How To Get Six Pack Abs

If you want to know how to lose stomach fat and get 6-pack abs, I can tell you in about 30 seconds. You don’t need complex six pack ab workouts containing hundreds of crunches and dozens of exercises each week. The best way to burn belly fat and start seeing your 6-pack is to spend less time focusing on it!

In my opinion, all you need to do to get 6-pack abs is this…

Lose belly fat with nutrition, intervals, and resistance training.

More specifically…

First, start by improving the quality of the food you eat. No more processed carbohydrates, no more sugar, no more deep-fried foods, no more fast food, and no more sodas or juices. Simply making these changes will help you lose stomach fat fast, and you’ll drop your body fat percentage in just days.

Next, you need to spend more time on the basic workout methods, such as total body strength training and interval training, and less time on boring, ineffective ab training exercises. Doing hundreds of crunches won’t get you results. And doing long, slow boring cardio is also an inefficient way to burn belly fat and see your 6-pack abs.

According to researchers from Australia, including Professor Steve Boucher, the only way to spot reduce belly fat is to use interval training. This exercise method burns more belly fat than slow cardio workouts.

Once you’ve taken care of your nutrition, resistance training, and interval training, you can start with basic abdominal workouts. Here’s what you need to know, and this will surprise you!

1) Beginners should stay the heck away from situps and crunch-type movements until they master the Plank, Side Plank, and Bird Dog.

You have to take care of your back before you can start pounding it with traditional ab exercises.

2) Here are some my favorite no-crunch ab movements for intermediate exercisers…

a) the Stability Ball Rollout (also can be done with the Ab Wheel or as a Barbell Rollout)
b) the Stability Ball Jackknife

c) the Plank with Your Arms on the Ball (which according to research quoted in Mens Health, this exercise works your abs 30% harder than regular Plank – all without messing up your lower back).

Okay, so I’ve given my controversial advice about what beginners and intermediate fitness levels should do for abs…now for my more advanced 6-pack ab recommendations.

But first, I want to mention some “unknown” ab builders…

a) The Elevated Pushup

b) Straight Arm Cable Pullover

c) Front Squat

d) DB Pullover & even DB Triceps Extensions with extra stretch

All great total body moves to have in your program to burn calories and build abs at the same time.

Now what do you really need to do to bring out your abs once you have your body fat low?

My favorite advanced ab exercise is Cable Crunches, which are without a doubt, the best resistance exercise for building abs. There are several ways to do them, with one version being safer but just as effective as all other versions.

The big message I like to get across to clients is that they can build 6-pack abs without ever doing a single crunch while lying on their backs.

It shocks people, but it is true. If you want to lose stomach fat fast and see your six pack abs, focus on your nutrition, total body strength training, and interval training before you even consider adding more reps to your current ab workout. By Craig Ballantyne

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how to get six pack abs

The abdominals are a favorite area to train for many people may it be a man or a woman, middle age person trying to tackle back pains or a bodybuilder longing for that ripped midsection or lastly of course the average Joe showing off his six pack on the beach.

These muscles however small they maybe are a must for any guy. So here’s presenting the guide to a great six pack (or 8 whatever you want to call it!)

But Why Should I Develop My Abs? And How Do I Do It?

Benefits Of Exercising Abs. Well developed abdominals are not only aesthetically pleasing – they act as a support system for most exercises. For example, when performing heavy shoulder presses, strong abs help protect the back. While great abs are no substitute for a weight belt during heavy lifts, they do go a long way in helping prevent injury.

Importance Of Diet

Unless you eat right, you can do hundreds of reps of every ab exercise ever invented without seeing any significant results. Nine times out of ten, the reason why most people don’t have great abs is because of their diet. You must adhere to a sensible diet with low fat, moderate carbohydrates and high protein in order to get results.

Cardiovascular exercise. A few lucky people can develop great abs without having to do any cardio, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Cardio plays a big role in helping shedding off the fat covering the abdominals.

I would advise doing your cardiovascular workout first thing in the morning before any meals, because your body is more apt to burn fat at that time. You can do any cardiovascular exercise, although personally, I prefer cycling and swimming. It is low impact so I don’t put any undue stress on my joints.

A high-impact exercise such as running puts quite a bit of stress on the joints. As you get older, your joints will be able to tolerate lesser stress – which makes high-impact exercises less desirable. I also use the stationary bike, especially on days I don’t train legs.

I find that biking is not as heavy on the legs as the stair climber, so it allows me to fully recover from tough leg training sessions.

