Getting Six Pack Abs Is Like Building A House

                

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When most people think about getting six pack abs, they focus on, surprise surprise, the stomach, in the belief that the route to the goal is crunch, sit up, crunch, sit up.

This is a misguided view, and I'm going to illustrate it with the image of building a house.

If you just built a roof, and put it on the ground, it may look good for a while, but is is unsustainable.

It has no solid foundations, and cannot last. It won't be long before the admiring glances will disappear, as will the roof, and you'd have to start again.

If you want to build a house properly, you have to put in the long work, starting with the solid foundation. Then you work upwards, working over the whole house, and finally you put the roof on.

The house, and anything in it are solid, secure, and there to last, a permanent fixture needing no more than routine maintenance.

The same applies to getting six pack abs. All the adverts that claim fast results and rippling stomachs are leading you and your wallet down a wrong path.

You need the solid foundation, which is an all round fitness regime.

Trying to build any muscle is isolation is very hard, and not healthy anyway, so don't just concentrate on the stomach.

You'll need to get rid of any belly fat before your abs are even visible, otherwise any crunches and sit ups are a waste of time.

Finally, when you have got your general fitness up, and developed a sustainable healthy diet, basically anything in moderation, then your house is built.

At this stage, your stomach will be well defined and looking good. If you want to then put in extra work on that area, go ahead, but make sure it's just the topping to the general foundation.

So, I hope I've shown how you can imagine a building project to help on your way to getting six pack abs!

Gordon Bryan only recommends one six pack course. Read about it and grab his FREE 8 Step Goal Achievement Plan at: http://www.gordonbryan.com/sixpackabs

Abs Are Made in the Kitchen

                

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Abs are made in the kitchen. That's a popular phrase going around the fitness
world these days.

Well, it sounds nice, but it really isn't true (unless you have some really weird
home gym set-up).

The truth is, your abs are still made in the gym from the exercises you do. But
your abs certainly can be defined by what you do in the kitchen in terms of nutrition.

After all, you can do all the ab-building exercises you want, but if you aren't
eating for fat loss, then you are never going to see your abs.

So is your nutrition good enough to get the job done?

If not, what's your excuse? Not enough time, right? Or on the go too much, and
your options are a greasy cheeseburger or a slice of pizza?

Well let me tell you, nutrition planning is one of the keys to fat loss. If you
don't plan ahead, don't expect to burst through any fat loss plateaus any time soon.

And that's why today, Sunday, is the answer to the problem. Because today, assuming
you work a M-F job, you have the time to plan your meals, go to the grocery store,
and prepare your meal plan for the week.

And don't tell me this is too much work. You can easily accomplish this in 2
hours. One hour to get to the grocery store and back, and the other hour to prepare
your meat and vegetables for the rest of the week. For more information on how to
prepare your weekly nutrition, and for a copy of my shopping list, click here.

Abs can be yours if you are consistent.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes
for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen
magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured
multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the Internet,
and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle,
and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information
on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow
cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit
http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Ripped Abs - How to Get a Stunning and Sexy Six Pack

                

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Having ripped abs is definitely the sign of someone who keeps
their body in great shape.

When you see a model who has ripped abs on the cover of a magazine, you wonder
exactly what it is they to to look so amazing.

This article will show you the guidelines that people follow to get ripped abs,
and how you can do this too.

How to Get Ripped Abs

RIPPED ABS TIP #1: Lower your body fat percentage.

This is absolutely crucial if you want ripped abs. If you are a man who wants
ripped abs, you will need your overall body fat to be less and 10%. If you are a
woman who wants ripped abs, you will need your overall body fat percentage to be
less than 14%.

A person could have an amazing set of ripped abs, but will not be able to see
them if they are covered up by a layer of fat.

So in order to get ripped abs, you absolutely must lower your overall body fat,
and do it the right way.

RIPPED ABS TIP #2: Total body strength training and high
intensity cardio to raise metabolism.

To lower your body fat and get ripped abs, you need to raise your metabolism.

