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Six Tips for 6 Pack Abs
~ Shape and Form Your Core ~
Most people don't have 6 pack abs to show off. Take a look around and I'm sure you'll see bulging bellies everywhere! You probably didn't know this, but most people already have a six pack abdominal wall.
The reason we're seeing bulging bellies instead of flat abs is because the abdominal wall is covered with a few inches of fat that sits on top of your muscle and under your skin, this is what's preventing you from showing off a set of 6 pack abs.
It's not the fact that you need to build up your ab muscles, it's the fact that you need to bring down your overall body fat level.
That doesn't mean you don't have to work out your core because you should still strengthen your abdominals through the right core exercises.
If you bring your body fat down by living a well-rounded healthy lifestyle, you'll finally be able to see the shape and form of your core muscles, the famous 6 pack abs!
Lower Your Overall Body Fat Percentage
In order for you to to even begin seeing some type of definition in your abs you HAVE to lower your overall body fat percentage.
Here's a general guideline for body fat levels to showing off your 6 pack abs:
Ladies:
Competition Ready ("ripped"): 8-12%
Very Lean (excellent): < 15%
Lean (good): 16-20%
Satisfactory (fair): 21-25%
Improvement needed (poor): 26-30%
Major improvement needed (Very poor): 31-40%+
Men:
Competition Ready ("ripped"): 3-6%
Very Lean (excellent): < 9%
Lean (good): 10-14%
Satisfactory (fair): 15-19%
Improvement needed (poor): 20-25%
Major improvement needed (Very poor): 26-30%+
Train Your Abs RIGHT!
One thing you should know when it comes to training your abs is that less is more. What you can do to be on your way to showing off your very own set of 6 pack abs is by doing two sets of 2 or 3 different exercises and then you're good to go.
If you think about it, most people usually over train their abs with "quantity". For example, there's a lot of people that think if they do 100 sit ups, it's better than doing 10 good "quality" crunches. Because...more is better, right?
That is so WRONG! Research has shown that sit ups are actually one of the least effective exercises for your abs. Now why would you do something that isn't effective, especially since it's not going to provide you with any better results...it's just a waste of time. Most people are already filled with excuses for why they have no time for a work out, the last thing we need is a workout that wastes time and on top of that doesn't give us results!
Two Things to Make "Less" More Effective:
- When you exercise, make sure you go slow and don't rush through it. A 3-second positive and a 3-second negativeis a good pace to aim for.
- Try using a smaller range of motion than you normally would. The reason for this is the same reason that a crunch is much more effective than a traditional sit up. If you go slow, it will keep the tension focused more on your abdominal muscles and that way they never get the chance to relax. This will definitely increase the effectiveness of the exercise you perform.
Intervals Work Better
Performing interval cardio is when you do five to nine 60-90 second challenges separated by walking recovery.
When you aim for twenty minutes of interval cardio, preferably in the morning, you'll burn more body fat than just doing 60 minutes of jogging or any low intensity long duration cardio.
Doing intervals first thing in the morning will help you "get it done" and out the way. So many things seem to pop up during the day which tends to postpone or cancel out a cardio session that you may have planned for midday or in the evening. So just make it a priority and get into the habit of exercising in the morning.
Fat Loss Nutrition
Most people seem to do better if they eat every 3-4 hours. You should combine protein and a non starchy carbs such as salads, veggies, green beans, apples...together at every meal.
If you're doing resistance training make sure to eat a small amount of starchy carbs such as oatmeal, yams, sweet and red potato, brown and wild rice or whole wheat pasta (only on your resistance training days).
Eating every 3 hours helps to speed up your metabolism, this is because having a higher hunger level means having a higher metabolism.
Don't forget to make other healthy lifestyle choices by not using alcohol, tobacco, or any kind of drugs, and also by going to bed early and waking up early.
Set Your Goals!
For success with anything in life, you have to set goals. Only a few people will accomplish anything without a whole lot of added pressure. It's always a good idea to be your own leader/mentor and create a goal, write it down and give yourself a deadline to accomplish it.
Write down your goals and say them out loud to your self every day and night.
Write it down as if you already achieved it, because in your subconscious mind, it doesn't know the difference between the truth or a fib. This is why you wake up with your heart pounding and sweating when you have a nightmare. So this is something you can use to your advantage!
See it, feel it, know it as if you have already accomplished the goal. Faith it till you make it!
The key is the action, reassessing, and never giving up. Remember, you do have the power to change!
Source:
Darin L. Steen
Healthy Lifestyle Coach
www.mercola.com
Wa-La!...You Are Now
6 Pack Abs READY!!
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