Let’s do a simple exercise.
I want you to picture yourself with a six-pack. I want you to see your beautiful, bold self as lean and ripped, like one of those Greek god statues they carved out hundreds of years ago.
Maybe you’ve never even pictured yourself with a six-pack. Or, perhaps you feel you COULD get a six-pack but you don’t have the time or discipline for it.
Washboard abs aren’t only for the people you see on TV or in magazines. You can get some, too!
You heard me right.
There’s no better time than the summer to tone your abs and get in shape. After all, wouldn’t it be awesome to rock that bikini bod at the beach, the water park, or poolside?
While most people WANT abs, they don’t know how to get them. It’s not as simple as doing sit-ups until your stomach caves in on itself…
…but it’s definitely not that complicated, either.
We’re going to give you a few pointers on how to chisel that core of yours down to abs and muscles. This is stuff you can do today, so don’t be afraid to jump right in and start your ab routine ASAP!
Burn That Fat Away!
A common misconception that people have about getting abs is that you ONLY need to focus on core exercises.
Someone might be able to get the outline of a six-pack by doing this, but it won’t look great on them because it will be surrounded by a tub of belly fat…
You’re going to need to mix in some cardio if you’re planning on shaving off the edges of that tummy.
Most people instinctively think of cardio as nothing more than running, running, and more running. Running is 1 way to get your cardio in, but by no means is it the only way, considering how plenty of six-pack studs will tell you that they hate running.
In fact, you can make cardio a part of your strength training, too.
Explode off the ground when you do those burpees. Do high-energy exercises, such as mountain climbers and quick feet, in-between your ab routine. If you need to run, run in short spurts so you still have energy left over to work those abs.
Ladies and gents, get those hearts pumping however you can! A’int that what cardio’s all about?
Protein, Protein, Protein!
We harp on this all the time because it’s so important: get that protein in your diet.
Protein builds lean muscle without giving you a ton of unhealthy fat. You want a good muscle-to-fat- ratio, right?
Increasing your protein intake will also take some carbs out of your life. Unless your preparing for some rigorous long-term exercise, it’s safer to stay away from carbs.
There is actually ONE time during your day when carbs aren’t that bad for you, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
For now, you want to focus on upping that protein intake.
Salmon, chicken, lunch meat, (low sugar) protein bars, protein shakes, eggs, and peanuts are just a few of the many foods that are rich in protein. You ideally should include proteins in every meal you eat, but that’s not possible for some people, so make sure some of your snacks are protein-heavy.
One extra little tip for you: use protein powder instead of flour whenever you can. Your diet will get a boost of healthy protein, and the food you cook (usually dessert) will still taste amazing.
Mix Up Your Ab Exercises
One mental trick to get through those ab routines is to switch it up!
Let’s face it: the human mind gets bored really easily. We’re entertained by a show, a song, a movie, a trendy fad—you could name a few. Yet we leave these “interest” of ours in the dust once the next song or show rolls around.
So why do we glamorize sit-ups and crunches as the only ways to get rock hard abs? Silly, right?
Instead of forcing yourself to go HAM on the crunches and sit-ups, where you’re likely to lose form and focus by the end of your set, try to educate yourself on different ab exercises you can try at home, then sprinkle those into your routine in small chunks.
Let me give you a clear example. Say you did 100 sit-ups and 100 crunches on Tuesday and Thursday of last week. Maybe that’s all you felt you could do…
OR, maybe you could squeeze some more out of yourself with a little diversification!
Try doing 25 sit-ups, 25 crunches, 25 scissors kicks, 25 flutter kicks, and 2 minutes (1 minute each) of leg raises. You can give your best when doing each exercise because you’re doing a smaller amount of reps per exercise.
One last benefit of mixing up your core workouts is you’ll workout your WHOLE core. As opposed to sit-ups and crunches that mainly work the mid section of your stomach, doing trunk turns with a medicine ball can work the sides of your core.
The Prime Moment for Carbs Is…
Remember when I said there was an exception to that low carb rule?
Eat your carbs immediately after you finish working out. Trust us on this one.
It’s going to be tougher for fat to collect in your body after a heated workout ramps up your metabolism. That’s why Fit Body focuses on achieving the Afterburn effect with all of its workouts—basically, the body burns calories for a longer period of time when it’s pushed hard in a short time span.
Plus, foods with carbs also hold plenty of macronutrients—such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals—that you might miss out on otherwise. Remember: the body doesn’t just run on protein. Sugars, fats, and carbs are essential for our homeostasis, but they MUST be eaten with caution.
Never Overdo It
I can already sense that you’re ready to race to the gym, or home, or wherever you work out, to start building those six-pack abs.
I think that’s awesome—and we hope that you trust your local Fit Body location to help get you there.
With exercise, pacing is EVERYTHING. It’s not about how fast you can sprint out of the gate; your REAL success comes down to how long you can sustain your routine.
That routine consistency boils down to something simple: having proper habits.
Even if you’re feeling yourself—maybe you feel like you shredded inches off your waistline—and you want to do more, hold back.
What’s better than one or two amazing workouts? A thousand great ones.
That one or two long, fiery ab sessions could burn you out (no pun intended), while those short-and-efficient sessions can create the habits you’ll need for the long haul, the habits that will net you those sweet-lookin’ abs for your summertime chillin’.
