How to Get Six Pack Abs

The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Many people struggle to get the classic six pack appearance they desire.  This is often because they only tackle half of the problem!  In order to get a good six pack appearance you not only have to build up your abdominal core muscle strength, you also have to lose any excess body fat you may have, as often this will be covering your abdominal muscles and hiding any progress you have made!  This article will cover the main methods of achieving both objectives- Losing body fat and building toned and muscular abs.

Steps

Lose Body Fat

It’s a widely held misconception that working out one area of the body will slim it down.  In reality you will lose fat all over your body in the process of revealing your six pack abs.  Here are a few tips to help you lose fat efficiently.

1. Improve your diet. Nutrition is an important part of getting a six pack.  Not only do you need to eat a healthier diet to lose fat but you also need to ensure that you eat plenty of protein in order to sustain abdominal muscle growth.  A rough way to ensure that you eat a balanced diet that contains all the protein and nutrients you need is to use your clenched fist to measure out portions; You should have a roughly fist sized portion each of: Lean protein, Carbohydrate (such as potatoes, wholemeal pasta or brown rice) and steamed vegetables in every meal.

2. Eat Regularly. Try not to go for long periods without eating; This will help to maintain your metabolic rate at a steady level.  Following the portion advice in step one will provide smaller, low calorie but nutrient-rich meals, which due to the protein content should keep you feeling fuller for longer. If you find yourself feeling hungry between meals snack on healthy options such as fruit, or maybe even a protein bar to help support muscle development (although this is probably unnecessary if you follow step 1 ).

3. Never Skip Breakfast. When it comes to getting well defined abs it really is the most important meal of the day.  Some people miss breakfast when they are trying to lose weight but this is really counter-productive when you consider how your body works.  When you get up and eat breakfast you kick-start your metabolism for the day and let your body know it’s not starving.  People who skip breakfast are “running on empty” which sends a signal to your body to burn less fuel (calories) and retain fat as an emergency energy store.  Fat cells evolved as a survival mechanism for lean periods when food was scarce; by skipping breakfast you artificially trigger a “lean period” and your body will react accordingly, storing fat and allowing your muscles to waste to save energy.

4. Do Cardiovascular Workouts. Activities such as running, swimming and cycling are ideal for getting your heart rate up to burn off the excess fat.  If you are just starting out with exercise try interval training. Interval training is periods of steady activity broken up by short bursts of a higher intensity.  These bursts can be adjusted to suit your fitness levels by making them longer or shorter, and the same can be done with the amount of recovery period allowed between bursts.  Many people find this kind of training very effective as it can be done in less time and often with much better fitness and weight loss results than longer periods of low to medium intensity exercise.

5. Do whole-body weight training.  It’s a good idea to  perform resistance training workouts for your whole body not just your abs.  This has a number of benefits- firstly your physique will look more balanced, with a well defined and toned appearance throughout.   Secondly you will increase the amount of calories your body needs, even when sleeping or at rest.  This is known as your basal metabolic rate.  The last benefit is of course that you will be burning calories during your workouts themselves.

6. Drink plenty of water. Few people realise that one of the most important  things you can do to help lose weight is to drink more water.  You should aim to drink 8-10 glasses a day.  The reason for this is that when it is well-hydrated, your body has an increased ability to metabolize fat.  This is how it works: In the body the organ responsible for metabolizing fat is the liver, whilst your kidneys deal with removing the waste materials and excess water from your blood into your urine. If your body is not sufficiently hydrated, your kidneys will struggle to do their job, and the body will attempt to compensate by spreading some of the workload to your liver. When this happens the primary function of the liver is made less efficient as it deals with some of the kidneys filtration work, leaving fat that would normally be burned off present in the body.  It also causes your body to retain water causing bloating.  So with this is mind, you should try having a glass of water after each meal (not before as it expands the stomach) which will also help you to feel full.  Drinking more has many health benefits too, which includes reduced appetite, better skin condition and complexion, and improved muscle tone.

Build Muscle

Before you start training your abdominal muscles it’s a good idea to understand how they work, and what their role is in your body.

• Your abs or Rectus Abdominis work together with other muscle groups such as your lower back, the Transverse Abdominis (TVA),  and External and Internal obliques to stabilize and support your torso maintaining good posture.
• Every movement you make from walking, running, sitting, bending, standing and yes even lifting involves your abdominal and back muscles.  If the muscles in these areas are weak or imbalanced it becomes easy to injure yourself when performing these movements.
• Strong abs and back muscles are important to prevent lower back pain and injury.
• As they work together to achieve this function the exercises you do should also target ALL the muscle groups of the torso.

Mythbusting: Abdominal Crunches are NOT the best way to get washboard abs.  In actual fact, crunches and sit-ups can cause back injury if not performed correctly!  Try these exercises for safer, more effective results:

Bridge with Leg Lift

Lower back muscles, Buttocks, Abdominal muscles.

1. Lay down flat on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your sides. 
2. Push your pelvis up towards the ceiling into the “bridge” position while stabilizing your body using your abs.
3. Lift your feet up one at a time, performing alternate lifts for 10-20 reps.

The Plank

 Abdominals, Hips, Back

1. Start lying face down on the floor or exercise mat.
2. Place your forearms elbows bent beneath your chest.
3. Using your forearms and your toes, lift yourself up to form the plank.
4. Keep your back flat, whilst keeping your abs and core muscles taut to hold you in position.  Don’t let your hips drop towards the floor!
5. Hold this position whilst concentrating on tightening your abdominal muscles for as long as you can.  For beginners this can be 10-20 seconds depending on how in shape you are already.  You should start small and try to work towards 3-4 mins at a time after a few weeks.

Side Plank

Transverse Abdominus, Obliques

1. Lie down on the ground or exercise mat, with your right hand and arm resting on the ground. 
2. Using your right arm, lift your body to the straight “Plank” position with your arm straight and your left arm by your side.
3. Hold the position for a moment then repeat for 8-10 repetitions.
4. Repeat the exercise with your left side.  Remember to hold your body in a straight line, using your core muscles to maintain the position.

Lower Back Extensions

1. Lay face down on an exercise mat, with your arms folded underneath your chin, supporting your head.  If you find the exercise too difficult to start with try placing your arms palms down on the mat, either side of your your head.
2. Lift your feet about 2-3 inches off the floor while simultaneously lifting your upper body using your back muscles. Breathe in as you lift yourself up.
3. Hold for about 2 seconds, then release and return to the start position, breathing out as you do so. 
4. Perform 8-10 reps and about 2-3 sets.

Warnings: 

• Avoid over-extending your back when performing this exercise (see video below)
• Don’t lift your head with your arms, and avoid putting strain on your neck.

Tips

• There are alternative extra exercises you can do in your everyday life to help work and tone your abs.  Why not try using them for the purpose nature intended.  Go for a brisk walk, climb some stairs or take up running or swimming.  All these activities use your core muscles to stabilize your upper body as you move.
• Make sure you get plenty of rest as when you exercise muscle is actually damaged, and it is only when it rebuilds itself stronger than before that you get the benefit of the exercise performed. Try to ensure that you get 8 hours sleep a night to give your body a chance to recover and heal the damaged muscles.
• Make sure you follow the advice on nutrition and hydration in this article.  Food is literally the building blocks your body will use to heal itself and build better core muscles, whilst water is essential for your body to function properly.