You can do this by combining total body strength training with high intensity
cardio. By doing this, you will raise your active and resting metabolism. This will
make your body burn more calories while exercising, and also at rest.

Most people try to get ripped abs by doing hundreds of crunches everday. While
this may help you build a strong core, it will not help to raise your metabolism.

If you want to exercise to get ripped abs, you need to add lean muscle mass that
will raise your metabolism. This will help you to burn lots of body fat and see
those ripped abs start to come through =)

RIPPED ABS TIP #3: Eat the right foods.

If you eat 4-6 small meals per day that consist of high quality protein, complex
carbs, and healthy fats, you are one step closer to having ripped abs.

These foods are great for building muscle and burning fat. By spacing them out
throughout the day, you will help to control your appetite and regulate your blood
sugar.

Regulating your blood sugar is very important in the quest to get ripped abs.
If you a big meal, your blood sugar rises drastically. Then, your body releases
more insulin to store the excess blood sugar as body fat.

Eating smaller meals of better foods helps to prevent this.

Remember, good nutrition is the cornerstone of having ripped abs!

So in conclusion, you can see that great nutrition combined with the right type
of exercise is the ultimate solution to having great abs. When you combine these
principles and lower your body fat percentage, you will see those ripped abs start
to come through!

Want to Reprint this Article on Ripped Abs?

Reprinting is welcome as long as the content, links, author bio, and resource
box are all included and remain completely unchanged.

For a FREE 47 page ebook titled How to Fire Up Your Metabolism and Lose Fat Permanently,
go to Ripped Abs and learn
some killer fat loss tips.

Tom is also the author of
http://www.ScamFreeFatLossProducts.com,
where he offers independent reviews of high quality fat loss products.

Tom Gifford is a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) through the American Council
on Exercise and also holds a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology (Exercise Science).
Tom specializes in effective fat loss training for people who have tried all the
fad diets and exercise gimmicks.

The Best Way to Get Six Pack Abs

                

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What do all of the top models and most movie stars have in common? The answer is six pack abs. A defined midsection is considered the Holy Grail of fitness. If a person has six pack abs, that person is usually considered to be in exceptional shape. I believe it has something to do with the fact that the abdominal area is the last place to lose body fat, so if a man is defined in that area he is probably in great shape overall. The crazy thing is that if you go into most gyms, I would estimate that less than 5% of the trainees actually have six pack abs. The challenge lies from the fact that people have a misunderstanding of what it takes to achieve this awesome look.

Will Working the Core Muscles Give You Six Pack Abs?

These days if you go into any gym, you will see a large focus on "core exercises." Personal trainers have people doing all sorts of crazy exercises on exercise balls which supposedly forces the body to stabilize itself using "core muscles." Focusing on the core muscles supposedly tones the abs to achieve a six pack abs. I see personal trainers devoting close to 1/2 of the client's time focusing on exercises which work the core. The funny thing is that I see people do this week in and week out and none of these people get any closer to getting six pack abs.

Will Performing Tons of Crunches Give You Six Pack Abs?

Another school of thought is to work abs hard every day. There are tons of exercises which focus on the abdominal muscles. Many people use various floor exercises such as crunches or sit-ups. People also use machines in their quest for six pack abs. Some people recommend working the abs every day or every other day. Some tell you to use high reps and no weight or heavy weight like every other muscle. I see tons of people do this week in and week out and guess what...very few of those people have six pack abs!

Learn from Someone Who Has Six Pack Abs.

I have a very defined midsection year round, but it wasn't always that way. I followed the above recommendations and failed to get that six pack look. Believe it or not, a back injury helped me figure out what works best to get six pack abs! Let me elaborate...I sustained a back injury 5 years ago and was unable to perform any crunch movement without pain. I was bummed out, because I had a vacation to Cancun planned 8 months later. I wanted to look great in a swimsuit and have firm six pack abs. I had to give up on working my abs directly for 8 full months! I was convinced that my abs would look flabby. A crazy thing happened...I had amazing six pack abs in time for my vacation and I didn't do one ab exercise for 8 months!

My Approach to Getting Six Pack Abs.

