Get Six Pack Abs

Dave Barnett asked:




The answer to the age-old question of “What is the optimum ab excercises for getting rid of abdominal flab?” is…

None! abdominal excercises alone don’t establish enough of a metabolic change in your own body to create fat loss.

As a tutor, nutrition expert, and fitness authority, I consistently get questioned on what the best types of exercises and workouts are for getting rid of persistent stomach flab in order to bring out clear-cut 6-pack abs. The question is that a lot of people with excess stomach flab looking to try to uncover their abs are looking for some kind of “miracle ab workout program” that is going to slash the flab from their abs in no time flat.

The fact is… they are going about the problem entirely the incorrect way! The thing is that you don’t lose abdominal flab by doing ab excercises.

The problem is that focusing most of your time and effort on ab exercises and abs workouts to try to flatten your mid section and bring out 6-pack abs is simply wasting your time from doing the proper workout programs that will acutally reduce your body fat for ever.

If I were to pick an answer as to what the best exercises are for getting rid of stomach fat, my reply would contain full body exercises such as the ones listed below:

variable forms of squats, lunges, deadlifts, clean & presses, snatches, swings, presses and pulls, mountain climbers, sprinting, etc.

These types of full body exercises would embody a much higher percentage of the workouts I would use instead of abs exercises precisely targeting the stomach. The way you combine those full body exercises into a strategic workout that maximizes your metabolism is also very significant.

Don’t get the wrong idea… I do recommend a number of exercises that exactly target the abdominals and core, but these are only a very small fraction of the programs I plan for my customers as your time is better spent targeting the full body exercises that invoke the greatest hormonal and metabolic responses within the body. also, a side-effect of working out using primarily full body multi-joint combo exercises are that you always work your total midsection even though you are not specifically targeting the abs.

Keep in mind that the most important factor for loss of stomach fat to see your abs is actually in the nutrition area. No matter how serious you excercise, if the food you eat is full of garbage, then your abdominals will be layered with ugly flab. Diet is without question the “king of obtaining a six pack”.

So let’s clear this up at last…

Quit wasting so much of your time targeting yourself on situps, crunches, leg raises, and all those silly “ab machines” in your efforts to try to generate 6-pack abs. Instead focus on high intensity full body lifts by doing a mixture of multi-joint exercises all strategically combined into highly effective fat loss workouts. Couple that with a healthy diet full of natural unprocessed whole foods as close to their natural condition as imaginable, and those evasive six-pack abs will be yours in no at all!

Kris Bierek asked:




Although exercise is a part of the plan, diet is critical to achieving a low level of body fat and attaining a six pack of shredded abs. Concentrate on green and colorful, non starchy veggies for your main meals and snacks including some complex carbs such as yams and brown rice to round out the plate. Fruit is okay but keep it before noon and only 1 pc per day at most since the sugars in fruit can hinder your goals. Clean meats such as poultry and fish are a better choice for your proteins vs fattier choices. You should also consider protein shakes to help with the intake needed.

Cardiovascular work is your next concern. If you are in need of 20+ lbs of fat loss then you need to work up to 3-5 days of 45 mins moderate cardio work preferably jogging which is your most effective fat burner especially if you wish to see fast results. The appearance of a 6 packs or tummy lines is very finicky so these tips are crucial. You can decrease the cardio to 20 mins 3-5 times per week if you are already quite lean.

In order to make your abs protrude you need to thicken those squares with weighted ab exercises. Try this program for a month and see how you can tighten your mid section in now time by incorporating the suggestions above.

Warm up with 3×20 of the Bent Knee Abdominal Hip Raises making sure those hips flick up off the mat as seen in the clip. Also ensure you are pulling your belly button into your lower back during these exercises.

Next you would follow that with 3-4 sets of 12 Reverse Decline Crunches. You can see again how the hips flick up off the board. This is important to achieve but if you are unable to at first you keep it in mind and keep working at that. Watch to not speed on the down phase. If you can, hold the knees for a second or 2 at the top to really enhance the work.

Inverted Exercise Ball Leg Pull Ins is third and you do need some upper body strength but the good news is that this exercise combines to help strengthen the chest and arms while your abs do the work to pull in the ball. Take your time with this and do each rep with a count of 1, 2, 3 – 1, 2, 3, 4 on return. Breathing out during exertion will enhance the effect. Perform 3 x 10.

Fingers to Toes Abdominal Crunches are also known as V sits, you want to keep chest out, shoulders somewhat back and settled while reaching upward and making sure your arms and legs return at the same time. Work on being able to hold this at the top for a few seconds then repeat. 3×10 is to be done with this exercise.

To make this program well rounded you would want to add 2 oblique exercises and in many cases lower back but for this particular program I focused the time on frontal core.
Elbow To Knee Oblique Crunches is a nice basic yet intense addition to round out the workout. 3 x10 should be done for this exercise.

Finishing this program is one of the most intense exercises on this page. Hanging Oblique Knee Raises are counted per side so if you have 10 you do 10 per side! You cannot throw your legs up or you will swing and make things harder so control is a must! 3×5-10 will most likely be all you can get done at this stage since we pre exhausted the middle area with all the above exercises.

Try this for a month then change your program again to focus on other weak areas. You can reintroduce this program or try a newer AB program later along the line since you want to change things at least every 4 weeks. Shapefit.com has an excellent arsenal of abdominal exercises to help you toward your goal of 6 pack abs.

