I could write a book about how to get a six-pack there’s so much to talk about with it.
But for the purposes of this article I’m going to write the shortest, simplest and most concise explanation I can think of. Actually I’m not going to go into a whole lot of explaining, but I will make it quick, to the point and easy to implement into your own workouts.
Step 1 – Build Muscle
Abs trained every second time you’re in the gym. Treat them like any other muscle. Lift till failure, lift intense, add weight, let them recover.
Add weight as often as you can to each exercise – ie. decline crunches with a plate on your chest, or cable crunches.
3 exercises done 3x consecutively, for 15 reps – or failure. Rest 45 seconds. Repeat 3x
Choose 3 different exercises each time you train your abs, don’t do the same 3 week after week.
If you’re on a lean muscle gaining program, keep this going for the whole program. Increase weight, change reps around while staying in the 10-15 reps range, sometimes just do 2 exercises, others 4. You know your body better than anyone, if you feel like you need to add an exercise or do some more reps to get a better workout then go ahead!
Step 2 – Burn fat and make those muscles appear!
Your goal must be fat loss. Do after your weight gaining program is completed.
Continue weight training, add interval cardio and full body movements – ie. burpees, mountain climbers, burpees + chin-ups, burpees + snatch.
Change abs to everyday, increase reps to 20-30 (or failure).
Change diet to 6 small meals and only veggies for carbs past 7 pm with your biggest meal being your breakfast.
Getting exercise done on an empty stomach is great for fat loss, run stairs, sprints etc… on an empty stomach and watch the fat strip away.
You must have a caloric deficit to burn away the fat, this means you have to be burning more calories than you’re taking in.
Done!
This is obviously way too simplified but it’ll give you an idea of how it’s done. You have to train your abs like any other muscle, build it!
Really mix up your weight training. Add some olympic lifts in there, burpees into a snatch are a great one for fat loss, and remember, working your bigger muscles burn more calories than working you smaller ones.
Any questions let me know!
Chad