Okay, since that time I haven't worked abs directly at all and my midsection looks better than ever. I am convinced that having six pack abs showing is 95% about your body fat percentage and maybe 5% or less about working the abs. You see, all of us already have a nice six pack...it is just hidden under a layer of fat. I guarantee that if you get your body fat to 10% or lower, you will have amazing six pack abs for the world to see. My recommendation is to drop your ab workout and spend that time on cardio. You want nice abs? Hit the Treadmill or the Elliptical Machine. Seriously, it the only way you will ever see those abs. Rusty Moore is an avid trainer who gives advice to men and women who want a physique that attracts the opposite sex. While most trainers focus on gaining as much muscle mass as possible, Rusty focuses on the lean "sleek model look". For men who want the build of Brad Pitt -or- Matthew Mcconaughey and women who want the build of Jessica Alba -or- Jessica Beil, Visit his Website by Clicking this link... Lean Muscle Fitness

How to Develop Sexy Six Pack Abs

                

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If you've ever wanted to have a set of six pack abs, then this will be the most important article you'll ever read.

Developing your abdominal muscles takes work and determination but the funny thing is, once you've got them, they're pretty much there to stay.

The trick to getting started is to be committed for 90 days. Once you've gone past the first three months the rest is a breeze!

Plus, once you have developed and toned those muscles once, you hardly have to do any work at all to maintain them.

As far as what exercises you need to do, you'll want to pick 7 highly effective exercises (like the ab bicycle and the reverse crunch.) Perform between 10 and 25 repetitions for each set or exercises. Repeat those 7 exercises three times for a total of 21 sets in all.

Once you've done that workout, wait at least a full day before doing it again. You need to give your abdominal muscles some time to rest and repair themselves to develop and grow.

Now surprisingly enough, you can fully work your abs in about 15 minutes a day. So developing a great set of abs doesn't really have to be all that time consuming.

The real secret to developing a stunning set of six pack abs is not only about abdominal exercises, it has much more to do with what you do outside of your abdominal exercise routine.

This may not be surprising to you, but you need to reduce your body fat percentage if you want to see those ripples. But don't worry, burning fat can be extremely simple if you take the right steps.

The other part of the formula is to take up cardiovascular exercises (like riding a bike, swimming, jogging or even skipping rope) for about half an hour at a time to increase your metabolism and to process food faster in your body. Once you can digest your food quicker, it's easier for your body to begin using stored fat as energy.

The other thing that's also extremely important is what you put into your body to fuel it. Having healthy eating habits that fuel your body with the right type of nutrients will make a huge difference in your fat burning efforts.

I highly recommend seeing a nutritionist or a dietitian for their recommendations.

Once you've got the fat out of the way and have effectively learned how to keep it off, your abs will show through and you'll have that washboard look in no time.

Unfortunately, doing abdominal exercises alone doesn't help much to burn fat, but combining an ab workout with a cardio routine and a healthy eating plan will definitely lead to a strong sexy set of six pack abs that'll make anyone drool.

Jake Berlin is the creator of "The Killer Ab Workout System" -- a simple system designed to help anyone develop a stunning set of abs and flatten their stomach in record time. If you want to learn how to get a flat stomach, Jake can help.

Bodybuilding - Rock Hard Abs

                

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Abs are not only about the washboard stomachs we have grown accustom to seeing on the professional bodybuilding stage. There's a lot more to it then meets the eye. The actual anatomical make up includes the Rectus abdonomis, the external abdominal oblique muscles, serratus anterior and the internal abdominal oblique. Most of us tend to train our abs as a finishing touch on our overall appearance but we forget the main function of the abdominals. The abdominals are responsible for permitting our bodies to bend forward and back as well as to the side. Their main function is keeping our posture but they also aid in keeping our body stable when partaking in different activities and of course in both upper body and lower body lifts while bodybuilding.

