What about all of those models doing hundreds of ab exercises each day?

Most of the time, ab exercises alone won’t get you the washboard stomach that you’re looking for. While there are some fantastic ab exercises that will build muscle in your stomach, they won’t give you the look of the 6 pack that you’re looking for.  In order to have that 6 pack look, you need to reduce your body fat, and this is best

done through good dieting.

So what kinds of foods are best for a 6 pack?

There are several different foods that can be absolutely great to help you achieve sexy 6 pack abs.

Egg Whites

Egg whites are a low calorie, high protein low fat breakfast that give you lots of energy and nutrients and keep you full for hours without needing to load up on useless calories that will end up making you fatter. I eat them almost every morning, and sometimes throw them in for a dinner meal if I’m in a rush and don’t feel like cooking a bigger meal.

Chicken Breast

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are the staple of any good dieters meal program.  They’re low in fat, high in protein, and full of great nutrients. As long as you don’t cover them in unhealthy sugar filled sauces or fry them in fatty cooking oil, eating them with at least one meal a day will help you feel full and help you trim the fat so you can have those sexy abs.

Fish

Fish, like chicken breast is absolutely the best source of animal protein available.  As long as you don’t bread it and fry it, it’s actually better than chicken breasts.  This is because fish contains Omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to help people lose weight as well as lower bad cholesterol.

Broccoli and green veggies.

If you’re trimming body fat to have perfect abs, green vegetables should be on your plate at every meal. They are full of fiber, vitamin c, and plenty of other nutrients that help cut the fat. Because they are full of fiber and low in calories, they are also a great snack to help you get through your day. Even if you don’t love them,

don’t overlook them if you want a healthy way to get 6 pack abs.

While exercise will help you build the muscles in your stomach, it is so important to control your diet so that you cut your stubborn body fat. If you Diet for 6 Pack Abs, you will see them quicker than you could imagine.

To cut a long story short let’s look at the what this survey brought back in terms of the least effective ab workout routines:

In last place, was using an ab rocker, closely followed by ab rollers and more suprisingly for some people, ab crunches.

Although we’ve been saying it for years, many people are led to believe that these ab workout equipment and methods are supposed to produce the best results.

It’s no wonder so many people are still slogging it at the gym and still going to bed with that spare band of ugly fat around their midrift.

What came out on top of the best ab workouts?

According to the same study, the most effective ab workouts were, in 3rd place, exercise balls, 2nd place captain’s chair and in first place was…

The Bicyle Maneuver.

However, the study went on to explain that you don’t need to purchase expensive equipment in order to get 6 pack abs , you simply need to know the right foods to eat, when to eat them and what types of other exercises you need to incorporate into your week in order to see results.

In fact, the Doctors involved in the study actually stated that a variety of specific exercises will prove to be the most effective in a) losing weight and b) forming well toned 6 pack abs.

So, before you rush away to find a guaranteed 6 pack abs workout, you should understand that in order to see yourself with a 6 pack anytime soon, you need to know what’s going in along with what’s being burned off.

The hard truth is that no matter what commercials may tell you, it is impossible to spot reduce your belly fat.  Spot reducing is where you focus on exercising just one area of your body, like your abs, in order to lose fat in just that area.  This is impossible.  Your body stores fat over the whole body.  While it may store more in your belly than anywhere else, it is impossible to lower your fat in just your belly.  If you want to lose that stubborn belly fat, you need to focus on reducing your total body fat if you want to start seeing those 6 pack abs.

Reducing your body fat will allow the ab muscles that you already have to show through.  Most likely you have tried to build your abs bigger and bigger, but honestly you probably already have a 6 pack that you just can’t see.  You can’t see it because it’s covered in a layer of fat.  So how do you let those beauties shine through?

In order to get sexy 6 pack abs, you need to eat less fatty foods, and focus on eating healthier carbs.  This means cutting back on breads, pastas, and potatoes, and avoiding fried foods for a while.  Focus on foods like fish, chicken and green vegetables.

The other thing you can do to help those abs show through, is exercise.  Weight training is absolutely the best thing you can do to cut your body fat, but any exercise is a good thing.  Go for a walk, jog, or do some push ups and jumping jacks if you can’t get to the gym right now.

Don’t think for a moment that doing just a little bit of exercise will give you a models body.  If you want to have those sexy six pack abs, you need to get to the gym and get started on a good weight training program immediately.  Because if you don’t cut you overall body fat, you won’t have those sexy abs.  If you add some crunches to a good weight training program and a healthy diet, 6 pack abs will be inevitable.

The hard truth is that sexy 6 pack abs don’t come from just a few crunches or a magic machine.  It takes a good diet and some weight training to cut your body fat so that you can see those little stomach ripples.

Sound familiar?

So here’s what I have for you…your very own “No Crunch Abs Blueprint” workout.

But before I reveal the fat attack, let me erase the top 4 misconceptions on getting 6-pack abs:

Myth #1- “I want to lose weight so I can see my abs.”

WRONG!

The key to seeing your abs is fat loss, not weight loss. Let me explain…your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to skyrocket your metabolism, which in turn is what will eradicate fat cells and build muscle 24/7. By changing your body composition, you will be setting yourself to reveal the 6-pack everyone craves.