Here’s Five Training Mistakes You Can Correct Now!

aimer_4 asked:


I want to get an amazing mid-section, and I’m wondering how long I should expect to have to wait till I see results. I am fairly thin, I have aboupt 10 lbs to lose which I am. I work out lots, and under the layer of fat there are tough abs, how long should I expect to wait?
Bonus…and suggestions of what I should stick with? thanks

Phillip c asked:


what types of workouts and foods get you bulked abs?

and what types of workouts and foods get you ripped abs?

at the moment, my abs are a little bulked out, the upper 2 and the lower part are usually out while the mid section is in… i don’t find it attractive for myself, how could i cut my abs down and get them ripped like let’s say… bruce lee, not arnold schwartzenneger, know what i mean?

Review Of Truth About Abs Program

Jessica Burns asked:


If you’ve always wondered why your abdominal muscles refuse to shape up, no matter how many hours of crunches you punish your body with, California researchers have some very welcome news for you.

According to a recent study published by the American Council on Exercise, pushing yourself to accomplish a thousand crunches every second day isn’t the most effective way to tone, tighten and strengthen your gut. In fact, the classic crunch – or abdominal sit-up as it is better known – is amongst the most ineffective ways to work your abs… second only to those gimmicky abdominal exercise equipment advertised on late-night television shows. What’s more, rather than carving the flab away from your abdominal muscles, crunches are actually harmful to your back, and are the most common reason for back strains, sprains and other injuries.

Over the years, numerous fitness experts have rallied to and fro about the most effective ab exercises. After years of scientific research and experiments, scientists conclude that in order to bring about the best results, abdominal exercises must stimulate the two major muscle groups in your mid-section – the rectus abdominus which is the long flat muscle extending along the length of the front of your abdomen and the obliques or the long flat muscles along the sides of your abs. The more intense the stimulation – the better the results

On the basis of these criteria, the top three ab exercises are:

Exercise One: Hanging Leg Raises

To do this exercise:

- Hang from a pull-up bar, your legs extended straight down.

- Raise your legs upwards, bringing your knees up and towards your chest.

- Slowly lower your knees to the starting position and repeat.

When performing this exercise, try not to swing your legs and use the momentum to push your knees upwards. Instead, let your abdominal muscles do the work. Use a slow and controlled motion, concentrating on your ab muscles.

Start with bringing your knees up to your hip level, and then raise your knees higher as your abdominal muscles grow stronger. A tougher and more intense variant of this exercise is the straight-leg version, where you lift both your legs towards your chest, without bending your knees.

For those of you who find bent-knee leg raises too easy, and straight leg-raises too Herculean, try the tuck-straight variant, where you bend your knees on the lift up, and straighten your legs as you bring them back down to the starting position.

Hanging leg raises really push your rectus abdominal muscles and are a time-tested favorite with athletes and body-builders alike. This exercise targets your entire core section, building you a stronger, firmer and more toned midsection, and is one of the few exercises which actually give your lower abs a thorough workout.

Exercise Two: The Plank

To do this exercise:

- Lie face down on a mat.

- Lift your torso up on your forearms with your palms flat on the floor.

- Push off the mat, raising your body on your toes. Lift your knees off the mat. Your body should be balanced on your forearms and your toes.

- Keep your back flat such that your head, shoulders, hips and heels are in a straight line.

- Tuck in your abdominal muscles to keep your hips from jutting upwards.

- Hold for 20 – 60 seconds and then slowly lower your body back to the starting position.

The Plank is an excellent strength and stability exercise which builds core strength, stability and taut abs. This exercise targets your rectus abdominus and your obliques, while also strengthening your back and glutes.

When performing this exercise, concentrate on bringing your belly-button towards your spine, by squeezing your abdominal muscles as tightly can you can. While most adrenaline-addicted bodybuilding enthusiasts scoff at any exercise that doesn’t call for at least a several hundred repetitions, the plank is undoubtedly a lot more challenging than it seems at first blush. This exercise makes you push against the dual forces of gravity and your bodyweight to keep your back from arching and sagging, by tightening all your abdominal muscles.

Exercise Three: The Side Plank:

A slightly more advanced variant of the basic plank, the side plank is very effective in building core strength and stability. When performed correctly with perfect form, this exercise can tremendously strengthen and tone your abdominal and lower back muscles.

To do this exercise:

- Lie on your left side with your feet stacked, one on top of the other. Your left forearm should be placed flat on the floor, extended at a right angle from your body. Rest your left arm on your left side.

- Lift your body upwards on your forearm, with your weight balanced on your left forearm and the side of your left foot.

- Be sure that you aren’t arching your shoulders and / or holding your breath. Remember to keep your right shoulder, your hip and your foot in a straight line.

- Hold this position for as long as you can, and then slowly lower your body back to the starting position.

- Switch sides and repeat

For a more advanced version of this exercise, lift your arm and extend it straight towards the ceiling, such that it forms a straight line with your supporting elbow.

If you’re having trouble with balancing your bodyweight, start with lifting your body on your left forearm and the side of your left knee, maintaining a straight line with your head, right shoulder and right knee.

Although surprisingly uncomplicated, this exercise will make you break a sweat with the core stability and strength it calls for. If your oblique muscles aren’t strong enough, this exercise can be very challenging. Start simple, increasing the duration and complexity of this exercise as you gain more strength and balance.

Exercising your way towards a perfect set of six-pack abs is a relatively simple and uncomplicated process… given that you learn to distinguish the fact from fiction. Rather wasting your time, and hard-earned money, on fad products, expensive gym memberships and bogus miracle weight-loss pills, focus on reliable, scientifically proven ab-toning techniques… your fitness levels (and abdominal muscles) will know the difference!



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