By fully understanding the functions of our abdominals we can then implement effective ways of training them. As you read earlier our abdominals allow us to "flex our trunks" or in other words bend forward. The best way to effectively train them is to replicate this movement while in the gym. The reason most bodybuilders train their abs is definitely to increase the overall definition of the abs. There are a number of ways to go about obtaining this. One theory is to eliminate the fat that covers the abdominals. This can be achieved through both dieting and cardiovascular activity. Another way to help define your abdominals is to do abdominal exercises intensely with very high repetitions. The reason for this is that you don't want to add any unwanted mass to your abs. Cardiovascular conditioning is easily the most important aspect used to help a bodybuilder achieve defined abdominals. Bodybuilders use cardio as a tool to help shed unwanted fat. The key to effectively using cardio is to know exactly when to implement it into your routine. If you start doing it to early you will curtail all the gains you're desperately trying to make, but if done to late you won't have enough time to get your abdominals in the shape needed for competition. A good starting point is about 11 weeks out from your competition. This will give you enough time to cut your body fat and water retention.

The most misunderstood and under utilized tool for bodybuilders looking to obtain shredded abs is definitely dieting. I would go as far as saying that dieting alone is responsible for over 80% of a bodybuilders overall physique. If you look at it as, what you put in your body will either dictate whether your body gets bigger or smaller you'll certainly understand what I mean. The general rule of thumb is that your body needs to have 4-6 small meals that are high in protein, spaced out over a 2-3 hour span to keep your metabolism high and prevent fat storage.

As you can see, nothing I've written here could be considered rocket science but many bodybuilders don't take full advantage of this information. If you follow these simple guidelines you will achieve the washboard abs you've always dreamt of.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Body Building

Beach Body Abs

                

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 With the return of warm weather in the spring, thoughts can never be too far behind of the approaching summer and the many wonderful outdoor activities that we’ll often associate with it and among our top favorite summertime activities will always be the trip to the beach. Warm blue skies, refreshing ocean breezes, hot sand, cool waves and the many attempts at constructing the perfect sand castle; you can swear you’re almost there just thinking of it. But that mental image just wouldn’t be complete without also including images of hard, bronze bodies in attractive swimsuits soaking up the sun. Let’s face it, attractive physiques will always be a top draw at the beach and the abs, or midsection, is the first thing that everyone notices.

But showing off beach body caliber abs certainly don’t come easy. Successful ab training is a combination of a healthy, lean diet, consistent cardio work, and a comprehensive abdominal training plan. While all of that may sound daunting, it is certainly within your ability to attain a chiseled midsection that other beach goers will positively ogle at, and you certainly still have enough time to do so. This article will provide you with the steps you’ll need to take to help you look your beach-body best.

Diet

The first thing you’re going to have to change will be your diet. It goes without saying that even if you had the best abs in the world, it will still look pretty ordinary if a layer of bodyfat covers it. Diet plays a crucial role in defining your midsection so some modifications will be required in order for your body to look it’s best. To begin with, get into the habit of using a diet log to keep track of your meals. Everyone is less likely to cheat when they know they have to write down everything they’ve eaten each day. An elaborate journal isn’t necessary either; a simple notepad can work just fine. Also, begin switching to six small meals a day now instead of three larger ones to help rev up your metabolism as well as prevent the stretching of the stomach and the abdominal walls which occurs when one gorges themselves in food.

Next, you’ll want to start creating a slight caloric deficit each day to help burn away the bodyfat. It is recommended that you work on losing only a pound or two, a week, of bodyfat. The weekly loss of any more weight than this, for the typical person, probably includes substantial amounts of water weight and muscle tissue and can wreck havoc on your metabolism. Remember, it’s the bodyfat that’s covering your abs that you’ll want to lose so a good rule of thumb is to cut back your daily energy requirements by only around 500 calories a day.

Now if you’re not sure what your daily energy requirements are for your current bodyweight (or the amount of calories you will have to consume each day to stay at your current weight), you can use this easy-to-remember formula as a guide. To estimate your daily total caloric needs, multiply 24 times 1.0 (if you’re a man) or 0.9 (if you’re a woman) by each kilogram of bodyweight you weigh. Then multiply that result by 1.7 (for a moderately active man) or 1.6 (for a moderately active woman).

