How To Get Abs

4) Aerobic exercise (preferentially H.I.I.T.)

Although I ‘ve met people having excellent abs definition without bothering with aerobics, I consider aerobics as a vital part of the abs equation.

Aerobics is a nice way to spend calories.

But I declare it explicitly:

I feed an instinctive abhorrence for the hamster mentality a.k.a. endless hours on my wheel – name it stationary bike, treadmill etc – doing endless hours of long, boring to death, uninspiring, demotivating, slow cardio.

I am a preacher of H.I.I.T. simply because I ‘ve seen excellent results from it and mainly because I manage to integrate it in my hectic programme.

On the other side H.I.I.T. is suitable only for already fit people.

You could perfectly use medium intensity cardio 30’-40’ long 3-5 times/week if you seek fat loss. Try to keep your heart rate in the 70-75% region of your MHR.

And for God’s shake, don’t buy into the antiquated concept of the “fat burning zone”. It’s nonsense. Try to keep your heart rate as elevated as you can withstand without risk of injury or exhaustion.

Sprints are the utmost abs exercises.

The way they tax the abs is unbelievable.

Circuits with push ups and multifunctional, multijoint core training exercises are also perfect for the abs.

Your worst time investment is…crunches and sit-ups.

Recapitulation with tips and secrets for abs:

1) Don’t embark on your ripped abs trip if you are not totally mentally prepared. Mind dominates body.

2) Diet is king when it comes to an abs definition. Eat wholesome, unprocessed, nutritional foods taking care to create a negative caloric intake.

Avoid limiting and fad diets. Just plain logic.

3) Give special emphasis to high quality protein, fibrous vegetables and monounsaturated and omega-3 fats.

4) Try to avoid spikes in your sugar blood and insulin by spreading your calories to 5-6 meals and consuming foods with low glycemic index and load.

5) Do your strength training with an emphasis on free weights and exercises that recruit big muscle groups and more than one joints. Try minimal breaks between sets. Give an aerobic tint to your workout.

6) Push ups are ideal for abs training. Try circuits, with bodyweight exercises. Excellent for fat loss, a superb combination of strength training and aerobics.

7) You have to dispose of your midsection fat layer in order to highlight your abs.

If you are very fit, try H.I.I.T. It’s the best investment for your time.

If not, try 30’ cardio sessions at about 75% of your MHR.

Avoid at all costs slow, endless cardio sessions. They are not effective and could send you to the grave (from boredom).

You don’t have to do focused abs training. If, however, you insist, the best exercise is by far hanging leg raises (If you manage to do it right!!!).

9) Forget about supplements a.k.a. miraculous pills, magic potions and mystic powders. Don’t be suckered!

10) The same with abs gadgets. You can buy them as toys for your children but please don’t lose your valuable time with them.

It doesn’t stop to amaze me how people are open to deceitful words and promises. I guess it is the strong desire for effortless solutions.

11) When you see or hear words or phrases like the following pertaining to abs:

- quick

- 5 minutes

- easy

- simple

- instant

- 4 weeks

- get ready for summer

- summer abs…

you had better discard the article, book, workout etc.

EPILOGUE

We have seen that the main “secret” for ripped abs is a low body fat percentage.

My friendly exhortation: don’t be obsessed with the elusive six-pack abs. You will have to hit one digit body fat percentages – I speak for men – and this is something your face won’t like at all.

Aim at being healthy, fit and functional. Leave six pack definition for models!

Read 1st part here

Chris Strogilis

I don’t care who you are…we all would love to look in the mirror and see flat, lean, sexy midsection. But truthfully, most people are going about the wrong way. Hundreds of crunches and endless hours of cardio…still they don’t get the results they want.

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)

Trying to get 6 pack ab can be frustrating and a hassle.  Especially when you’re not sure what to do to get them.  So, what I’m going to do is share with you some 6 pack ab training tips that will help you get washboard abs.That way, you’ll have abs that everyone will notice.The 6 pack ab training tips are:1.  Lower ab exercises.  Working on your lower abs is a must.  It will help you get a 6 pack quicker, too.  Some exercises that you can do includes doing leg lifts, hanging leg lifts, reverse crunches, and knee raises.2.  Upper ab exercises.  Doing training exercises that works your upper abs will help you build them quickly.  This is something that most people already work on.  Which is why you will see people having 4 packs instead of 6 packs.Some exercises that you can do to work your upper abs are crunches, cable crunch, full crunch, and situps.3.  Obiliques.  This is another 6 pack ab training tip.  This part of your mid section is on the sides of your abs.  Whenever you see someone with washboard abs, you will see this muscle as well.  To work on your obiliques, you can do exercises like side cable crunch, side crunches, and twisting crunches.4.  Cardio.  Doing cardio will help you strip away some of the fat that’s on your belly.  This will help expose your abs.  The cardio exercises that are very effective includes swimming, running, jogging, fitness classes, and riding your bike.These are some of the 6 pack ab training tips that will help you get washboard abs.  If you are serious about getting abs, be sure to use the tips above.  Make sure you stay consistent with the training, too.  It’ll help you get abs that people will notice.