Training the Abdominals

There are many different exercises that target this area. The abdominal region is composed of the upper and lower abs, as well as the obliques. You should train each of these areas with different exercises. The following are exercises that help to develop and strengthen the lower abdominal region. Perform each repetition slowly, speed is not the key. Each rep should take about 2-3 seconds to complete. To start out, complete 2 sets of 15 repetitions. After 2-3 weeks, increase the reps to 20 repetitions.

Upper Abs

Ab Crunches

Ab Crunches

1. Lie on the ground with your knees bent at 90 degree level
2. Interlock your fingers behind your head ,take deep breath
3. Now slowly curl your torso towards your knees, contracting your abs intensely. Exhale as you do it.
4. Come back to starting position with a smooth motion. Inhale air again.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 20 repetitions. Do 3 sets.

Situps

Sit Up

Of course everyone must know how to do that!

Lower Abs

Bent Leg Vertical Pelvic Thrusts

1. Lie flat on the floor and lift your legs and bend your knees so that your upper legs are perpendicular and your lower legs are parallel to the ground.
2. Slowly thrust your pelvis towards the ceiling, lifting your rear and tailbone off the ground about 2-3 inches. Pause at the top position.
3. Slowly lower to starting position and repeat.

Roman Chair Sit-up

1. Using a vertical bench, support your arms on the arm pads and back against the back pad. Your legs should now be hanging in the air.
2. Bend you knees and lift as high as possible, almost to your chest.
3. Slowly lower legs to the starting position. Hanging Straight Leg Raise
4. Starting position is hanging from a pull-up bar.
5. Straighten your legs out in front of you as high as possible, keeping the movement slow and steady. Try not to use momentum or sway.
6. Slowly lower back down to starting position.

Obliques

Twisted Crunches

Twisted Crunches

1. Lie on the ground with your knees bent at 90 degree level
2. Interlock your fingers behind your head,take deep breath
3. Slowly curl your torso up. Midway twist it towards right ,back to starting position and then towards left.
4. Repeat step 3 for 22 repetitions. Do 3 sets

Extra Exercises

The following are some exercises not really heard of but they work wonders. Try to add variety to your ab workout by including the following. For instance if you train your abs 4 days a week, devote at least one day to these exclusively.

Body Tighteners

Begin by lying on the floor on your back, with your arms above your head and legs straight out. Then pull your arms down by your side and lift your legs an inch or two above the ground.

Your back should be the only part of your body touching the floor, and your lower back should be rounded and in contact with the floor. Do not let your lower back arch and come up off the floor; this would place harmful stress on your back.

Hold this position for a set amount of time (between 15 and 30 seconds). Rest and repeat for the same number of seconds as before.

V-ups

V Up

Begin in a body tightener position, but with your arms above your head. Then using your stomach muscles, bend at the hips and bring your chest and legs up simultaneously into a V-position.

Drop your arms in front of you. Then drop back into a body tightener, but do not let your arms or legs touch the ground. Repeat.

Tuck-ups

Begin in a body tightener position with your arms above your head. Use your stomach muscles to lift your chest and pull your knees to your chest simultaneously. Drop back into a body tightener, without touching your arms or legs to the ground. Repeat.

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how to get six pack abs

Traditional Crunch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands behind your ears. Slowly crunch up, bringing your shoulder blades off the ground. 12 – 15 repetitions, 1 set

Bent-Leg Knee Raise

Lie on your back with your head and neck relaxed and your hands on the floor near your butt. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Use your lower abdominal muscles to raise your knees up toward your rib cage, then slowly lower your feet back to the starting position. As your feet lightly touch the floor, repeat. 12 reps, 1 set

Oblique V-Up

Lie on your side with your body in a straight line. Fold your arms across your chest. Keeping your legs together, lift them off the floor as you raise your top elbow toward your hip. The range of motion is short, but you should feel an intense contraction in your obliques. 10 reps each side, 1 set

Bridge

Start to get in a Pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Pull your abdominals in; imagine you’re trying to move your belly button back to your spine. Hold for 20 seconds, breathing steadily. As you build endurance, you can do one 60-second set. 1 – 2 reps, 1 set

Standing Crunch

Attach a rope handle to a high cable pulley. Stand with your back to the weight stack, and hold the ends of the rope behind your head. Crunch down. 12 – 15 reps, 1 set

Pulse Up

Lie with your hands underneath your tailbone and your legs raised and pointed straight up toward the ceiling, perpendicular to your torso. Pull your navel inward, and flex your glutes as you lift your hips just a few inches off the floor. Then lower your hips. 12 reps, 1 set

