skids, there is little traction and the driver has minimal or no control over the direction the vehicle will go.

Anti-lock brakes employ computer controlled speed sensors which detect sudden deceleration and activate right before the point when the wheels would otherwise lock up. By rapidly releasing and reapplying pressure to the brake system in quick intervals, the ABS system allows the tires to decelerate at the same rate as the vehicle, preventing skidding and allowing the driver to steer away from obstacles while braking if necessary. Without ABS, a vehicle in the same situation could lose traction, leaving the driver at the mercy of the out of control vehicle and anything in its path.

Several studies have raised doubt regarding whether the presence of ABS actually prevents accidents, and some experts suggest that drivers being unaware of how to correctly utilize the system contributes to the findings. When you rapidly compress the brake pedal in a vehicle with anti-lock brakes, it is normal to feel a pulsing or vibrating from the pedal, and possibly some noise. In vehicles with ABS, brakes should never be pumped with the foot. In an emergency stopping situation, hold constant pressure on the brake pedal while maintaining a firm grip on the steering wheel to control the direction of the vehicle, allowing the ABS to do the job for which they are designed.

In purchasing a vehicle with ABS, note that all ABS systems are not the same. While some systems include a speed sensor and valve for each of the four wheels, others may have just one valve and sensor for both rear wheels. Consult the owner's manual for information about the type of ABS system with which a particular vehicle is equipped.

About the Author: Greg Chapman, of Greg Chapman Motors, is a leading provider of used cars in Austin. For more information please visit Greg Chapman Motors.

How to Get Lower Abs Tight and Lean

So you want to know how to get lower abs tight and lean. It is not impossible nor hard nor time consuming to achieve this. How you say? With just three exercise techniques, you too can get lower abs tight and lean.

Let's look at how and why our stomach muscles loosen and become flabby. Muscles maintain their tightness with exercise. When we do not exercise, the muscles atrophy (reduce) with time. People tend to confuse the fact that if we exercise, we wear our body out. Nothing is further from the truth.

Keeping our body strong and healthy requires exercise, as exercise rejuvenates the muscles. People do not get abs tight and lean while sitting watching television, they get abs tight and lean by exercising. Unfortunately, people do not like to exercise, as they conceive it to be boring and hard. Which in a way is fortunate for you because if you do the work, your abs are so much more special. If everyone could easily do it, there would be nothing special about a tight lean set of abs, in fact I would wager that a flabby belly would be the desired fashion!

But this also is not the case abs are not hard to develop. Three simple exercise techniques can give you great looking and healthy lower abs. Let's now go through the steps and very shortly you will know how to get lower abs tight and lean.

First think of the exercise as a health benefit, not a way to look better, although you will look better. Studies tell us that people who look at exercise as a health benefit, rather than a look good benefit, kept up the routine longer and stayed fit past two years.

Second, drink water, as water nourishes the muscles and refreshes the muscles as you reshape them.

Third, repetition is the key to fitness and long term results. So here we go.

Lie down on your back and bend your knees toward you. Place your hands behind your neck but do not apply pressure. Inhale and exhale. Inhale again, but this time when you exhale, lift your head up toward the ceiling until you feel a pull in your abs. Hold for a few seconds and then release. Breathe in and out. When breathing out, lift your head again toward the ceiling but this time instead of lifting straight up, lift to the right.

Hold again for a few seconds. Release. Breathe in and out. This time when breathing out lift up and to the left. Hold for a few seconds and release. Repeat these steps 12 times. Do 3 sets of these exercise techniques repetitiously every day until you have the desired result, then perform them 2 to 3 times a week to maintain.

Start today because now you know how to get abs tight and lean.

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How to Get 6 Pack Abs Without Going to the Gym

You have always wanted to have 6 pack abs, but just didn't think that it was attainable. Well, one can have just that, one just needs to know how to get 6 pack abs without going to the gym. The gym was fine years ago and still is for those who have the time and the money. But the world is now in the 21st century and moves at a fast pace. Many of us just simply don't have the time. So here is a way to get your new abs, in the privacy of your own home.

To begin with, assign a small area of floor space as your own personal gym. Buy a yoga mat, or even easier, commandeer the living room rug and place it on the floor which from now on will be your personal gym at home.

Make sure the rug or mat is near your bed so you can use the edge of your bed to place your feet for ab crunches. By assigning a mat or rug like this, you create a mental reminder that will always sit there reminding you to do your 3 sets a day. If you have done them, seeing the mat or rug on the floor will give you good feelings and a sense of achievement. If you skipped them, the rug will be a nagging reminder that they still need doing.

Make sure to drink large amounts of water through the day and especially during the work out. Growing muscles and especially increasing the size of the abdominals requires lots of fluid. The anabolic effect is a process where nutrients and amino acids are assigned and travel to the muscles being rebuilt. If you are de-hydrated, the movement of those micro nutrients have a harder time being moved by the body. Message is clear...drink copious amounts of water every day. There are many other health benefits, like it flushes toxins out of your system more effectively.

Before any exercise, stretch your body. You can do this lying down or standing up, whichever is easier for you. Once you have stretched, lie down (if you are not already lying down) and bend your knees toward your chest. Did you drink some water before your stretched? Now place your hands behind your head and breathe in. While breathing out lift your head up until you feel a nice pull in the stomach muscles. Release and lie your head back down.

Repeat a set of 12. Stretch and drink some water. Repeat another set of 12 and stretch again. Then one more time. You are done. When you get up, get up slowly, so to not become dizzy.

Do these exercises every day, and once you have reached the desired effect of a tight lean six pack, to maintain healthy abs, perform these exercises three times a week.

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