(Men) 1.7 x 24 x 1.0 x bodyweight (in kg)

(Women) 1.6 x 24 x 0.9 x bodyweight (in kg)

To determine how many kilograms you weigh, divide your bodyweight in pounds by 2.2. Remember though that this formula is only a guide. It is highly recommended that you use the formula as a starting point, and then pay close attention to your body in order to fine-tune your calories according to how your body responds to your efforts. Look at your body in a mirror, if it doesn’t appear (or feel) as if your body is losing any weight after a week or two, then reduce the amount of calories you ingest even more.

Cardio

You’ll next want to start including cardio (aerobic exercises) into your weekly routine. There are few short-term options that can burn calories and strip away the bodyfat better than sessions of aerobic activities. It is no coincidence that even top-level bodybuilders will steadily increase their cardio workouts as a contest approaches to help really bring out their muscle definition. Begin by working out 3-4 times per week for 20 to 30 minutes at a time on a treadmill or a stationary exercise bike. Then work your way up to more intense sessions of at least moderate intensity for 45 minutes or longer by weeks 3 and 4. The last few weeks before you hit the beach, you’ll want to include interval training into your routine to really help blast away the last few pounds of bodyfat.

Exercise

Spot-reducing your way to abdominal definition is a myth. It is impossible to localize fat loss over any one specific area of your body and is the reason why it is important for you to also watch your diet and include aerobic training if you truly wish to showcase some beach-body abs. But the inclusion of some solid abdominal training is still important for great abs. Strengthening the abdominal wall will tone and help reduce, if not prevent, any unnecessary sagging of the belly. Also, abdominal workouts will certainly develop the muscles of the ab (particularly the rectus abdominus and the external obliques) and enable them to easily become more visible, sharper and tight.

While there are literally hundreds of abdominal exercises to choose from, it is important that several considerations are first kept in mind before performing any of them. First, it is strongly recommended that you learn how to focus on feeling the contraction of your abs when exercising and really squeeze the muscle at the top of any rep. There are many individuals out there who lay claim to performing several hundred sit-ups per day, but it is the quality that counts here and not necessarily the quantity. Become more efficient when performing your abdominal exercises and allow the muscle do the work and do not use the mechanical involvement of other bodyparts or even momentum to help swing the body in order to complete any reps. Additionally, make sure that you maintain continuous tension while performing your reps and never allow your body to rest at the bottom of a movement. Finally, be sure to breathe in during the relaxation phase of your movements and exhale during the contraction phase of the reps.

Having now prepared yourself, choose three exercises to perform for your abs and complete 2 sets, of 15 – 20 reps on each exercise, three times a week. Once again, focus on squeezing the muscle at the top of the movement and go in a slow, deliberate manner during each repetition. Recommended abdominal exercises for beginners during their first week would be crunches (with legs supported on a bench), seated twists, and knee-ups or lying leg raises. As the next few weeks progresses and your conditioning improves, you will need to increase the intensity factor for the abs to really shine. Begin by increasing the number of sets of each exercise from two to three and then add additional, more advanced, movements to allow for up to five exercises for your abs. Recommended abdominal exercises during this stage could include reverse crunches, crunches on an incline board, vertical leg raises, medicine-ball twists and decline-bench twisting crunches. You literally have from hundreds of movements to choose from. During the last two weeks before you hit the beach, begin cutting back on the rest time between your sets and also start to include supersets of your exercises in which you complete one set of each exercise without stop.

While there are still other factors that could be included for consideration of your ab training, consistently eating a lean diet, performing cardio work and exercising your abs with sufficient intensity will always remain at its core. Put in the work on those three tenets of abdominal development and you’ll be sure to possess a beach-body that will look great in a bathing suit and absolutely turn heads this summer!

Nathan Boyd is author of the highly rated ebook, "The Fitness Lifestyle" and the current Director of Pro Fitness of Texas. Nathan encourages everyone in their pursuit of becoming physically fit and maintaining it for a lifetime. All questions and comments are always welcomed!

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