Everyone wants to know the secret to abs. The good news is that we all have abs; no need to go out and get them, especially if you have spent a considerable amount of time doing ab exercises. To “get” six pack abs is essentially to reveal them and thus you will need to obtain a low body fat percentage.
This is done with a combination of diet and exercise and the catch is you can’t have one without the other. This is the part that no one likes to hear, but it needs to be said because too many of us end up disappointed when we train our midsections and do not see the results we want.
Abs, just like any other muscle in your body, can be worked to become stronger and bigger but abs are a relatively small muscle in comparison to other muscles in your body (e.g., legs, back). It’s fine to train them with almost any ab exercise, but you can go overboard quickly, training them too hard or too often. Even without injuries, you will be wasting your time if you’re seeking improvement.
Some isolation ab exercises are:
To start, pick 2-3 of these exercises and do 4 sets of about 12-15 reps or more if you can. Since abs do not need to be worked hard and often, you should do an ab routine no more than twice a week.
The lovely thing about abs is that they can be worked while doing compound movements for other body parts. By compound I mean exercises that involve more than one joint movement and thus forces other muscles to engage to complete the rep (using the squat as an example; the knee, hip, and ankle joint all must move for one full rep).
This method is more effective in your quest for a six pack as it engages your entire core, works other muscles, and burns more calories. The squat for instance, is typically used to work the legs and glutes but doing a squat correctly engages your core as well. You can have the strongest, most defined core ever without training your abs separately.
Some effective compound exercises that engage your core are:
Incorporating these into your routine will give you a good head start on your beach body midsection, but the real secret to abs is in the body fat. More body fat will show less definition and less body fat will reveal more. It’s like having the perfect beach body and looking in the mirror at layers of baggy clothing and coats. Training will develop the muscle you want, but you will never see it unless you lower your body fat. For women, this is especially challenging because our genetic code naturally carries and holds on to more fat. All is not lost, with proper nutrition and cardio, it can still be done.
The perfect diet varies person to person but start by reducing your carb intake and increasing your protein intake. Cut out ALL junk food (no cheats) and keep sugar to a minimum. When doing cardio, stay in the fat burning zone. This is typically 130-150bpm for the average person but you can use the talk test to measure how intense your cardio is also. If you can hold a conversation comfortably, you will need to work harder. If you cannot complete one sentence without taking a breath, slow it down. Find a place somewhere in the middle for about 45mins, 5-6 times per week.
RELATED: THE Cardio Workout for Your Core! How to Finally Get Abs You Can See
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