Contrary to what is widely believed crunches, sit ups and other focused training exercises is the last thing that should be bothered with in your effort to train and reveal your abs.
The critical parameters in your long and arduous trip to your covetable ripped abs – absolute fetish for men and women – are as following:
1) Self discipline and self motivation.
The perfect abs mission demands first of all a powerful brain because you will need commitment, discipline,persistence and other mental virtues.
2) A carefully planned, solid, nutritional plan both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Quantitatively: Take care so as to have a mildly negative caloric balance. This is important for losing weight and especially fat.
The fat layer in front of you abdominals will hide them and keep them dormant and undistinguished even when they are fully trained.
So your first and most important goal should be to make this fat layer disappear. (I take it that you know that spot loss is impossible!!).
This, mathematically, can be achieved only when you spend more calories than those you consume.
Qualitatively: Focus in the consumption of quality protein and complex carbs rich in fibres:mainly vegetables and secondly fruits and wholesome cereals.
Give priority to monounsaturated and omega-3 fats.
Avoid at all costs sugar, corn syrup, white flour, salt and trans fats.
The best way to achieve the above is by eating natural, unprocessed foods (keep away from whatever is contained in packs, boxes and cans).
Try to split your caloric intake into 5-6 meals/day. This will make your metabolism function more efficiently and will keep your blood sugar – and consequently fat storage insulin – under better control.
3) Strengthening exercises (preferentially with free weights)
This will benefit your metabolism by maintaining or increasing your precious muscle mass.
Try to adopt exercises that simultaneously tax big muscle groups and as many joints as possible.
Kings are: squats, deadlifts, chest presses, overhead presses, bent over rows etc.
I would like to make two important observations:
* try to escape from the logic of magic, easy, no sweat solutions. There is no such thing!
* don’t expect to rectify in days or weeks grave errors which accumulated over years or decades!!!
4) Aerobic exercise (preferentially H.I.I.T.)
Although I have met people with 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 the wheel – name it stationary bike, treadmill etc – doing long, boring to death, uninspiring, demotivating, slow cardio.
I am a preacher of H.I.I.T. simply because I have seen excellent results and mainly because I manage to better integrate it in my hectic programme.
On the other side H.I.I.T. is suitable only for already fit people.
If you seek fat loss you can perfectly use medium intensity cardio 30′-40′ long,3-5 times/week . 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 mere nonsense. Try to keep your heart rate as elevated as you can tolerate without risking injury or exhaustion.
Sprinting is the utmost abs exercise.
The way it taxes 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 mentally prepared. Mind dominates body.
2) Diet is king when it comes to abs definition. Eat wholesome, unprocessed, nutritional foods taking care to create a mildly 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(compound and functional exercises).
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 them right!!!).
9) Forget about supplements a.k.a. miraculous pills, magic potions and mystic powders. Don’t be suckered!
10) The same is valid 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 ,innate desire for effortless solutions.
11) When you see or hear words or phrases pertaining to abs as the following :
- 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!
To your health!
Chris Strogilis