For example…let’s say you lose 15 pounds.

That’s good…but hold on a moment. What if losing those 15 pounds came at the expense of losing some precious, lean muscle tissue burned away by all that long slow cardio and caloric restriction (ie: useless diets)? Guess what…when your muscle goes bye bye, so does your metabolism. Your performance goes down and you lose muscle tone. Not sexy.

But if you lose 15 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or even increase lean muscle tissue, you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose body fat.

That’s why I do NOT encourage you to get on a scale. That little evil machine has far too many variables it doesn’t understand inside your body, such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women, your menstrual cycle. The last time I weighed myself was at the doctor’s office…and not because I wanted to. You really shouldn’t either.

Instead of getting caught up in those 3 little numbers on a scale, focus on fat loss – not weight loss. It can be so discouraging (and misleading), especially for you women.

Next, focus on clothing size reduction (how do your clothes fit), before and after pictures (take some right away), and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking (go ahead, check yourself out when you finish your shower).

Myth #2- “Ab exercises burn tummy fat.”

WRONG!

Spot reduction doesn’t work. I’ve said this before. You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away…it does not work like that. Put down those stupid magazines that tell you otherwise.

Think about the last time you saw people working out at the gym. You see almost everyone doing some crunches or one of those useless crunch “ab machines”. If that really worked, everyone who jumped on the “crunch bandwagon” would have flat, sexy abs. Take look around, you know that isn’t the case.

So put down those silly fitness magazines that tell you to burn belly fat by doing this ab move or buy this ab gizmo…save your money and listen to what I’m telling you…spot reduction does NOT work!

The most surefire plan is to burn as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Also be sure to use compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to curl to presses). These movements burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups.

Focus on these movements first and then if you have time (and desire), you can do some extra core work.

Myth #3- Crunches and sit-ups are the best exercises to trim fat and show off your abs.

WRONG!

Ok, so you want to show your “rectus abdominis” aka your “abs”. Since the dawn of fitness magazines, we have been brainwashed to believe the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these exercises traditionally get you to feel “the burn”. However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position; your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.

So, an efficient workout would focus on “stabilization” exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (some know these as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these “inner” ab muscles is the key to optimal posture, better performance and helping to prevent lower back pain or even injury.

Myth #4- Do lots of long, slow cardio in the “fat burning zone” will torch tummy blubber.

WRONG!

There is a ton recent research and real world examples that support the fact that aerobic training for fat loss alone simply does not work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid, long lasting fat loss plan. Period. If you hear or see anything to the contrary…hogwash!

In addition, interval training (which is what we focus our boot camp workouts on), will have you alternating between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery…which is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise.

Please note that you can perform both interval strength training and interval cardio training to combine the best of both worlds. I’ve got more on this later…

Now the myths are debunked, excuses are over…let’s snap into reality and layout your No Crunch Abs Solution Blueprint!

The No Crunch Abs Blueprint:

Zone 1: Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can actually see them.

How? Eat supportively to elevate your metabolism. Take a closer look:

- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.

- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day (3 meals, 3 snacks- half the size of your meals, workout nutrition)

- Focus on a wide range of organic lean proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies

Here is a Sample One-Day Menu:

Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon, 100% Whole Grain Toast

Mid-Morning Snack- Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice (Raw Almond are my favorite)

Lunch- Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad (keep the dressing light)

Mid-Afternoon Snack- Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Dinner- Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash (keep portion size appropriate)

Pre-Bed Snack- Protein and Flax Shake

- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender and an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement

Zone 2: Exercise to lose fat and elevate metabolism

How?

Perform 3 “total body interval strength training” routines a week.

Here’s a 20 minute sample (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down).

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of maximum effort and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body workout:

Exercise # : Exercise Category : Exercise Variation1 : Double-Leg: Bilateral Hip-Dominant : Hip Extensions2 : Push: Horizontal Push : Push-up Variation3 : Single-Leg: Unilateral Knee-Dominant : Single-Leg Wall Sit4 : Pull: Horizontal Pull : Body Weight Rows5 : Core: Linear Stabilization or Trunk-Dominant : Upper Body Twist Variation

Perform up to 3 (20 minute) cardio interval training workouts on your off-days.

Here’s a 20 minute sample (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down).

30-30’s Intervals : You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 s of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio mode of choice (jump rope, spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body weight cardio exercises:

Exercise # : Body Weight Cardio Variation : Body Weight Cardio Exercise1 : Linear Locomotion Emphasis : Stationary Running2 : Lateral/Rotational Locomotion Emphasis : Jumping Jack Variation

Zone 3: Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION

Today our boot camp workout has been awarded the most loved and most hated core workout. No crunches, no sit-ups…simply using different planes of motion to full train every muscle fiber within your core. Give it a shot…there are variations for beginners to advanced, something for everyone.

The Power Pillar Workout – Interval Style

This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on increasing your pillar stabilization. The “pillar” of your body collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.

For each exercise below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one minute active rest and transition before moving on to the next exercise listed.

For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively sucking your belly button to your spine, squeezing your glutes, and keep yourself in a nice smooth “plank” position, similar to that of a diving board.

Exercise#1- Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#2- Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#3- Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#4- Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)