Thursday, April 7, 2011

how to get six pack

Flat stomach, tight abdominals, ripped six pack abs - we all dream about that. In fact "how to get great abs?" is the question fitness trainers hear most often.
Of course this question is phrased differently depending on the personal situation; men would like to know how to get a six pack while women are interested in how to get a tight sexy stomach. Nevertheless, the answer stays the same: strengthen your abdominal muscles and lose your belly fat.
True, it sounds simple. Then how come so many people have problems achieving the great abs they want? So often we hear men and women complaining that they do hundreds of sit-ups and crunches a day, have tried every diet out there and still can't get that great abs. Obviously those men and women are doing something wrong. What they fail to understand is that the secret to a flat stomach and ripped six pack abs is NOT hundreds of reps of abs-specific exercises.

The Secret to Getting Six Pack Abs

Surely getting defined abs requires working out. You will have to train your abdominal muscles in order to build up their strength and endurance but in order to actually see them defined you will have to lose all the belly fat that is covering them. And that in fact is the harder part because counting solely on abs exercises will not get you there.
The formula for achieving great abs is simple: proper nutrition + a quality full body training program.
It is very important to understand that you cannot have a flat stomach or a well-defined six pack without any of these two steps.
  • The first step you should take is to get control of your diet and clean it up. It is time to realize that no matter how hard you workout, you simply cannot out-train a lousy diet.
  • The second step is to stop wasting your time trying to "spot reduce" with abdominal exercises. Focus your workouts on the intensity of your exercises and work the body as a whole. This is the only way to get the best metabolic response and lose the body fat covering your muscles for good.
Two of the most recognized experts in this field - Mike Geary and Tom Venuto have implemented this formula into their own complete programs (respectively "The Truth about Six Pack Abs" and "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle") for getting great abs the natural way, without any supplements or drugs.

Abdominal Exercises - Less Is Better

It is a huge mistake to presume that hundreds of reps of abdominal exercises will remove your belly fat. Sadly, this is a very common mistake to both men and women and one of the reasons so many people fail in their quest for a flat stomach.
If you understand that burning the stomach fat that is covering your abs is what will make them visible, then you should also understand that pumping away with crunches, sit-ups, leg raises, twisting exercises, and all kinds of other abs-specific exercises will not do the job. Instead of wasting your time on excess ab exercises, spend that time on more intense weight training for the rest of your body.
When it comes to ab workout, more is not better. In order to burn fat away from your abs and really get lean, increase the intensity level of your workouts, not the repetitions, and work the largest muscle groups of your body, instead of isolating specific muscles in vain hopes for spot reduction. This is the only true way to increase your metabolic rate and the level of fat-burning hormones within your body.
Now, don't get that wrong, developing a ripped 6 pack abs does require abdominal exercises. But they should constitute just a small amount of your workout routine and you should bet on quality and intensity of exercises rather than endless repetitions.

Nutrition Tips to Lose Belly Fat Faster

A very popular fallacy is that if you workout hard you can afford to eat whatever you want. This is totally wrong! If you don't put your nutrition in order, you can forget about that great set of six pack abs.
Here are some of the basic principles you should follow in order to burn your belly fat faster and carve out your 6 pack abs.
  • Forget about low-fat, low-carb, atkins, south beach, high protein, liquid, grapefruit, soup, and any other diets. They may help you lose some weight at first, but they will only make you fatter in the long run by slowing down your metabolism and making you lose lean muscle. The truth is that our bodies need all macronutrients in order to function properly and burn body fat instead of storing it.
  • Get enough quality protein with each meal. It is the main building block for your muscles, satisfies hunger for longer, and the body burns more calories while digesting it.
  • Avoid simple carbohydrates (such as refined sugar and refined grains) and choose natural, complex carbs instead (such as vegetables, brown rice, oats, yams, beans, whole grains, etc.).
  • Essential fatty acids actually increase metabolic rate and assist in fat burning so try to eat enough healthy fats such as fish fat, flax oil, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, nuts and seeds, natural nut butters, avocados, etc.
  • Drink plenty of water. Water is involved in every single process in your body. It will help you eliminate waste and toxins, and what is really important, it is essential to the fat burning process.
  • Spread your daily intake into 6 smaller meals instead of the usual 3 big ones. Eating frequently will make you burn more calories while missing meals will slow down your metabolism, and thus hamper fat burning.
Remember that you just can't get visible 6 pack abs without proper nutrition. A properly designed ab workout program will focus on both full body training and proper nutrition.

Ab Workout for Men and Women

Good exercises are good exercises regardless of gender.
There is a common misperception that men and women should train differently. Especially when it comes to weight training - women are often afraid that they will bulk up if they use heavy weights. However this is not true. Women just don't have the amount of testosterone that is necessary to build huge muscles.
So when it comes to ab workout, same rules apply to both genders. Strength training using heavier resistance is the key to losing body fat and staying lean. In other words, whether you are a man and want a sculpted six pack abs or you are a woman and want a flat sexy tummy, the way of accomplishing these two goals is the same.
If you want to develop a rock hard six pack abdominals or want to get a sexy flat stomach but don't know where to start, you can get a copy of either "The Truth about Six Pack Abs" or "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" - two of the most recognized and successful programs for getting great abs that we highly recommend.

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