Saxon Side Bend

Hold a pair of lightweight dumbbells over your head, in line with your shoulders, with your elbows slightly bent. Keep your back straight, and slowly bend directly to your left side as far as possible without twisting your upper body. Pause, return to an upright position, then bend to your right side as far as possible. 6 – 10 reps on each side, no rest between sets

Side Bridge

Lie on your nondominant side. Support your weight with that forearm and the outside edge of that foot. Your body should form a straight line from head to ankles. Pull your abs in as far as you can, and hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds, breathing steadily. Relax. If you can do 30 seconds, do one repetition. If not, try for any combination of reps that gets you up to 30 seconds. Repeat on your other side. 1–2 repetitions on each side.

Back Extension

Position yourself in a back extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor. Hold your arms straight out in front of you. Your body should form a straight line from your hands to your hips. Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round, until it’s just short of perpendicular to the floor. Raise your upper body until it’s slightly above parallel to the floor. At this point, you should have a slight arch in your back, and your shoulder blades should be pulled together. Pause for a second, then repeat. 12 – 15 reps, 1 set.

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six packs

Getting six pack abs is a goal that a number of people have, yet are still quite confused over the best methods to achieve it. They aren’t sure if they should be doing their workouts on a daily basis or if doing one every other day is good enough.

Six Pack Abs Secret #1: The first myth that surrounds getting six pack abs is that the abs are an ‘endurance muscle’. Some people think that since the abs are working in all the exercises you do, they can withstand fatigue better and therefore must be worked every day to have success. This is not the case. The truth of the matter is that while the abs are worked during all your usual exercises, they are not worked to the same extent as when you’re doing actual ab exercises. For this reason, you’re far better off taking a day off after heavy ab work to provide that time to repair themselves. If you don’t, you may find yourself facing a lack of progress.

Six Pack Abs Secret #2: Those dietary supplements that you are informed to eat, are not accomplishing you any favors. If whatever thing – they are in fact slowing down your achievement. They are not what they are fractured up to be.

Six Pack Abs Secret # 3: Next, also think about the recovery rates of the abs. In order to recover properly they are going to have to rebuild the tiny muscle fibers, building them back stronger than they were previously. For you this means again, a day off is a requirement. If you attempt to work the abs day in and day out, you’re not giving them the time they need to actually get stronger, hence you will not see progress.

Six Pack Abs Secret #4: Both recurring crunches, and in addition cardio exercises are the slightest effectual methods of decreasing your waistline. Foolish huh!

Six Pack Abs Secret #5: You must train your abs with heavy weight. Most people think that they need to use super high reps to “tone” their abs but that’s just a myth. To get visual separation and turn a flat stomach to a set of six pack abs you must use heavy weight and lose reps.

Six Pack Abs Secret #6: There are ‘well being foodstuffs’ that are promoted out there and they declare to enclose advantages to your body. On the other hand they in fact keep hold of much of the obese that lies just about your belly, and prevents you to get toned.

Six Pack Abs Secret #7: You must control your carbohydrates. The typical low carb diet recommendations are all wrong. Carbohydrates aren’t the enemy, it’s too many carbs that’s the issue. People consume too much healthy fat to the point that their body has a hard time losing stomach fat. If you want six pack abs you have to alternate between periods of high and low carbohydrate intake.

Six Pack Abs Secret #8: Perform High Intensity Cardio. Stop wasting your time and sabotaging your six pack abs efforts by doing steady state cardio. Not only does interval training burn bodyfat up to 8 times more then traditional jogging or walking but it also helps to build muscle in your hamstrings and calves.

Six Pack Abs Secret #9: Ab Gadgets, Rollers, Rockers, straps and so on are a waste of money as well as time. How brainless is it to recommend that only by performing five minutes on a device every day, when watching TV and not consuming well, you will firm up? That’s not correct.

Six Pack Abs Secret #10: The Benefits Of Frequent Workouts, Finally, the last thing to ask yourself is whether there really are any benefits anyway to performing such frequent ab workouts. For getting six pack abs, you’re far better off focusing on decreasing your body fat since this is what will determine whether the abs are visible or not, so that’s the direction you should go. Body fat from the abs will not be lost by performing crunch after crunch after crunch, so this really is not the best way to achieve this goal. Rather, spend your time working on interval cardio sessions as well as effective weight workouts.

So keep these points in mind about how often you should perform ab training for getting six pack abs.

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