Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Right Diet Plus A Good Ab Exercise Video Could Get You That 6 Pack

By Nicholas Walker


Few fitness goals are as sought after and elusive as tight, well-defined abdominal muscles, the so-called '6 pack abs.' Even men without similar aspirations for huge arms, broad lats or massive pectorals will lift up their shirts in front of a mirror and survey their midriffs. They are one of the few ambitions pursued with equal fervour by both men and women and once achieved are worn as badge of pride by both sexes; and rightfully so for it is not easy to develop a nice 6 pack. Here are a few tips that could prove useful.

## Improve your diet.

The single biggest blunder that folks make when trying to get 6 pack abs is failing to adequately alter their diet. Unlike pectorals and biceps (just to name two) the abdominals are nestled deeper in the body and are therefore more naturally shrouded in body fat. This has absolutely no bearing, of course, on your ability to develop that muscle group BUT even well-developed, rock hard abs aren't a 6 pack unless they're seen. This is precisely what makes the goal of a 6 pack so elusive; it is a product not just of the muscle group itself but also of overall body fat index.

## You should eat differently but not necessarily less..

For anyone who is trying to build any muscle group it is far better to lose weight through watching what it is you're eating instead of concentrating too much on precisely much you are eating. Now clearly, if you're dramatically overeating that must be brought in check but that aside it is more advantageous to eat smarter rather than eat less. Muscle advancement requires calories and so dramatically choking off your calorie consumption will only hamper your efforts. Also if you are running too high a daily caloric deficit your metabolism will shift in order to lessen weight loss; this is a perfectly natural mechanism by the way, designed to fight off starvation. Eat healthier, less processed food. Avoid refined flour and sugars. Try to eat whole grains in the place of refined grains. And, if you're really serious about shedding that body fat, cut out alcohol entirely.

## Prepare to exercise a great deal..

There are plenty of good ab workouts (and fat burning workouts for that matter) circulating in gyms and online where, if you were so inclined, you could likely find a different abs exercise video for every day of the year. Most workouts will feature crunches, sit ups, leg lifts and static holds. A few bits of advice:

- ensure you know how to do ANY exercise properly before you start as it is easy to strain your back or neck or even your abs if you recklessly throw yourself into an exercise without the correct form

- for effective muscle growth you must afford muscles a chance to rebuild this means you cannot be doing killer workouts every day alternate your exercise days with cardio days

- drink lots of water

- if you are aggressively working on your ab muscles make sure to develop your back muscles and the rest of your core muscle groups as well

## Have patience.

Do not get disheartened if you do not have a tidy little 6 pack after a couple of weeks. Don't give up. More importantly do not get impatient and then try to force the issue either by starving yourself or overdoing it at the gym.

There is a good reason that 6 pack abs are so desired. Apart from the sheer beauty of a nice set of abdominals, a good 6 pack, by virtue of how hard they are to achieve, shows that you have really put in the work and are truly serious about your body, your health and the way you look.




About the Author:


1 comment: