subject: A Physical Fitness Program For 6-pack Abs [print this page] It seems like every guy who wants a physical fitness program also wants to know how to get 6-pack abs. In fact, even most women want a leaner, slimmer midsection. Still, almost nobody seems to understand how to get abs. On any given day at the gym, you'll see masses of people doing hundreds of crunches and hours on the treadmill but they still have soft bellies! Here are a few key tips on how to really get a six pack.
Shed the Fat
Get this into your head before you waste any more time there is NO such thing as spot reduction! You can do sit-ups until you're blue in the face, and you still won't shed the fat that's covering your abs. The only way to get a tighter stomach is to reduce the fat all over your body. The "six-pack" is the muscle shape that everyone has in their abs. It's simply more visible on people who are really lean.
The Right Diet
Training is an important part of your physical fitness program, but getting abs comes down to nutrition. Instead of trying to pick from the dizzying array of fat loss diets on the market, try to follow these key principles:
*Make protein the main component of every meal.
*Eat mainly vegetables for carbohydrates.
*Save fruit and starch for your post-workout meals.
*Eat plenty of healthy fats from nuts, oils, fish, eggs, and meat.
This isn't the Atkins diet by any means, but it is certainly a lower-carb, higher-fat approach than some people recommend. Eating carbs raises your insulin a hormone which prevents your body from burning its fat stores. By avoiding starch and focusing on fats for energy, you can keep your blood sugar and insulin low. Ultimately, that makes it much easier to get lean.
Are Crunches Necessary?
With all this talk of diets and fat loss, you might be wondering if you need to train your abs at all. The short answer is that no, you don't. You could never do a crunch or sit-up again, and your six-pack would still be visible once you lost enough fat.
That being said, strong abs are still important for heavy, full-body lifts like squats and deadlifts. Forget the high-rep, burn-inducing ab routines, and train them like any other muscle. Do heavy weighted sit-ups, leg raises, and side bends, and always strive to use more weight.
Building Mass
Even if you don't care about getting massively big and strong, you need to train for strength. Having the right amount of lean body mass will make your entire physique look better. Also, gaining a few pounds of muscle will boost your metabolism, making it that much easier to lose fat and get abs. Whether you want to look like a model, a fitness pro, or a bodybuilder, your physical fitness program should be designed around squats, deadlifts, presses, and pulls. Ditch the wimpy workouts if you really want to see that 6-pack.
