subject: How To Get Six Pack Abs [print this page] It seems like every week there's a new infomercial promoting a fast and easy way to get six pack abs. But if there was a fast and easy way to get six pack abs, why do so few people actually have them?
The reality is that there are no fast and easy ways to get a great set of abs. Great abs are the result of having well trained abs AND a low percentage of body fat.
The first step to getting six pack abs, or just stronger, more defined abs, is to make sure that you train your abs the proper way. Unfortunately, many people train their abs incorrectly because there is so much misinformation surrounding ab training. The correct way to train your abs is to train them like any other muscle group. The muscle tissue in your abs is no different than the muscle tissue in your other body parts.
Ab Training Tips:
Training Frequency - Train your abs two or three times per week on nonconsecutive days. Your abs need time to recover from a training session just like any other muscle group, so never train your abs two days in a row.
Sets and Reps - Perform three to five sets each training session, 10 to 25 reps each set. Don't waste time performing countless sets and reps trying to "burn off" fat from your abdominal region. Exercising a specific area of your body will build and strengthen the underlying muscle, but it will have no direct effect on fat loss in that area.
Form and Technique - Use the muscle power of your abs to complete each rep, not momentum. Performing your reps at a fast speed using momentum is not a very effective way to train your abs. You'll get much better results if you concentrate on fully contracting your abs each rep using a steady and controlled manner.
Specific Exercises - There are a lot of good ab exercises to choose from. Try a variety of different exercises in order to determine which ones your abs respond best to. But skip the sit-ups. Sit-ups work the hip flexor muscles more than the ab muscles and they can be hard on the lower back. Don't limit yourself to only bodyweight exercises. Try using added weight on some of your ab exercises. Using added weight will increase the intensity of your ab workouts.
Regardless of how good your ab training program is, you'll never be able to see your six pack abs if you have too much body fat. Cardio exercise and proper nutrition are necessary to keep your body fat low enough so that your abs are visible. The amount of cardio you would need to do and the type of eating plan you would need to follow would be based on factors such as how much body fat you had to lose, what body type you are, and what your metabolism is like.
In conclusion, getting six pack abs is not complicated. You just have to train your abs properly and keep your body fat low.
