How To Get A Ripped Six Pack

A lot of people wonder how to get abs – while we all have abdominal muscles, most of us have a layer of body fat covering our abs. Getting that dreamed about six pack takes a combination of a proper diet,  cardiovascular conditioning, and exercise balls and other abdominal training. Combining the three will get you the best results in the fastest time. It also helps to have good genetics as they play a crucial role in how your abdominals are shaped.

Good nutrition is essential for your abdominal muscles to show. If you only rely on exercise without watching out for your diet, you’re going to have a long road ahead of you for getting that elusive six-pack. Experts believe that removing the layer of fat covering your abs is about 90% diet and 10% exercise, so if you can’t control what you’re eating, then forget about trying to get those Brad Pitt-esque ripped abs.

You’ll want to eat natural and whole foods to assist you in getting leaner. It’s also recommended that you eat anywhere from five to seven small meals a day. By doing this as opposed to eating three meals you’ll keep your metabolism going strong which means additional calories burn, more energy and most importantly it’ll prevent you from overeating. An ab friendly diet is typically high in protein, and moderate in fat and carbohydrates. I recommend that you eat your carbohydrates in the morning and lunch time, but then cut them out or minimize them towards the later part of the day (aside from vegetables). Of course at the end of the day it’ll be about how many calories you are consuming versus how many you are burning, but by minimizing your carbs you’ll be better able to manage insulin levels thereby making it easier to achieve your goal of getting ripped abs.

Next up is cardio – whether you are running, biking, boxing, dancing or performing any other activity that’s getting your heart pumping, as long as you’re burning calories, you’ll be that much closer to getting rid of that layer of fat covering your abdominals. Remember though that diet is extremely important regardless of the fact that you are doing aerobic exercise.

One cardiovascular routine that I prefer is employing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on the treadmill. I will start with a 5 minute warm-up and then do a 2 minute fast pace, followed by a 1 minute sprint. I do this 3 times, then run at a moderate pace for about 5 minutes before doing another set of 2 minutes fast pace, 1 minute sprint and then a cool down. So what it may look like is this:

6.0 on the treadmill for 5 minutes
8.0 for 2 minutes, 11.0 for 1 minute sprint – 3 times
6.5 for 5 minutes
8.0 for 2 minutes, 11.0 for 1 minute spring – 3 times
5.0 cool down

This is just a sample workout that I do. I recommend that you find something that works for you but that you use the HIIT principle for at least some of your aerobic exercises.

Now it’s time for the ab routine but first for those who want to know how to get abs, it’s important to look at what these muscles actually consist of.

As you can see from the photograph above, the abdominal muscles consist of the following three layers: the transversus abdominus which helps to provide support and stability, the oliques (internal and external) which help with providing the body with lateral movement and rotation and finally the rectus abdominis which flexes the spine.

You should train your abdominal muscles the way you would train any other body part which means that you shouldn’t be doing a thousand crunches or other exercises that are targeted for the abdominals nor should you train them every day. Since these muscles are part of the core, you should want to strengthen them regardless of attaining a six pack. That being said, here are a few exercises to incorporate into your regular routine for those who want to know how to get abs quick.

Hanging Leg Raises – Mostly for lower abdominals

Decline Crunch – Mostly for upper abdominals

Oblique Crunch – Emphasize obliques

Common misconceptions about obliques and a few additional ab exercises

If you diet properly, perform cardiovascular training and abdominal exercises consistently then you should not only notice a difference in the strength of your torso, but you should also be able to see visual results within a few weeks. Believe in yourself and you’ll get those ripped abs that so many people dream of!

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