Weight Fitness

How To: Six Pack Abs

January 16th, 2010 at 08:29am Under fitness

Everybody would love to have six pack abs. If you’ve ever seen a photo of a model or bodybuilder with shiny, protruding six pack abs and thought to yourself “I want some of them”, then proceeded to do 10 sit-ups per day and wonder what happened; you are not alone. But you are also deluding yourself because knowing how to get six pack abs is not a secret; its just hard work.

With that said, there are shortcuts you can take to get a six pack.

A six pack is simply your abdominal muscles showing through the skin. Everybody has a six back – it’s just that in the majority of us, it’s hiding under layers of fat. So, you must first remove those fat layers before you can hope to see your own six pack.

This is where so many people go wrong: they focus on muscle building around the mid section rather than weight loss. However, unlike other muscles which can build up to grow, the ab muscles generally don’t grow much from working out. If you are relatively fit but just can’t see your abs, it is not sit-ups that you need to do, but cardiovascular activity.

Cardio work will result in fat loss and fat loss will result in visible six pack ab muscles. Along with cardiovascular training you must pay close attention to your diet.

The more foods you eat that lead to weight gain, the longer and harder it will be until your six pack is revealed. Foods that will prevent you from seeing your abs include white bread and pasta, high fat dairy foods, fast food and greasy fried foods, high sugar foods and soda drinks (just to name a few).

Foods on the other hand that will greatly assist in reaching your goal include whole grain breads, pasta and rice, lean meat or if you’re vegetarian: lentils and legumes. Vegetables and fruits are vital and nuts are also helpful. Drinking plenty of water as your main hydration source is mandatory and you can also add a supplement such as green tea into the mix.

By Paul