Six Pack Abs

Often times we are asked how to get a six pack abs.

Are 1000 sit-ups a day efficient?

Should I train my abs every day?

I don’t want to lift weights because I am afraid of bulking up.

I just want to make my belly look smaller.

What is the best exercise for my abs?

I know you told me the proper diet is the key, so what should I eat?

Answering these and many similar questions is the constant part of our job as personal trainers.

Sometimes we get frustrated by answering the same questions several times a day but we understand that you are searching for a solution and you want it now.

We have decided to dedicate this entire page of our website to six pack abs questions.

1000 sit-ups a day will not give you a lean sculpted six pack if you eat more calories than you expend, PERIOD. The only way to reveal your six pack abs is to decrease your body fat to the point that your abs will show up. You should see your abs if your body fat percentage reaches 10-12 %. You can continue your training and diet until you reach 3-4% body fat but trust us. You would not be able to keep this level of body fat for too long for two reasons. First of all you would go nuts if you continued eating pretty much no carbohydrates to maintain your super low body fat percentage. Secondly, it is unhealthy for the body to remain in such lean state for the extended period of time. Your body needs certain level of fat tissue to produce hormones for example. Hormones regulate pretty much everything in your body. Any deviation from normal production of hormones can have very adverse reaction on your health.
In order to decrease your body fat you need to apply 3 strategies:

a) Create caloric deficit- burn more calories than you eat, although we recommend that you eat foods that are nutrient dense: Real, fresh, unprocessed, possibly organic food is your best choice. Example: Oatmeal – plain and unflavored. Yams – they have less sugar than regular potatoes. Brown rice – instead of white rice. Whole wheat and whole grain products. Green fibrous vegetables. Fresh Fruit - focus on low glycemic fruit (apple, orange, grapefruit, and all types of berries). Non-fat dairy products - (cottage cheese, yogurt). Poultry – chicken breast, turkey breast. Fish-great source of protein and omega fatty acids. Egg whites.

b) Increase your muscle mass - the more muscles you have the faster your metabolism is (you burn more calories even at rest). Train large muscle groups rather than small muscle like your abs for example. Larger muscles can burn more calories (Legs, back, chest, gluts). Use compound, multi-joint movements to involve as many muscles as possible to burn more calories. Get off the stationary machines that isolate one muscle group and use functional exercises such as squats, dead lifts, push-ups, lunges, overhead presses. Increased muscle mass will help you to maintain your weight loss results better than strict cardio vascular workouts with low intensity (e.g. walk in the park).

c) Apply H. I. I. T. (high intensity interval training) method to your cardio workouts. Low intensity long duration training on the treadmill is history. Research shows that high intensity interval training will give you much better results in terms of post workout caloric expenditure. You may burn fewer calories during the workout because it usually lasts between 10-30 minutes but your body will be burning more calories for hours after the workout. The name of the game is to burn more than you put in. Although we recommend that the caloric deficit is created on the output not on the input. It means we want you to use proper exercise strategies to increase your burning capabilities rather than allowing your body to starve by not eating enough nutrients. You can’t build the house without nails, wood, shingles, drywall, bricks, etc even if you were to try really hard right? The same applies to your body. You can’t build the muscles needed to burn fat without all the necessary nutrients. After all, you need only 6 different things. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, water. All these mentioned nutrients must come from a healthy source. You are what you eat. If you want to get a six pack you really have only two options. You either do it all the way through or don’t bother. It’s not easy to have a six pack but it’s not impossible. All it takes is little discipline and a will to get it.